Regina LaBelle

Regina LaBelle (born 1961) is the Director of the Addiction and Public Policy Initiative at the Georgetown University Law Center's O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law. She was the acting director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) from January 20, 2021 to November 5, 2021, and the only woman to ever lead this office. She was named deputy director and served as acting director by President Joe Biden on the first day of his presidency. Prior to her work with the Biden Administration, she was the Chief of Staff of ONDCP under President Barack Obama. As Acting Director, LaBelle led the office in developing the Biden Administration’s drug policy priorities which included a historic focus on harm reduction. A recognized public policy expert, LaBelle has testified before the U.S. House and SenatePress Release, Acting Director Regina LaBelle Voices Support for Bill to End Federal Sentencing Disparity Between Crack and Powder Cocaine on Behalf of the Biden-⁠Harris Administration, White House Briefing Room (Jun. 22, 2021), https://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/briefing-room/2021/06/22/acting-director-regina-labelle-voices-support-for-bill-to-end-federal-sentencing-disparity-between-crack-and-powder-cocaine-on-behalf-of-the-biden-harris-administration/.Substance Use, Suicide Risk, and the American Health System, Ways & Means Committee (Mar. 22, 2022), https://waysandmeans.house.gov/legislation/hearings/substance-use-suicide-risk-and-american-health-system., has appeared on MSNBCWhite House ONDCP's Regina LaBelle | Advancing Health Equity in our Nation's Opioid Response, The Hill Events (Sept. 23, 2021), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9vq7uSCZL0., and is a regular contributor to The HillSearch: Regina LaBelle, The Hill (last accessed Oct. 6, 2022), https://thehill.com/?s=regina+labelle&submit=Search.
==Early Life and Education==
A first generation college graduate, LaBelle paid for her college and law school education with federal aid and by working in factories during the summer. She graduated magna cum laude from Boston College with a degree in political science, and she attended Georgetown University Law Center.
==Career==
Early in her legal career, LaBelle served as Legal Counsel to Mayor Greg Nickels of Seattle, Washington. As legal counsel to Seattle's mayor, she expanded the rights and protections for Seattle residents. This included identifying executive branch opportunities to expand access to parental leave for adoptive parents where none had previously existed, revised executive branch policies to increase access to services for same sex couples (prior to marriage equality), identified administrative actions to improve gun safety at the local level in the face of state gun safety preemption laws. During LaBelle’s employment with Mayor Nickels, his work on the city’s police accountability system resulted in expanded police oversight and accountability. 
In 2009, LaBelle was appointed to a Policy Director role at ONDCP. She was later promoted to Chief of Staff at the ONDCP, where she was responsible for day to day operations of ONDCP, pursuing policies that work to reduce substance use disorders and their consequences. During her tenure as Chief of Staff, LaBelle co-wrote the Obama-Biden Administration's first prescription drug abuse prevention planPrescription Drug Abuse Prevention Plan, The White House of Barack Obama (last accessed Oct. 6, 2022), https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/ondcp/prescription-drug-abuse1. and led its implementation. LaBelle was recognized by President Obama for her work, and she was selected to participate in the President's Leadership Workshop, a six-month intensive training program provided by top Administration officials to a small group of appointees selected for their leadership qualities.
When President Obama left office in 2017, LaBelle briefly left politics to begin her career in academia. She served as a visiting fellowRegina LaBelle, JD, appointed Visiting Fellow, Duke Margolis Center for Health Policy (Oct. 11, 2017), https://healthpolicy.duke.edu/news/regina-labelle-jd-appointed-visiting-fellow at the Duke Margolis Center for Health Policy. As a fellow, she advised the Center on federal regulatory issues related to the safe use of prescribed opioids, as well as other issues.
In 2018, LaBelle founded the Addiction and Public Policy InitiativeAddiction and Public Policy, O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law (last accessed Oct. 6, 2022), https://oneill.law.georgetown.edu/initiatives/addiction-public-policy/. at The O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University Law Center. The Initiative identifies legal, legislative and policy solutions to advance a public health approach to addiction policy in the United States. As Director of this Initiative, LaBelle oversees projects related to correctional health care reform, utilizing the Americans with Disabilities Act to protect those with substance use disorders, maximizing the opioid litigation proceeds to ameliorate the overdose crisis, adopting evidence-based policies for addiction, and many more.Regina LaBelle, O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law (last accessed Oct. 6, 2022), https://oneill.law.georgetown.edu/experts/regina-labelle/.
LaBelle conceptualized and launched the first of its kind Masters of Science in Addiction Policy and PracticeAddiction Policy and Practice, Georgetown University (last accessed Oct. 6, 2022), https://addictionpolicy.georgetown.edu/#. at Georgetown University in 2018. The program trains future leaders in addiction policy and provides students with a comprehensive understanding of addiction, including public health and criminal justice policy; basic science; and evidence-based prevention, treatment, and recovery strategies. As a professor in the program and a Director and distinguished scholar at the O’Neill Institute, she mentors countless students, young professionals, and people in public service - many of whom have lived experience with addiction.
In 2021, LaBelle was appointed Deputy Director and served as Acting Director of ONDCP, the first and only woman to serve in this role. As Acting Director, she established the Biden Administration’s Drug Policy Priorities, issued in 2021. In these Priorities, LaBelle made harm reduction a central element of drug policy. The Priorities also emphasized evidence-based treatment and recovery support. LaBelle also founded the first ever translational science branch at ONDCP, which incorporated research into public policy to ensure that drug policies reflect the latest scientific evidence.
Category:1961 births