Michael Botticelli

Michael Botticelli is the former Executive Director of the Grayken Center for Addiction Medicine at Boston Medical Center and a Distinguished Policy Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.

Mr. Botticelli is the former Director of National Drug Control Policy for the Obama Administration after being unanimously confirmed by the Senate. He joined the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) as Deputy Director in November 2012 and later served as Acting Director. Mr. Botticelli led the Obama Administration’s drug policy efforts, based on a balanced public health and safety approach. Under Mr. Botticelli’s leadership, the Administration advanced historic drug policy reforms and innovations in prevention, criminal justice, treatment and recovery.

In response to the national opioid epidemic, Mr. Botticelli coordinated actions across the federal government to reduce prescription drug abuse, heroin use and related overdoses. This included support for community-based prevention efforts; educating prescribers and the public about preventing prescription drug misuse; expanding use of the lifesaving overdose-reversal drug naloxone by law enforcement and other first responders; and increasing access to medication assisted treatment and recovery support services to help individuals sustain their recovery from opioid use disorders.

Mr. Botticelli has more than two decades of experience supporting Americans affected by substance use disorders. Prior to joining the ONDCP, he served as Director of the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, where he successfully expanded innovative and nationally recognized prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery services for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He also forged strong partnerships with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies; state and local health and human service agencies; and stakeholder groups to guide and implement evidence-based programs.

Mr. Botticelli holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Siena College and a Master of Education degree from St. Lawrence University. He is also in long-term recovery from a substance use disorder, celebrating more than 28 years of recovery.