Rikki Barton

Rikki Barton has a passion for moving individuals and communities onward in their goals. She is the CEO and Lead Consultant of Onward Consulting and an Internationally Certified Prevention Specialist with over 16 years of prevention experience. She consults with organizations, coalitions, and state and federal agencies on substance use prevention, suicide prevention, and mental health promotion, with deep experience in training, public speaking, grant writing, grant evaluation, managing funding sources, and leading teams of preventionists.

Rikki trains for several national organizations, including CADCA's youth and adult programs, the Opioid Response Network, the National Coalition Institute, and various Prevention Technology Transfer Centers, and is an Adult, Youth, and Teen Mental Health First Aid Instructor through the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. She is certified to deliver SAMHSA trainings including Prevention Ethics, Prevention Core Competencies, and SPF Application for Prevention Success (SAPST).

Three topics spark her most: youth engagement and making prevention something young people are inspired to work in; online safety for young people, including substance use, mental health, and online exploitation; and professional development that strengthens retention and job satisfaction in the prevention workforce. Rikki holds a bachelor's degree from Pennsylvania State University and a master's degree from Liberty University.