Sean Clarkin

Sean Clarkin has been with the organization for more than 25 years, serving in a variety of roles, from advertising development to strategic planning and program management.

He was the key contact with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) through much of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign (1997-2007), a public-private effort to prevent initiation of substance use by teens. He also played a central role in the evolution of the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids from a primarily advertising-driven organization to a service-oriented nonprofit helping the parents and families of young people struggling with substances.

He continues to work on projects focused on educating parents of higher-risk teens — and using targeted communications to motivate those parents to take effective action.

Prior to coming to the Partnership in 1995, Sean worked in book publishing, at G. P. Putnam’s Sons, and at the multi-national advertising agency BBDO. He has his Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth and Master of Business Administration in marketing from Columbia University.