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Wlaf1450By Charlotte Underwood
JACKSBORO, TN (WLAF)- Trent Coffey, who has been instrumental in getting Campbell United – Campbell County’s own anti-drug coalition established, has received a Presidential Appointment.
Coffey is also the Executive Director of Scott County’s anti-drug coalition – S.T.A.N.D. – Schools Together Allowing No Drugs. Coffey has been appointed by President Donald Trump as the Assistant Deputy Director of Use & Prevention Grants in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Trent Coffey will begin his new role in Washington on Aug. 31. He has taken a 30-month leave of absence from his duties at S.T.A.N.D and Campbell United to fulfill this role.
Coffey has been instrumental in getting Campbell United – Campbell County’s own anti-drug coalition established over the past two years. He made the announcement last Thursday at the August monthly Campbell United meeting.
Coffey has served as the executive director of S.T.A.N.D for over 20 years, since the beginning of the program and has played an active role in the national drug-prevention scene. He said he was “first invited to join President Trump for a round-table discussion on drug prevention during the president’s first term in 2017.”
According to Coffey, “the position of Deputy Director of Use & Prevention Grants is a new position, that will oversee the distribution of hundreds of millions of dollars in drug prevention grant funding to coalitions like S.T.A.N.D. and Campbell United across the United States.”
When the position of Assistant Deputy Director of Use & Prevention Grants was created, leaders within the agency reached out to Coffey, offering the job, which he first declined, then reconsidered and accepted.
Coffey said he knew accepting the position would lead to more funding for the state of Tennessee and the drug affected communities and that was one of the main reasons he changed his mind about taking the job. Another reason was that he could spread the knowledge of what Scott County has done with S.T.A.N.D to other drug affected communities across the country.
“I told them when I interviewed that this is not a career move for me, and that I am happy where I am. I’m doing this to impart knowledge on what Scott County has gotten recognition on and to help other communities across the country,” Coffey said at Thursday’s Campbell United meeting.
In a letter he wrote to the citizens of Scott County regarding his acceptance of the position, Coffey said it was “one of the most difficult decisions of his life.”
Coffey is not leaving his local community and plans to keep his home there, while renting an apartment in Washington D.C. to fulfill his role over the next 30 months, saying that his commitment to S.T.A.N.D. and to Scott County and Campbell United remains strong.
The programs at S.T.A.N.D., such as the Youth Service-Learning Initiative, and the Correctional Careers Pathways initiative, have gained national recognition, according to Coffey, which led to his job offer from Washington D.C.
He said Scott County has become “a national example of what is possible when a community chooses unity over division, service over self-interest, and action over excuses.” (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-08/19/2026-6AM)