Art Steinmann is a veteran educator who saw that traditional drug education approaches—including scare tactics and facts and stats—were leaving students unprepared to cope with the realities of substance use. Art brings over 40 years of experience in substance use policy, education, program development, advocacy and health promotion.

As Executive Director of Alcohol-Drug Education Service (ADES), Art oversaw the creation of customized, culturally appropriate substance use education resources for diverse populations, ranging from vulnerable youth to pregnant women to communities whose primary language was not English. He also co-directed the Pacific Institute on Addiction Studies for 18 years and consulted widely on substance-use research, needs assessments, policy, and reporting for a variety of local, regional and national health organizations.

As Manager of Substance Use Health Promotion at the Vancouver School Board, Art co-created and led the transformative Supporting and Connecting Youth (SACY) program Developed in partnership with Vancouver Coastal Health, SACY provides tailored support for students across grades 8–12, addressing the full spectrum of substance involvement—from prevention to chronic use—and recognizing the unique needs of BIPOC, LGBTQ2S+, and other sub-populations. SACY  also supports parents, caregivers, educators, and school administrators, making it one of the most comprehensive school-based substance use support programs in Canada.

Art has spent much of his career, and now his retirement, working to change how school communities enable youth to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence to navigate the  world of substance use.