In Fall 2024, Dr. Krom founded LJK Global, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in strategic planning, meeting facilitation, project management, and grant development. LJK Global offers clients expert guidance in building and sustaining collaborations, adult learning, instructional design, leadership development, and evidence-based substance use treatment and recovery services. With a focus on tailored solutions and impactful results, LJK Global is equipped to help organizations achieve their goals through thoughtful planning and expert execution.

Dr. Laurie Krom will serve as the inaugural Director for the Center for Systems Change within the International Consortium of Universities for Drug Demand Reduction (ICUDDR). In this role, Dr. Krom will lead efforts to integrate and strengthen the International Technology Transfer Center (ITTC) Network under the new structure of ICUDDR. She will oversee the Center’s mission to leverage systems thinking to enhance substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery services worldwide, while ensuring these efforts are grounded in research, human rights, and international standards.Key responsibilities include:- Leading the Center’s initiatives to support ITTCs in building long-term sustainability by offering learning and networking opportunities focused on grant writing, fundraising, and adapting to new funding structures.- Spearheading strategies to diversify and secure funding for collaborative projects across the ITTC Network.- Facilitating collaborations among ITTCs and broader ICUDDR members, encouraging partnerships with governments, NGOs, and private sector stakeholders.- Strengthening the ITTC Network’s ability to drive systems change through research-based practices and policies, improving the quality and accessibility of substance use services in their respective countries.Dr. Krom will guide the Center for Systems Change in aligning with the vision and mission of ICUDDR, focusing on catalyzing innovation and advancing international substance use services.

As the visionary Director of the Global Office for the International Technology Transfer Center (ITTC) Network, Dr. Laurie Krom led a groundbreaking international effort to advance substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery through evidence-based, culturally relevant practices. Under her leadership, the ITTC Network—part of the International Consortium of Universities for Drug Demand Reduction—empowers a global workforce by fostering collaboration and shared expertise across diverse regions. • Negotiated with the US State Department to underwrite the ITTC Network, launching three sites in Vietnam, South Africa, and Ukraine in 2021.• Secured nearly $3 million in ongoing funding, expanding the Network to nine additional sites across Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Europe.• Built global partnerships with organizations such as the World Health Organization, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and the Organization of American States.

Dr. Laurie Krom co-founded the Collaborative Center to Advance Health Services at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), an applied research center managing over $12 million in annual federal funding. In 2012, she transitioned her grant portfolio to the School of Nursing and Health Studies, where she quickly built partnerships with faculty. In 2014, she collaborated with Dr. Jacki Witt to launch the CDC-funded National HIV Prevention Capacity Building Assistance Provider Network Resource Center, a national technical assistance center aimed at improving HIV prevention services. This project laid the foundation for interdisciplinary efforts that ultimately led to the creation of the Collaborative. The Collaborative’s unique value lies in uniting behavioral health, sexual health, and reproductive health under one cohesive umbrella—a model that has driven its success for the past decade. With a mission to advance health and wellness, the Collaborative bridges research and practice, supports change initiatives, and delivers high-quality training and technical assistance to the healthcare workforce through local, regional, and national partnerships.• Significantly expanded the Collaborative's portfolio by increasing the number of grants, securing higher levels of awarded funding, and growing the team to support ongoing success.• Co-led the first-ever Syndemic Solutions Summit (2023), resulting in SAMHSA's adoption of a syndemic approach in national funding announcements, demonstrating UMKC's influence on broader systems change.• Initiated and launched the online learning management system, HealtheKnowledge.org, to provide a robust platform to host courses developed through grant-funded projects. This platform is now used by over 300,000 learners.

For 20 years, Dr. Laurie Krom led the development and implementation of federally funded projects focused on substance use prevention, harm reduction, treatment, recovery services, and HIV/HCV prevention and care. She is an expert grant writer, from visioning and narrative development to budget preparation, securing multiple multi-million-dollar awards. In recognition of her achievements, UMKC awarded her the "Recognition for Significant Sponsored Awards" in 2016. Beyond securing funding, Dr. Krom has been a strategic leader, building strong partnerships and using implementation science to drive national impact and improve public health outcomes.• Won over $37 million in federal awards• Directed the Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) Network Coordinating Office since 2009. The ATTC Network is SAMHSA’s flagship workforce development program responsible for advancing evidence-based and culturally appropriate substance use treatment and recovery services. • Played a key role on the leadership team that designed, developed, and sustained the SAMHSA-funded Opioid Response Network, working with 50+ national partners to deliver over 5,500 technical assistance responses and train 150,000+ individuals to address the opioid crisis at the community level.