Keeping ICT Safe Prevention Program

Keeping ICT Safe

(Substance Abuse Prevention Focusing on Empowerment)

Keeping ICT Safe is a prevention program created by Dr. Rhonda K. Lewis and funded through a SAMSHA grant. The program seeks to achieve the following goals:

Reduce e-cigarette use among youth (12-17) and young adults (18-24) in Sedgwick County.
Reduce the onset and progression toward opioid use among youth and young adults in Sedgwick County.
Promote mental health education and awareness and reduce mental health stigma in Sedgwick County.

Empowering Communities Through Actionable Toolkits

Vaping Quitting Toolkit

Grant Partners

Our program is implemented through the following local community partnerships:

HealthCore Clinic Saint Mark United Methodist Church
Wichita Children's Home Mirror Inc.

Data Dashboards

Community Needs & Assets Assessment Data

Evidence Based Interventions

Through these partnerships the proposed program will implement three evidence based psycho-educational approaches:

Mental Health First Aid trainings in our community

Social Media Prevention Campaign

The Catch My Breath Curriculum

Read our Impact Reports

The Keeping ICT Safe program works with local partners, building prevention coalitions. Our impact reports show the progress of our goals and outcomes.

Impact Report Q1

Impact Report Q3 & Q4

Meet Our Team

Samuel Paunetto, MDiv, LMSW

Project Director

Samuel Paunetto MDiv, LMSW. is our Project Director, he is a bilingual licensed master social worker. He received a bachelor degree in General Sociology from Inter American University of Puerto Rico, a Master degree in Divinity from the Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico, and a Master degree in Social Work from Wichita State University. He is an adjunct professor at the WSU School of Social Work and a member of the Think Tank at the Kansas Health Foundation. He is also the Founder and Executive Director of Podemos, a non-profit dedicated to expanding mental health services in the local Hispanic community. In addition, Samuel is the author of the UPSTREAM curriculum, a cultural competence, and anti-racism training program for healthcare professionals.

Rhonda K. Lewis, Ph.D., MPH

Program Investigator

Rhonda K. Lewis, Ph.D., MPH. is a Professor, Graduate Coordinator, and immediate past Chair of the Psychology department at Wichita State University. She received her Ph.D. in Developmental and Child Psychology from the University of Kansas and her Master of Public Health from the University of Kansas School of Medicine. She is the Director of the Behavioral Community Research and Action Team (BCRAT), at Wichita State University. The research team focuses on building the capacity of community-based organizations, using ecological and strengths-based approaches to make community change. She is the PI of Keeping ICT SAFE (Substance Abuse Prevention Focusing on Empowerment) a grant funded by the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration, she is one of the Co-PI’s for WSU’s the NSF Advance Adaptation grant to recruit and retain more Women and Underrepresented Minorities into the University and she serves as Co-PI for the Department of Corrections with Sedgwick County. She is a Service-Learning Faculty Fellow and a Culturally Responsive evaluation expert. She is a community-engaged researcher who investigates educational inequities, health equity, positive youth development and mental health, substance-use prevention and health promotion in the community. She is a member of the Society for Community Research and Action for Division 27 of APA, is a SCRA Division 27 Fellow, and a member of the SCRA’s Research Council. She is a member of the Association of Black Psychologists, is a member of the American Evaluation Association, and is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Currently, she is the President of the Kansas Association of Black Psychology.

Sanjana Maila, MSBA, PGP-UXD

Project Data Analyst

Sanjana Maila, MSBA, PGP-UXD, is our Project Data Analyst for the Keeping ICT Safe initiative. She holds a Master’s degree in Business Analytics from Wichita State University and a Postgraduate Certification in UX/UI Design from the University of Texas. With a background in Analytics and over three years of experience in data analytics, Sanjana specializes in data storytelling, process improvement, and dashboard design. She is proficient in tools such as Python, SQL, Power BI, and SPSS, and she brings a human-centered design perspective to data solutions. Passionate about using data for social impact, she supports program evaluation, survey analysis, and digital strategy for youth-focused prevention efforts. Sanjana is also a volunteer researcher at The Trespass Project, where she contributes to global child rights advocacy through data analysis and UX research.

Maya N. Gulliford, MS

Graduate Research Assistant

Maya N. Gulliford, MS, is a doctoral student in Community Psychology at Wichita State University and a member of Dr. Rhonda K. Lewis’ research team. She holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Psychology. Her academic and professional work centers on community-based prevention, mental health awareness, and program evaluation. As part of the Keeping ICT Safe (KIS) initiative, Maya has contributed to the development of multiple evaluation reports and community-facing materials used to demonstrate the program’s impact across Sedgwick County. She has played an active role in engaging with program participants, supporting data interpretation, and assisting in strategic planning for future program development. Her work supports evidence-based decision-making and strengthens the program’s ability to address substance use prevention and mental health promotion within the community.