Melissia Larson

Melissia Larson is a Research Public Health Analyst with RTI’s Justice Practice Area, which focuses on examining and advancing strategies to support more just, safe, and resilient communities. Ms. Larson has 22 years of experience in innovative program design, implementation, and management for public safety and community agencies, as well as in proposal writing, data collection for evaluation, and grant management to include fiscal oversight. During her career, she has gained specialized focus on developing public safety collaboratives for addressing behavioral health, victim services, and injury prevention.  

Prior to joining RTI in 2022, she led the implementation of numerous opioid response strategies for law enforcement in North Carolina to include the use of permanent medication drop-off boxes, field administration of naloxone among law enforcement, implementation of numerous pre-arrest diversion programs, and harm reduction training for law enforcement officers. Her work experience within a Sheriff’s Office included directing a Project Safe Neighborhoods program, developing responses to domestic violence to include the implementation of lethality assessment protocols, implementing a tri-county human trafficking collaborative, and designing various crime reduction programs.  

As a subject matter expert within the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program (COSSAP), Melissia provides training and technical assistance to state grantees. In this role, she supports state site implementation of diversion and deflection programs to include research needs along with providing expertise on partner building and innovative opioid response strategies.