Jason McCoy, MPH, has spent more than a decade helping young people, families, schools, and communities build healthier environments. He currently serves as Community Prevention Manager with Clay County Public Health in Minnesota, where his work spans youth substance use prevention, community engagement, Positive Community Norms, positive experiences, and public health policy.

Jason’s journey with Positive Community Norms began as a practitioner looking for a better way to talk about prevention. Rather than focusing primarily on what was going wrong, PCN offered a way to accurately tell the story of what was already going right—and then grow it. He has since applied Positive Community Norms in schools and communities, working alongside young people to collect and communicate local data, correct misperceptions, strengthen protective norms, and build prevention efforts rooted in the strengths already present in a community.

Over the course of his public health career, Jason has worked extensively in tobacco and nicotine prevention, cannabis prevention, and emerging substance-use issues. He has helped pass 34 local public health ordinances and has provided prevention education to more than 10,000 students. Some of his most meaningful work has come from seeing young people recognize that the healthy choices they are making are not unusual—they are often the norm.

Jason holds a Master of Public Health from North Dakota State University and bachelor’s degrees in Exercise Science and Community Nutrition from the University of North Dakota. He is a Certified Prevention Professional in Minnesota and a trained facilitator in HOPE—Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences. His work with HOPE has deepened his interest in the Science of Positive Experiences and its connection to the Science of the Positive: not only recognizing what is going right, but intentionally creating the relationships, environments, opportunities, and experiences that help people flourish.

Jason enjoys bringing these ideas to life with audiences through interactive trainings and workshops, both in person and virtually. He especially values helping practitioners move beyond simply communicating positive messages to applying the Science of the Positive as a framework for meaningful community change. As someone who has implemented these approaches in the field, he brings a practitioner’s perspective and a deep appreciation for the people doing the everyday work of prevention.

Outside of public health, Jason is a husband and father, an author, and an enthusiastic storyteller. He enjoys writing fiction and nonfiction, staying active, and spending time with his family. Whether he is working with students, community leaders, or prevention professionals, he tries to bring the same principle to the work: focus on what is strong, build from what is good, and help people see what is possible.