Meet AIAFS' Expert Trainers

Karina Forrest-Perkins, LADC

Karina Forrest‐Perkins, LADC, is a national speaker and consultant related to early childhood and adolescent neuro-development, the adaptive impact of overwhelming stress, and the intersection of this condition with substance use and abuse. Ms. Forrest-Perkins currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer for The Wayside House, a women's treatment center in Minneapolis and St. Louis Park MN. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Prevent Child Abuse Minnesota and Minnesota Communities Caring for Children. Ms. Forrest-Perkins is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor and works primarily with youth and families experiencing the co-occurring conditions of trauma and chemical dependency. She received her Master's Degree from the University of Oklahoma in Human Relations and currently serves as an instructor and training faculty member for the American Institute for the Advancement of Forensic Studies (AIAFS), Concordia University, St. Paul, and for the Heartland National Tuberculosis Center through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ms. Forrest-Perkins has served as a staff member or task force appointee in three Oklahoma Governors' administrations and was recently appointed to the Minnesota Governor's Task Force on Medical Cannabis Research.