Welcome to the Tobacco Control Network!


The Tobacco Control Network (TCN) serves state and territorial tobacco control programs, Funders Alliance organizations, and other tobacco control partners by providing customized resources and opportunities to collaborate. In 2019, TCN is celebrating its 25th anniversary of supporting state and territorial tobacco control leaders. View the brief welcome video below to learn more about what TCN does and how to get involved.


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Program Manager Feature – Nicole Aune (MT)

To celebrate state and territorial tobacco program managers as dynamic leaders in tobacco control, the TCN homepage is highlighting tobacco program managers in a series of rotating features. This gives the TCN membership and national tobacco partners an opportunity to learn more about the work of program managers. If you would like to nominate a program manager to be featured, please reach out to tcn@astho.org.

 

What led you to pursue a career in tobacco control?

After getting my Master in Public Health degree from the Colorado School of Public Health, I started my career facilitating collective impact, conducting community needs assessments and managing public health promotion at the local level. Through this work, I saw the value of policy, system, and environmental change. Tobacco prevention and control excited me early on because of all of the opportunities to make long-lasting, impactful changes at the population level.

How long have you been a program manager? How long have you worked at your state health department?

I have been working on tobacco prevention and control for four years. I have been a program manager for the Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program and working for the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services for two years.

What are you most proud of your state accomplishing in tobacco control?

In 2005, the Montana State Legislature passed the Montana Clean Indoor Air Act (MCIAA), requiring all enclosed public places and workplaces, including work vehicles, restaurants, and bars, to be smokefree. The MCIAA also requires businesses to prominently place smokefree signs on all public entrances and does not include preemption language. According to a 2017 study published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research, Montana had the highest percentage of indoor workers covered by smokefree workplace policies in the nation.

How have you leveraged the tools and the resources of the Tobacco Control Network in your state or territory?

I always read TCN News to keep up with policy activities occurring in other states, tracking what is happening at the FDA, and staying up to date on the latest research. I also love the opportunity to hear feedback from other states through the listserv.

What do you find most challenging when working within tobacco control?

The tobacco industry and e-cigarette community have a strong presence in Montana. In my short time as a program manager in tobacco control, I have watched money pour into our state from the tobacco industry to fight tobacco tax increases and convenience store owners band together to maintain their tobacco profits in the face of a flavor ban. It is one thing to hear arguments from the tobacco industry or tobacco-funded groups and it is quite another to hear decisionmakers put money and profits over children’s lives.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I love to do anything that involves spending time with my husband and two-year-old daughter. We are Montanans, so we do Montanan things like hike, fish, camp, and play at the lake. I also enjoy reading, going to plays, and baking cookies.

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Preventing and reducing harms related to tobacco use through idea sharing across U.S. state and territorial health agencies.


The mission of the Tobacco Control Network (TCN) is to improve the public’s health by providing education and state-based expertise to tobacco prevention and control at the state and national levels. Through the network’s wide representation and information exchange resources, our members have access to a wealth of expertise and experience from across the country. Browse our website to learn how the network serves as a catalyst for building relationships and collaboration, and to access resources to support effective tobacco control strategies in your area.

This website is a space for TCN members and partners to connect, collaborate, and learn from each other. State and territory tobacco control program staff and others who support state and territory tobacco control efforts are invited to take advantage of the many services the TCN offers.

Get Involved!


TCN's members-only forum will enable state and territorial tobacco health department staff and Funders' Alliance staff (state-level members) to ask questions and share best practices. The forum is open to all state and territorial tobacco program staff, including program managers, cessation managers, media coordinators, evaluators, and others.

TCN's maintains a calendar of events that can be found here: Calendar

Sign up to Receive TCN News

If you would like to sign up to receive TCN News delivered to your email, please contact tcn@astho.org.

TCN's 2022 Policy Recommendations contain specific priorities and guidance for effective tobacco control by state and territorial health agencies.