About Us
Intersect, Inc. is a group of dedicated community members—from schools, healthcare, faith-based organizations, and businesses—who came together in 2002 to tackle tobacco use in Madison County, Indiana. Our funding started with the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement between tobacco companies and 48 states. Over time, we realized the need to go beyond tobacco and address alcohol and other drug prevention as well. By 2004, we officially became a nonprofit, and in 2005, we incorporated.
Today, we’re powered by two major grants—the Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Agency (ITPC) and the Federal Drug-Free Communities Grant—along with generous support from local partners like St. Vincent Anderson Regional, Community Hospital Anderson, and the City of Anderson/Madison County Community Foundation.
Our mission? To reduce substance use among youth and adults in Madison County. We do this by:
Helping employers create smoke-free workplaces and offering cessation services
Educating policymakers about secondhand smoke and advocating for healthier policies
Partnering with doctors, dentists, and healthcare providers to support patients in quitting
Promoting 1-800-QUITNOW, a free statewide quitline for those ready to quit tobacco
We believe in the power of community to make a lasting impact, and we’re committed to creating a healthier future for Madison County.
Our mission is to promote, encourage, and empower our community for healthy living.
Meet Our Team
Karesa Knight-Wilkerson | Executive Director and Tobacco Control Coordinator
Karesa Knight-Wilkerson graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science in Health Care Communication from The University of Kentucky. She acquired her Certified Prevention Professional certification in 2007 from Indiana and has attended and presented at numerous tobacco control and other prevention conferences over her career. She is currently the Executive Director and the Tobacco Control Coordinator for Intersect, Inc. in Madison County, Indiana, and has served in this role since April 2002. Before that, she worked in tobacco and drug prevention with youth in Kentucky, as well as worked for the American Cancer Society. She has been working in tobacco control since 1995. She currently resides in Lapel, Indiana, with her husband, Rodney, and her two children, Allye and RyKar.
Wendy Cook | Project Coordinator of The State Implementation Grant
Wendy Cook is the Project Coordinator of The State Implementation Grant. She works on initiatives to help reduce Underage Drinking in Madison County. Wendy oversees The Strengthening Families Program of Madison County and provides businesses with The Team Awareness workshops. Wendy also assists with "The Parents Who Host, Lose The Most media campaign."
Shelly Ross | Project Coordinator of DMHA Prevention Block Grant
Shelly graduated from Ball State University in 1990 with her Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology. She works on initiatives to help reduce drug and alcohol use in Madison County. She works explicitly in Northern Madison County. She promotes the Northern Madison County Prevention Coalition, along with coordinating the SADD groups at Elwood, Alexandria, and Frankton schools. Shelly oversees the Strengthening Families Program in Madison County and provides businesses with Stress Management training. She also promotes our media campaign, Parents Who Host Lose the Most.
Sarah Souders | Tobacco Cessation Coordinator, Madison County
Sarah graduated from Ball State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Dietetics and from Oakland City University with a Master of Science degree in Elementary Education. She first became involved with Intersect in 2018, when she served on the Drug-Free Southern Madison County coalition, representing the "parent" sector. She enjoyed attending the monthly meetings to stay informed about current drug trends. She became more involved as she began designing their newsletter and helping to plan multiple "community conversations." She joined the Intersect staff in 2021 as their Cessation Coordinator. Sarah enjoys meeting with providers, organizations, and employers in the community to inform them about the benefits and quit services that Quit Now Indiana's tobacco quitline offers to tobacco users in the state. She is involved in numerous local coalitions and has a passion for collaborating with others to create a healthier community. Sarah loves spending time with her husband and their five children, vacationing in new places, spoiling her ten pets, hanging out with friends, attending church and Bible studies, baking, and enjoying everything outdoorsy, as well as photography.
