Ovidio
B. Bermudez, M.D.
Dr.
Bermudez is the Medical Director of the Eating Disorders Program at Laureate
Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He attended medical school
at the Universidad Central del Este in the Dominican Republic, completed his
residency in Pediatrics at The Medical College of Pennsylvania and his fellowship
in Adolescent Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is board-certified
in both pediatrics and adolescent medicine.
Dr. Bermudez is affiliated with a number of professional societies, serving
in leadership roles. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics,
Society for Adolescent Medicine and the Academy for Eating Disorders. He has
served on several boards and committees with special attention to eating disorders.
Dr. Bermudez has served on several editorial boards. In addition to his membership
on the SADD board of directors, Dr. Bermudez currently serves on the board
of directors of the National Eating Disorders Association and on the advisory
board of GirlForce at Vanderbilt University. He is founder and president of
the Eating Disorders Coalition of Tennessee. Dr. Bermudez is fluent in Spanish.
Colonel
James E. Champagne
Lieutenant
Colonel Champagne was appointed Executive Director and Governor’s Highway
Safety Representative by Governor Mike Foster on January 8th of 1996. He began
his state service in 1966 with his appointment as a state trooper. During
his career with the state police, Jim had numerous commands, culminating with
his promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, Chief of Staff for the Louisiana State
Police. As the Governor’s Highway Safety Representative, Jim is helping
Louisiana implement a wide range of highway safety programs. Jim’s state
agency, the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission, serves as the coordinating
agency between the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and state
and local government. The primary objective of the Highway Safety Commission
is to reduce through proper problem identification the severity and number
of traffic crashes, deaths and injuries on our highways.
Colonel Champagne has a degree in Criminal Justice from Southeastern University
in Hammond, Louisiana, and a diploma in police administration and traffic
management from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He is a member
of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), Louisiana State
Troopers Association, and Southeastern and Northwestern Alumni Associations.
He serves as the vice-chairman of the Governor’s DWI/Vehicular Homicide
Task Force, as a member of the Louisiana Responsible Vendor Board, on the
Council on Automobile Insurance Rates and Enforcement, on the Railroad Task
Force, as a member of the Metropolitan Safety Council of the New Orleans Area,
and on the East Baton Rouge Mayor’s Traffic Safety Committee. Colonel
Champagne was awarded the 2002 National Commission Against Drunk Driving (NCADD)
Government Leadership Award at the 18th Annual NCADD Awards Luncheon in Washington,
D.C. At the SADD National Conference in Philadelphia in July 2003, Colonel
Champagne was presented with the SADD National Outstanding Achievement Award.
In recognition of his outstanding achievements in highway safety, Colonel
Champagne was awarded the 1998 J. Stannard Baker Award by the International
Association of Chiefs of Police, the only civilian honored with the Baker
Award in 1998. Also in 1998, he was selected to receive the Chairman’s
Award by the Metropolitan Safety Council of New Orleans and the Traffic Safety
Achievement Award, sponsored by AAA and the Safety and Occupational Health
Council of Baton Rouge.
Felicity
DeBacco-Erni
SADD State Coordinator Representative
Audit Committee
Felicity DeBacco-Erni serves as the Director for Pennsylvanians
Against Underage Drinking (PAUD) and coordinates efforts for PA SADD. As the
director of PAUD for the last six years, she has been instrumental in both
coalition development and alcohol policy development. Felicity has actively
pursued passage and implementation of legislation at the state level that
positively affects the well-being of our future leaders. She worked diligently
during the 2001-2002 session on passage of House Bill 850, passed in 2002,
which legalized alcohol compliance checks in Pennsylvania. In 2001, the statewide
underage drinking coalition received the Community Anti-Drug Coalition of
America (CADCA)’s Coalition of the Year Award.
Ms. DeBacco-Erni provides technical assistance as well as training to youth
and community groups and government agencies throughout Pennsylvania. She
and her staff oversee the marketing and data collection for the state’s
1-888-UNDER-21 hotline. Ms. DeBacco-Erni earned a Master of Education in Training
and Development from Penn State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology/Criminology
from Millersville University. She is a native of Western Pennsylvania, and
currently resides outside of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with her husband and
son.
Ken
Dec (Secretary/Clerk)
Executive Committee
Audit Committee
Development Committee
Ken Dec is the Chief Measurement Officer, Director of Strategic
Planning, for PARTNERS+simons, an advertising and services firm in Boston
that targets six industries: financial services, health care, life sciences,
technology, consumer/retail and professional services. He is a 25-year marketing
veteran with executive-level experience advising regional, national and international
firms including Mercedes-Benz, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, EMC, Schering-Plough,
Nationwide and others through brand, marketing, direct marketing, communications
and sales strategy. His category experience includes technology, financial
services, travel and hospitality, healthcare, not-for-profit and retail. Before
arriving at PARTNERS+simons, he was Senior Vice President of Arnold Worldwide,
where he oversaw brand development and new customer acquisition for Vonage,
the world's largest online advertiser. Mr. Dec has also held leadership positions
at Rapp Collins, Hill Holliday and Epsilon, and is former President and Chief
Executive Officer of CGN (now Connelly Partners). In addition to his responsibilities
at CGN, Mr. Dec was also Executive Vice President of Business Development
at the agency's parent company, Epsilon, a leader in relationship marketing
with special emphasis in the not-for-profit arena. He is a 22-year communications
veteran with expertise in strategic planning and delivery of integrated communications
programs for companies and organizations that have included Fidelity Investments,
PriceWaterhouseCoopers, US Olympic Committee, PBS, and Chase Manhattan Bank.
Mr. Dec serves on the board of directors for two other nonprofit organizations,
the Ad Club of Boston and the Wang Center for the Performing Arts. He also
provides pro bono services to The Children's Trust Fund, whose goal is to
mobilize all segments of the community to prevent child abuse and neglect
by strengthening and supporting families.
Peter Hooper, Ph.D.
Development Committee
Dr. Peter Hooper is recently retired Senior Managing Director of Guideline’s Market Research Division, a position he held for more than two years following the acquisition of Atlantic Research and Consulting, the marketing research company he founded in 1984. Dr. Hooper grew Atlantic from a startup, full-service marketing research company to a $9 million business unit of Guideline in 2007, serving clients in financial services, healthcare, advertising, communications, government and the nonprofit sector, among others. Prior to founding Atlantic Research and Consulting, he served as Director of Management Information Services for the Auditor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Consultant and Deputy Director of the City of Boston’s Survey Research Office in the Mayor’s Management Services Division, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Northeastern University, and Postdoctoral Fellow in Science Policy at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Joseph
A. Maddox, Jr.
Joseph
Maddox is a consultant in the health care field. Prior to his present work,
he was the president and chief operating officer of America’s Health
Network, which was merged with Fox network. In 1993, he co-founded the network
with Webster Golinkin, chairman and chief executive officer. On March 25,
1996, they launched America’s Health Network as the first and only television
source for around-the-clock health and medical information. As president and
chief operating officer, Mr. Maddox oversaw day-to-day operations of America’s
Health Network and implemented plans to ensure the company’s growth.
He also directed the network’s advertising and sponsorship sales activities.
Before cofounding America’s Health Network, Mr. Maddox was a partner
and executive vice president of Whittle Communications, L.P. During his tenure
at Whittle, he helped launch Medical News Network, a satellite-delivered television
news and information service for physicians. Previously, he was a member of
the founding team of the Discovery Channel, where he was senior vice president
of marketing and a director of the company, was a director and executive vice
president of marketing at American Medical Communications, Inc. and circulation
marketing director The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Maddox earned his BA
from Michigan State University.
Mary
E. McLaughlin
Mary McLaughlin is Area Vice President for the Northeast Region of Comcast, the communications corporation. She is a veteran of the cable and telecommunications industry. Mary began her cable and telecommunications career in 1994 with Continental Cablevision’s New England Region. Through the next several years, she served in a variety of legal and government relations roles including General Counsel and Regional Director of Government Relations. Mary was instrumental in developing the region’s internal legal and government affairs team during a time of unprecedented growth. In 1999, she led a Massachusetts coalition that successfully opposed an initiative mandating open access to the cable plant. In 2000, Mary became Vice President of Acquired Business Integration for AT&T Broadband’s New England Region. In this capacity Mary was responsible for the successful business integration of two major acquisitions/mergers that encompassed the total addition of 600,000 customers, 1600 employees, and $307 million in revenue to the region. Mary served as Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs, overseeing all internal and external communications for AT&T Broadband’s New England Region. Mary was instrumental in implementing a comprehensive internal and external PR campaign to promote the company’s localism and enhance the company’s public image in New England. Most recently, Mary served as Area Vice President for the Northeast Region of Adelphia. Prior to joining the cable industry, Mary was a state Assistant Attorney General and a litigator in private practice. Mary lives in North Andover, Massachusetts, with her husband and two children.
Sharon
Sikora
Audit Committee
Sharon
Sikora is a national activist and speaker on drunk driving issues. She is
also a survivor of a drunk driving crash. Ms. Sikora has been instrumental
in the drafting and/or passage of several laws, most notably Arizona’s
1982 DUI law, the passage of raising the drinking age to 21, and the child
endangerment law. She is a past national vice president of MADD and a co-founder
of MADD-Arizona. Ms. Sikora is a co-founder of the Ashes to Life support group
and the Arizona Children’s Burn Camp. She speaks to countless groups
and organizations, ranging from victim impact panels to adult probation classes
to Phoenix College law classes.
Active in local and national citizens groups, Ms. Sikora was appointed by
the Arizona Supreme Court to a committee to draft Victims’ Rights Legislation.
She was appointed by the Governor to recommend legislation for Juvenile Justice
Reform. She has received several awards, including the Twelve Who Care Award,
the Outstanding Young Woman in America Award (1986), the 1998 Department of
Justice National Crime Victim Award, and the 1999 Arizona Attorney General
Distinguished Service to Victims of Crime Award. Ms. Sikora has been an advocate
for youth on the local, state and national levels and a supporter and activist
for SADD for more than 20 years.
Jessica
Smith
SADD State Coordinator Representative
Jessica
Smith is the State Coordinator Representative from Arizona. She has been involved
in the effort against impaired driving for over 20 years, since her mother’s
near-fatal crash caused by an impaired driver. Her mother was the co-founder
of Arizona MADD, and Jessica joined those efforts as a result. Jessica was
also a victim of an impaired driving crash when she was sixteen in a crash
caused by a juvenile impaired driver. The Zero Tolerance Law for under 21
was enacted the following legislative session as a result of her crash. Jessica
has been involved in numerous legislative issues: Zero Tolerance for juveniles,
the lowering of DUI to .08, graduated licensing, "Kids Aren’t Cargo,"
and Safety Belt laws. Jessica was appointed to the Arizona Governor's Traffic Safety Advisory Council by
Governor Jane D. Hull. The Team implements highway safety plans to ensure
the safety of all Arizona citizens. Jessica currently serves as the Chair
of the Arizona DUI Task Force. She is dedicated to working with youth and
being part of the solution to the problems and issues that young people encounter
every day.
Jessica was graduated from Apollo High School in Glendale, Arizona, and attended
Glendale Community College and Phoenix College. Jessica worked for the Phoenix
Metro Chapter of MADD before becoming the Arizona State SADD Coordinator in
1998. She is married and has three small children.
Stephen
Wallace
(Chairman and Chief Executive Officer)
Executive Committee Chair
Development Committee Chair
Currently,
Mr. Wallace serves as president of Summit Communications Management Corporation
located in Boston. His regional and national clients represent industries
such as telecommunications, energy and consumer products. Mr. Wallace has
broad experience as a psychologist and counselor; he has held positions in
school-based psychological services departments in Florida and Massachusetts
and the adolescent psychiatric unit of Fair Oaks Hospital in Summit, New Jersey.
He is a member of the American Camping Association and he currently serves
as director of counselor training at the Cape Cod Sea Camps, Inc. Mr. Wallace
serves as president of the Summit Foundation for Teen Leadership, Inc., a
foundation he recently established that provides scholarships for underprivileged
teens to attend teen leadership programs.
Mr. Wallace served as Undersecretary of Economic Affairs for the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts, where he oversaw policy, planning and management for a number
of state agencies, including business development, film, international trade,
and minority and women’s business development. He also managed the state’s
marketing and advertising programs for business development and retention.
Mr. Wallace also served Massachusetts as Assistant Secretary of Consumer Affairs
and Business Regulation, where he was responsible for policy planning, consumer
education, and external communications for the cabinet office and its nine
regulatory agencies, including the cable television commission, the divisions
of banking, public utilities and insurance, and the alcoholic beverages control
commission. During this time, Mr. Wallace chaired or served on a number of
gubernatorial task forces covering such issues as public health, underage
drinking, the environment and education. He also co-hosted a statewide cable
television program, Consumer Weekly, and was a regular guest on local
newscasts and radio programs. A native of Westfield, New Jersey and Tequesta,
Florida, Mr. Wallace earned degrees from Susquehanna University and Bucknell
University in Pennsylvania.
Linda
Peterson Warren
Linda
Peterson Warren is a veteran of film, television, and government. She was
appointed Arizona Film Commissioner in 1994 after a national search to fill
the post and served until 2003. Serving under the Department of Commerce,
she led the Arizona Film Commission in attracting and supporting film and
television production for the express purpose of economic development. Under
her leadership, economic impact averaged about $100M annually for imported
production. Recent major motion pictures include Three Kings, What
Planet Are You From?, The Postman, U-Turn, Jerry Maguire,
Mars Attacks!, Tin Cup, Waiting to Exhale, Broken
Arrow, and Flirting with Disaster. Television projects include
Looking for Lost Bird, Point Last Seen, Jane’s Coming
Out Party, Buffalo Soldiers, and The Magnificent Seven (tv
pilot). Hundreds of commercial spots are shot in Arizona each year. Ms. Warren’s
career spans more than twenty-five years in film, television and theater with
professional experience as film commissioner, actress, writer, producer, director,
publicist and college professor. Ms. Warren has served as an officer of the
Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI) and as a member of
its board of directors. Other professional memberships include Screen Actors
Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Actors Equity,
Women in Film and Film U.S. She is a member of the Governor’s Film and
Television Advisory Board and the Scottsdale Community College Advisory Board
for film curriculum, as well as the de facto chairman of the Governor’s
Film Industry Competitiveness Task Force 1994-1995. She is a member of AAED.
In 1995, Ms. Warren received the Outstanding Achievement Award from her alma
mater, Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida, from which she holds a BA in
theater. Postgraduate work includes programs at Butler University, Harvard
University, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and the Kennedy
School of Government at Harvard.
Robert
K. Weiler (Treasurer)
Executive Committee
Audit Committee
Robert K. Weiler is the
Chief Executive Officer, President and a member of the board of directors
of Phase Forward. Prior to joining Phase Forward in November of 2002, Mr.
Weiler served as chairman, president and chief executive officer of Giga Information
Group, an IT research company, from 1999 to 2002. Prior to joining Giga, he
was president and chief executive officer of Eastman Software (formerly Wang
Software) from 1997 to 1999. Mr. Weiler also served as senior vice president,
worldwide sales and marketing for Lotus Development Corporation.
Currently, Mr. Weiler serves as the chairman of the board of trustees of Saint
Anselm’s College. Other boards Mr. Weiler has served on include Corporate
Software, Waterville Company, Distributed Management Systems, Cullinet Software,
Interleaf, DataLogix, and Giga Information Group.
Mr. Weiler has coached youth soccer and lacrosse teams for the last 16 years.
He has served on the Board of Directors for the Waterville Valley Ski Foundation
and Academy for the last nine years. Mr. Weiler currently holds the position
of Treasurer for the Massachusetts Bay Women’s Lacrosse League.
Penelope
Wells
(President and Executive Director)
Executive Committee
Development Committee
Penelope
Wells is the President and Executive Director of SADD National. An attorney
and manager, she served for the fifteen years as an executive in several government
agencies. Most recently, Ms. Wells served as Acting Executive Director and
General Counsel of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Board of Registration
in Medicine, an agency overseeing the licensure and discipline of the state’s
30,000 physicians. Prior to her work at the Board of Medicine, Ms. Wells served
as Assistant Secretary of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation, overseeing
the activities of several agencies, including the Division of Registration
and the Alcohol Beverages Control Commission. Ms. Wells has also served as
Executive Director of the state Cable Television Commission.
A graduate of Wellesley College and Boston University School of Law, Ms. Wells
has been active in her community, sitting on the boards of several childcare
agencies as well as chairing the governing committee of her church. Ms. Wells
lives in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, and is the mother of two teenage children.
Sasha Willingham
2007-2008 SADD National Student of the Year
Sasha Willingham of Russellville, Alabama, is the 2007-2008 SADD National Student of the Year. She is also a member of the Alabama SADD Student Leadership Council. She most recently served as a member of the Executive Committee of the 2006-2007 SADD National Student Leadership Council. She has been a very active SADD student for the past six years. In her role as an Executive Committee member of the 2006-2007 SLC, she gave a presentation at the Safe and Drug Free School Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, and she was a member of the Field Services working group. She also was instrumental in planning the 2007 SADD National Conference and Masquerade Ball. Sasha has been an attendee at the SADD National conference since 2004.
In addition to her work with SADD, Sasha is also a committed volunteer. She has worked for the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce. She has also spent time with children and the mentally disabled. Her most rewarding experience has been helping survivors of Hurricane Katrina in her home state. She helped give a reception for Katrina victims, and she also collected Christmas presents to donate to displaced families who could not make it home for the holidays. At Russellville High School, Sasha was an excellent student and she graduated in the top 10 percent of her class. She was also involved in many activities. She was the senior class president and was also crowned the 2006 Homecoming Queen. Sasha is also a talented athlete and was captain of the girls’ basketball team. Also a musician who has played the clarinet for six years, Sasha served as the Chaplain of her high school marching band. Sasha will be a freshman at Jacksonville State University in Alabama in the fall.
