Maria Torrez Anderson
SADD State Coordinator Representative
Strategic Planning Committee
Maria Torrez Anderson is the SADD State Coordinator from Kansas. She also serves as the Director of Programs for Kansas Family Partnership and is the Coordinator of the Kansas Red Ribbon Campaign. Ms. Anderson has been the Kansas SADD State Coordinator for the past nine years, and has been involved with youth programming for more than 20 years.
Ms. Anderson has been involved in legislative issues including “Not in Our House,” a nationwide initiative on underage drinking and social hosting and “Be Wise About Underage Drinking,” a campaign to alert Kansas legislators to the dangers of underage drinking. She was appointed to serve on the Kansas Governor's Breath Analyzer Advisory Committee, which implemented new guidelines for Breath Alcohol Testing to be used by Kansas law enforcement officers. Ms. Anderson also serves on the Traffic Safety Conference Planning Committee of the Kansas Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Safety & Technology and as a member of Safe Kids Kansas, a nonprofit coalition of over sixty statewide and regional organizations and businesses dedicated to preventing accidental injuries to Kansas children ages 0-14.
Ms. Anderson earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts with an emphasis in Journalism, from Washburn University of Topeka, KS. She is a Kansas native and currently resides in Topeka with her husband. She has two grown daughters and one granddaughter.
Larry Bailin
Resource Development Committee
Strategic Planning Committee
Mr. Bailin is Founder and CEO of Single Throw Internet Marketing, based in Wall, New Jersey. He is a successful entrepreneur, leader, and author. Larry Bailin is also a prominent speaker and one of the most respected professionals in his field. In 2007, Larry was named one of the top 40 business people in New Jersey under the age of 40 and was called one of the top minds in the business by Yahoo’s marketing team. His best-selling marketing book, “Mommy, Where Do Customers Come From?” was originally released in 2007 and within hours of release rose to number three on Amazon’s bestseller list. The book was dubbed “an instant classic” by readers and the media and is required reading by business students at various universities across the country. In addition, Larry has spoken to high school and college students about entrepreneurship, business, and sales and marketing. His desire is to give back and he enjoys helping, mentoring, and guiding future entrepreneurs on their journey.
Mr. Bailin works closely with a number of other charitable organizations such as Freedom House, a local halfway house, as well as assisting with fundraising in support of breast cancer, Parkinson’s research, homelessness, disabled American Veterans, and autism. He has received a commendation from The Boy Scouts of America for help with their efforts to send lower-income children to camp. Larry and his wife, Nicole, live in Freehold, New Jersey.
Ovidio
B. Bermudez, M.D.
Dr. Bermudez is the Chief Medical Officer of the Eating Recovery Center in Denver, Colorado. 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, the 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 also served on several editorial boards. In addition to his membership on the SADD National 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.
Robyn Block
SADD State Coordinator Representative
Audit Committee
Strategic Planning Committee
Robyn Block has served as the Illinois Coordinator for Students Against Destructive Decisions since 2006. She stepped in on a part-time basis and began the task of assessing the number of chapters in Illinois and the types of prevention that was being practiced. During this time, Ms. Block has utilized her 15 years’ experience in the field of Prevention to move SADD chapters toward Best Practices. Education has been provided to students and their advisors through various delivery systems including, electronic newsletters and onsite training efforts. She has been instrumental in developing training modules for students and advisors alike. IL SADD has been the recipient of two distracted driving simulators and Ms. Block has utilized them to increase the number of school visits she makes, start new chapters, and provide additional training. Ms. Block also serves as the Chair for the Illinois Teen Safe Driving Coalition, working closely with the National Safety Council, and The Allstate Foundation. She was instrumental in the creation of DomeShift, the annual youth advocacy day that she began three years ago by bringing partners together to provide youth from around the state to be trained in Advocacy and give them the opportunity to put that training into practice with their state legislators.
SADD has been a part of Prevention First since 2008, and as such has been able to expand the reach and quality of services provided to better equip those serving in an advisory role to the thousands of student members in Illinois.
Robyn has two daughters, Randyl and Casey, and one beagle, Baby Girl, and lives on a 20-acre farm in rural southern Illinois.
Colonel
James E. Champagne (Secretary/Clerk)
Executive Committee
Governance Committee
Strategic Planning Committee
Lieutenant Colonel Champagne served as Executive Director and Governor’s Highway Safety Representative from 1996 to 2007. He was appointed to both posts by Governor Mike Foster on January 8, 1996. He began his state service in 1966 with his appointment as a state trooper. During his career with the state police, Colonel Champagne 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, he helped Louisiana implement a wide range of highway safety programs. 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 served 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. He received the SADD National Outstanding Achievement Award in July 2003. 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.
Matthew M. Hoidal, Esq.
Resource Development Committee
Strategic Planning Committee
Matthew Hoidal is the Executive Director of Camp Sunshine in Casco, Maine, a national nonprofit in Casco, just outside of Portland, that provides fun, hope, and recreation for children with life-threatening illnesses and respite and support for their families. Since joining Camp Sunshine in 2001, Hoidal has helped transform what was a seasonal program into a year-round, financially independent, stand- alone organization. Camp Sunshine serves more than 800 families in need annually, with a 14-member staff and a network of more than 2,500 volunteers who donate over 70,000 hours each year.
Prior to joining Camp Sunshine, Hoidal was founder and director of Miracle Marathon, recruiting a team of 12 runners from around the country who participated in a 1,600+ mile East Coast trek and raised funds for Camp Sunshine. Hoidal’s professional experience also includes working in the Office of the New Hampshire Attorney General and conducting legal research for New Hampshire Legal Aid. Hoidal graduated from St. Lawrence University with a Bachelor of Arts and then received his Juris Doctorate from Vermont Law School in 2000.
Civically minded, Hoidal serves on the board of the Governor Baxter School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and has an affiliation with the Massachusetts Bar Association. Previous volunteer work has included serving with the WCSH 6 Who Care Board of Governors, the Maine Marathon Committee, and as the founder of Miles for Smiles. Matt and his wife, Jennifer, and six children live in Falmouth.
Peter Hooper, Ph.D.
Governance Committee
Resource 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, health care, communications, advertising, 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.
Danna Mauch, Ph.D. (Chairman)
Executive Committee Chair
Governance Committee Chair
Strategic Planning Committee Co-Chair
Danna Mauch is principal scientist/associate at Abt Associates Inc., a company that applies scientific research, consulting and technical assistance expertise to a wide range of issues in social, economic, and health policy; international development; clinical trials; and registries. Dr. Mauch has more than 30 years of experience in designing, implementing and managing research, clinical, and administrative services in the specialty health arena. The focus of her work has been on integration of systems of care, financing, and management information to support clinical decisions and quality improvements toward excellent outcomes for children and adults with special health care needs. Prior to joining Abt, she worked as chief administrative officer of the Behavioral Pharmacy Management System and the Medical Research International subsidiary at Comprehensive NeuroScience, Inc., developing an evidence-based decision-support system to improve the quality and efficacy of prescribing practices and conducting pharmacoeconomic research. Prior to that post, Dr. Mauch served as founding president and CEO of Magellan Public Solutions, Inc., the subsidiary of Magellan Health Services that provided managed care and administrative services to the largest number of lives in government-financed behavioral health, child welfare, and criminal justice organizations. She served in executive positions in the state governments of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, directing mental health, substance abuse and forensic medicine services. Dr. Mauch was appointed special master by the U.S. Federal Court of the District of Columbia to administer the Court’s consent decree governing mental health system reform in Washington.
Dr. Mauch was a member of the SAMHSA National Advisory Council, the White House Conference and the Surgeon General’s Task Force on Mental Health. She is past board president and current vice president for clinical and educational outreach of the Massachusetts Association for Mental Health and a founding board member and committee chair of the MetroWest Community Health Care Foundation. She is also co-chair of the development committee of the Conservatory Lab Charter School, a Boston elementary school that promotes learning through music for children from culturally diverse communities. Dr. Mauch is co-founder and chairman of the board of Treatment Effectiveness Now (the TEN Project), a private, nonprofit policy action organization affiliated with Georgetown University Department of Psychiatry, dedicated to ensuring access to effective health care for children and adults with co-occurring physical and behavioral health conditions. She studied for her B.A. degree at Connecticut College and Wesleyan University and received her Ph.D. from Brandeis University.
Danna Mauch is the mother of a teenage son.
Carrie Sandstrom
2012-2013 SADD National Student of the Year
Strategic Planning Committee
Carrie Sandstrom of Bismarck, North Dakota, is a senior at Century High School who has been integral to the SADD program for the past three years. She served as the 2011-2012 Northern Lights SADD Student of the Year, leading SADD organizations in North and South Dakota and Minnesota. During that time, she travelled to several small rural schools in the community, encouraging other schools to start a SADD chapter. Ms. Sandstrom is the winner of the North Dakota Voice of Democracy contest and was elected Governor of North Dakota Girls’ State. She is a member of the Century STAR Newsmagazine staff, a representative of the Century Student Congress and Latin Club, and an avid blogger. In addition, Carrie interns at the Bismarck Tribune, has raised funds for LifeSource Organ Donation, and is a Grand Officer of the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls.
Carrie’s official term of office will run from the SADD National Conference in June 2012 in Torrance, California, until the SADD National Conference in 2013 in Orlando, Florida. As SADD National Student of the Year, Carrie not only holds this seat on the SADD National Board of Directors, but she also chairs the SADD Student Leadership Council comprised of 7 extraordinary peer leaders who will work with the National staff on various projects, including the planning of the national conference. In addition, she will serve as a SADD spokesperson at various conferences, media events, and public occasions. During the summer of 2013, Carrie Sandstrom will serve as an intern at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administrations in Washington, D.C.
Susan Scarola (Treasurer)
Audit Committee
Executive Committee
Resource Development Committee Chair
Strategic Planning Committee
Susan Scarola is Vice Chairman of DCH Auto Group, the largest auto group in New Jersey and one of the largest in the nation with 27 dealerships in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and California. With a Bachelor of Science degree from Buffalo State College and after obtaining her M.B.A. from New York University in 1982, Ms. Scarola helped DCH in its early growth years solidifying the group’s treasury functions and spearheading its first Human Resources Department. Her people skills assisted the senior team to strategize for growth, and she assumed ongoing responsibilities with the Executive Management Team. In her role as Vice Chairman, Ms. Scarola spends the majority of her time assisting the Chairman with the strategic direction of the company and making sure the company’s interests are represented in public forums. She is a strong advocate for The DCH Way and DCH’s community endeavors assuring that the company stays true to its core values for employees and customers. Prior to accepting her current responsibilities, Ms. Scarola was Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President overseeing Human Resources and other administrative functions, and from 2007 to 2010, Ms. Scarola was President and CEO of DCH Auto Group.
In response to the growing concern about teen driver safety, as well as fatal crashes in its service areas, DCH made a substantial commitment to promote teen safe driving through a partnership with SADD and active involvement in local high schools and communities in their dealership footprint. As a leader in the field of vehicle supply and service, DCH believes it can play a positive role in improving teen driver safety. Last fall, DCH Auto Group and its innovative program partnership with SADD won them the Peter K. O’Rourke Special Achievement Award from the Governors Highway Safety Association for notable achievements in highway safety.
Ms. Scarola is the recipient of the 2008 Women’s Automotive Association International Professional Achievement Award, the 2010 Women Certified Vision Award and, in 2010, was selected by Automotive News as one of the top 100 women in the North American auto industry. Ms. Scarola is also a Member of the Board of the New York State Auto Dealers Association and a member of the Board of Trustees of the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers. She is active with the National Automobile Dealers Association in support of their Dealers Driving Road Safety initiatives.
Sharon
Sikora
Audit Committee
Sharon Sikora is a national activist and speaker on drunk driving issues. She is also a survivor of a crash caused by a drunk driver. 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. Active in local and national citizens groups, she currently sits on the board of the Foundation for Burns and Trauma. She speaks to countless groups and organizations, ranging from victim impact panels to adult probation classes to Phoenix College law classes. She is also involved with Arizona SADD and Phoenix Fire Department Fire Pals. Her outreach also includes assistance with Nevada Stop DUI and the Roots and Wings organization, a not-for-profit counseling organization.
Ms. Sikora was appointed by the Arizona Supreme Court to a committee to draft Victims’ Rights Legislation. She was also appointed by the Governor to recommend legislation for Juvenile Justice Reform. She has received several awards, including the Twelve Who Care Award, the SADD National Lifetime Achievement Award (2008), 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 25 years.
Mary Louise Sudders
Strategic Planning Committee
Serving most recently as the President and CEO of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC) for nine years, Marylou Sudders is now an Associate Professor at the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work.
While at MSPCC from 2003 through August 2012, Ms. Sudders provided executive leadership to the private nonprofit children's agency that has been dedicated to preventing child abuse and neglect services since its inception in 1878. Previously, Ms. Sudders was Commissioner of Mental Health for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for seven years. In this capacity, she served as the Commonwealth's chief spokesperson on mental health issues. Key legislative successes during her tenure included the passage of: mental health parity insurance; five fundamental rights for mental health consumers; civil commitment reform; the children's mental health commission; and, the hospital interpreter law. She has a master's degree in social work and a bachelor's degree with honors from Boston University.
Beyond her role as an instructor at the Boston College School of Social Work, Ms. Sudders serves as a mental health expert for the Department of Justice. In 2006, Ms. Sudders chaired Governor Patrick's Transition Team on Human Services. Ms. Sudders is also a member of the board of directors of the Massachusetts Association for Mental Health, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill and Pine Street Inn and is vice-chair of the board of the DentaQuest Foundation.
The recipient of many awards, Ms. Sudders lives in Cambridge with her husband, Bradley Richardson.
Wendy Warring
Resource Development Committee
Wendy E. Warring, JD, is Senior Vice President of Network Development and Strategic Partnerships at Boston Children’s Hospital where she is dedicated to increasing access for children and families to Boston Children’s world class clinical care and research. Prior to joining Children’s, Ms. Warring held positions as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Executive Vice President at UMass Memorial Health Care Inc., and as Massachusetts' Commissioner of the Division of Medical Assistance where she directed the state's Medicaid program. In the first part of her career, she held positions as a litigation associate in a large law firm, as a prosecutor in white-collar cases, and as legal counsel in the Governor’s Office and as General Counsel for the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency (MassHousing).
Ms. Warring also currently serves on the board of Community Catalyst, a national advocacy organization that provides consumers a voice in health care reform, and on the board of the National Initiative for Children’s Healthcare Quality, which is working to transform the quality of health care provided to children.
Ms. Warring earned her law degree at the Yale University Law School and received her bachelor's degree from Brown University.
Penny
Wells (President and Chief Executive Officer)
Audit Committee
Executive Committee
Governance Committee
Resource Development Committee
Strategic Planning Committee
Penny Wells is the President and Chief Executive Officer of SADD National. An attorney and manager, she served for 15 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 children.
