MADD Tennessee State Office Launches Advisory Board

NASHVILLE, TN--(Marketwired - Jan 21, 2015) - Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) of Tennessee today announced it has assembled an inaugural state advisory board to engage communities across Tennessee in promoting safe driving and sound decision making. The board's 16 initial members include community and business leaders, government officials, members of law enforcement, researchers, and victims of impaired driving.

"We are humbled by the tremendously talented individuals who have pledged to dedicate valuable time to serve on our inaugural advisory board," said Kate Ritchie, state program director of MADD Tennessee. "This advisory board will play an imperative leadership role within our organization by providing direction and guidance to further MADD Tennessee's mission to end drunk driving, help fight drugged driving, support the victims of these violent crimes, and prevent underage drinking."

The MADD Tennessee advisory board includes:

• Mel Taylor, CEO of splitsecnd
• Norris Skelley, Victim of Impaired Driving, Legislation Chair
• Kate Ritchie, State Program Director of MADD Tennessee
• Darlene McClung, SAFFE Director of Davidson County Sheriff's Office
• Brad Bulla, Victim of Impaired Driving, MADD National Board Member
• Megan Buell, Director of Education, Marketing and Outreach of Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance
• Vincent Turocy, Sergeant -- Capitol Hill of Tennessee Highway Patrol
• Millie Webb, Victim of Impaired driving, Former MADD National President
• Srivatsan Pallavarm, Senior Scientist at Vanderbilt University
• Kathy Beeler, Victim of Impaired Driving, Victim Impact Panel Chair
• Matthew Burman, Founder/CEO of InstantAmber
• Scott Koon, State Farm Agent
• Tom Kimball, Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor, TN District Attorneys Conference
• Desirae Westbrook, Davidson County Sheriff's Office
• Luke Marklin, Uber Nashville, General Manager
• Julie Strike, Tennessee State Coordinator, SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions)
• Dhana Jones, Captain Special Operations Division, Metro Nashville Police Department
  
  

Board chair Mel Taylor is the CEO of splitsecnd, which initially partnered with MADD late last year as a sponsor of the organization's signature school programs POWER of YOU(TH) and POWER of PARENT throughout Tennessee. The programs aim to enable teens and parents to make smart choices when it comes to alcohol use and safety.

"I think I speak for everyone on the board when I say we are all honored and privileged to work with MADD Tennessee in its efforts to make our state a safer place for all drivers," added Taylor. "We look forward to working together to introduce MADD's mission to new audiences in new ways to make a positive impact on Tennessee's roads."

For more on MADD Tennessee visit www.maddtn.org.

About MADD
Founded by a mother whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver, Mothers Against Drunk Driving® (MADD) is the nation's largest nonprofit working to protect families from drunk driving and underage drinking. MADD also supports drunk and drugged driving victims and survivors at no charge, serving one person every 8.6 minutes through local MADD victim advocates and at 1-877-MADD-HELP.