2019 Speaker Bios
Debi Besser
Debi Besser is the Automated Vehicles Program Manager at the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission. With over 7 years working in behavioral traffic safety, she has spent the last 18 months learning everything she can about advanced driver assistance systems, highly automated vehicles, and how people feel about them and interact with them. She also staffs the Washington State AV Safety Subcommittee, a diverse group of public and private sector partners focused on enabling the safe introduction of automated vehicle technology.
James Brooke
James Brooke is the Traffic Safety Coordinator for Arlington High School. He has been teaching Traffic Safety since 1994. James feels that Parent/Student nights are so important, he currently runs two per class. One is an Informational, Get to know the program night and the other is a panel of guest speakers sharing real life stories to encourage parents and students to make better decisions while driving.
Dr. Kelly K. Browning
Dr. Kelly K. Browning has served as a leader for youth and parent programs for the past 25 years. Her formal education in criminology led her to seek proactive approaches to preventing risky behaviors and poor decision making by youth. As Executive Director of Impact Teen Drivers, Dr. Browning aims to increase evidence-based education regarding the dangers of reckless and distracted driving so that people make better decisions behind the wheel—whether as drivers or passengers—to keep our roads safe for everyone. Dr. Browning is particularly adroit at uniting diverse groups of stakeholders for a common cause, and has combined the efforts of law enforcement agencies, first responders, health professionals, educators, parents, and the insurance industry promote a unified message and evidence-based practices to tackle the number one killer of teens in America. Using a multi-faceted approach to change the driving culture to one that is distraction-free, Dr. Browning and Impact Teen Drivers hope to save thousands of lives needlessly lost on our roadways every year.
Morgan Cihak
Morgan Cihak manages the National Safety Council’s teen initiative, which focuses on leading causes of teen fatalities: car crashes and substance misuse. Morgan holds a bachelor’s degree in community health education from Western Michigan University and is currently pursuing her master’s degree in public health. She is also a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician.
Doug Dahl
Doug Dahl is a Target Zero Manager for the Washington Traffic Safety Commission and a self-confessed traffic safety nerd. He authors a weekly traffic safety column for the Bellingham Herald and hosts a traffic safety website called TheWiseDrive.com. Doug’s passion for traffic safety began during his previous career as a deputy for the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, and his fascination with driving began much earlier; at age five he dreamed of becoming a race car driver as he slept in pajamas covered with Indy cars. He’s been to racing school, but he spends most of his recreational time on a bicycle.
Andy DeLeuw
Andy DeLeuw is a Fire Lieutenant/EMT with Renton Regional Fire Authority. He is a certified First Aid instructor with many years of experience teaching and applying first aid.
Lewis Dennie
Lewis Dennie has worked for the state of Washington for 30 years. He has been a dealer investigator and held a variety of supervisor and manager positions within DOL. Lewis is a proud Washington State University grad, “Go Cougs”. Lewis just moved with the Driver Training School program to the newly created Licensing –Endorsements Traffic Safety section in the Program Services Division of DOL.
Manny Gonzalez
Manny Gonzalez is the Program Manager for young drivers at the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. Manny is currently focused on working to improve youth driver education by developing programs to increase parent knowledge and participation in developing Washington’s next generation of drivers. He is also exploring ways to expand the National Safety Council’s “Alive at 25” program within Washington State. In addition to young drivers, Manny also manages the speed, occupant protection, and school zone programs.
Mary Graff
Mary Graff is the Community Relations Program Manager for LifeCenter Northwest, the Federally designated Organ Procurement Organization that covers Alaska, Washington, North Idaho, and Montana. LifeCenter Northwest manages the organ, eye, and tissue donor registry for Washington and Montana. Mary coordinates DMV partner relations in Washington and Montana, community volunteer advocates, and manages donation education programs that provide local communities with information and resources about organ and tissue donation.
Loni Miller
Loni Miller is the Program Manager for the Department of Licensing Driver Training School (DTS) program. Loni has been the program manager since 2015 and has been in the program since 2009. She came to DOL with a background in project management and account management in the telecommunication industry. Loni’s passion is with the safety of our young drivers and working collaboratively with the industry to ensure we are all a success.
Loni has been married for 26 years, has 3 grown children and 3 grandchildren. She has lived in Washington her whole life but loves to travel whenever possible, especially to see her grandkids in England and annually to Mexico to get some rest and relaxation.
Loni has been married for 26 years, has 3 grown children and 3 grandchildren. She has lived in Washington her whole life but loves to travel whenever possible, especially to see her grandkids in England and annually to Mexico to get some rest and relaxation.
Maridith Ramsey
Maridith Ramsey is a successful trial attorney with Davis Law Group in Seattle. Maridith graduated with a B.S. from the University of South Carolina before enrolling at Loyola Law School. During her time in school, she focused primarily on civil litigation. By the time she graduated with a J.D., she had worked as a legal extern for the Disability Rights Legal Center, as well as prominent Southern California trial firm, Engstrom, Lipscomb & Lack. Post-graduation, she received a Loyola Law School Fellowship which allowed her to work with the non-profit organization Family Law CASA of King County.
Brett Robinson
Brett Robinson has been involved in the highway traffic safety arena in the areas of driver education, driver testing, commercial driver licensing and motorcycle safety for over 25 years. He is the Co-founder and President for Highway Safety Services, LLC (HSS) located in Indiana, PA. HSS is a leading company for consulting services in highway traffic safety and driver's license test administration. HSS provides management services for several national traffic safety associations. He worked for the Highway Safety Center at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrations (AAMVA) prior to forming Highway Safety Services, LLC in 2005. Among various responsibilities, Mr. Robinson serves as the Secretariat for the National Association of Stakeholders in Traffic Safety Education (ANSTSE); the Executive Director for the American Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association (ADTSEA); and the Executive Director for the National Association of State Motorcycle Safety Administrators (SMSA).
David Scattergood
David Scattergood is an Advisor for the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, a non-profit corporation that empowers youth and adults with factual information about drugs so they can make informed decisions and live drug-free lives.
He works with law enforcement officials, schools and community groups in Washington State, providing them with free educational materials which explain:
He works with law enforcement officials, schools and community groups in Washington State, providing them with free educational materials which explain:
- Why people take drugs
- How drugs work
- How drugs affect the mind
- Why drugs destroy creativity
Mindy Smith
Mindy Smith is the Program Supervisor for Student Transportation and Traffic Safety Education for OSPI. Mindy has 14 years’ experience in student transportation, as a school bus driver, dispatcher and certified school bus driver trainer. She has also served as a Department of Licensing Third Party Examiner for School buses, an adjunct professor for Lower Columbia Community College, teaching the behind the wheel portion of their Class B CDL (Commercial Driver License program). She has been married for 28 years, has 3 grown children and 5 grandchildren.
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