GHSA 2021 Annual Meeting Featured Sessions & Speakers

Monday, September 13

Opening General Session
8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Jennifer Homendy, Chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, will present on the current state of transportation safety, the National Transportation Safety Board's highway safety priorities and opportunities for collaboration.

Nat Beuse, Aurora's Vice President of Safety, will provide an update on Aurora's automated vehicle initiatives, efforts to improve road safety and opportunities for collaboration between tech companies and state highway safety offices.

Welcome Luncheon Speaker: Brad Meltzer
12:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.

Best-selling author and History Channel host Brad Meltzer will inspire and dazzle attendees with his personal story of perseverance, focus and the commitment to one’s dreams.

Afternoon General Session
4:00 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.

With automated and driver assistance technology becoming ever more prevalent, an invited panel of national experts from Waymo, Cruise, the California Highway Patrol, the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and Aurora will discuss how law enforcement and other first responders can prepare for the new vehicles coming onto roadways.

Panelists will include:

• Tammy Trimble, Senior Research Associate, Division of Data & Analytics, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
• Deputy Commissioner Jim Epperson, California Highway Patrol
• Rob Patrick, First Responder Specialist, Waymo
• Mufaddal Ezzy, Senior Director, Public Affairs & State & Local Government Relations, Aurora

Tuesday, September 14

Morning General Session
8:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.

Chief Carmen Best (Ret.), Seattle Police Department, will share her experiences as the first Black woman to hold Seattle's top law enforcement job. During her tenure, she brought greater equity and diversity to the department and strengthened community-based approaches to policing.

Following Chief Best's presentation, she will join a distinguished panel of experts in a roundtable discussion on steps the highway safety community is and should be taking to achieve greater equity in traffic enforcement and engagement, thus broadening the impact and effectiveness of safety programs.

Panelists will include:

• Denise Blake, Director of Field Operations, Mothers Against Drunk Driving
• Jake Nelson, Director of Traffic Safety Advocacy & Research, AAA
• Sheriff Aaron Appelhans, Albany County, Wyoming

Awards Luncheon
12:15 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Join us as we honor the people and programs making a difference in traffic safety at the state, local and national levels. Walk away with new ideas to implement in your own work.

Wednesday, September 15

General Session: Curbing the Driver's Need for Speed
8:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.

In the midst of an historic pedestrian safety crisis, the pandemic sparked an unprecedented drop in motor vehicle traffic that should have resulted in a significant drop in crashes, injuries and deaths. But an increase in excessive speeding is plaguing our roadways and putting everyone at risk. A panel of national experts will discuss how we can get drivers to slow down and save lives.

Panelists will include:

• Lorraine Martin, President and CEO, National Safety Council
• Colonel Matthew C. Packard, Chief, Colorado State Patrol
• Melissa Wandall, President, National Coalition for Safer Roads
• David Ocamb, Vice President - Research, Planning, Strategy, Stratacomm (David Ocamb was chosen to speak in this session based upon his years of experience in traffic safety marketing and advertising campaigns at the state level prior to joining the stratacomm team.)
• Sandy Spavone, Executive Director, Family Career and Community Leaders of America

Closing Luncheon Speaker: Jim Kelly
12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly is known for his toughness on the field, facing the loss of his eight-year-old son and battling cancer three times. He will speak about the power of the four F’s – Faith, Friends, Family and Fans and what it really means to be “Kelly Tough.”