Jonathan Adkins was named Chief Executive Officer of the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) in 2023 after serving as Executive Director since 2014. GHSA is the national nonprofit that represents state highway safety agencies. GHSA members are charged with implementing their governors’ highway safety plans and administering federal behavioral highway safety funds.
Adkins is responsible for directing the organization’s Washington headquarters office, serving as the association’s chief liaison with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and other federal agencies, and representing the organization on Capitol Hill and with private-sector partners. He frequently represents the states’ viewpoints on highway safety solutions in the media and before Congress, federal agencies and industry partners. Adkins is regularly quoted by a variety of publications, including Politico, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post.
Under his leadership, GHSA has expanded its scope and influence by adding new programs, member services and staff. Adkins has built partnerships with a variety of leading organizations in the automotive, insurance and consumer products industries, and has leveraged those relationships to develop tools for state highway safety agencies. Adkins also launched GHSA’s Consulting Services Initiative, through which the organization assists states in managing their highway safety programs.
Adkins began his work with GHSA in 2000. Prior to being named Executive Director, he served as GHSA’s Communications Director as well as Deputy Executive Director. Adkins has served on a variety of boards and in appointed roles within highway safety and the broader community, including the National Organizations for Youth Safety, the Road to Zero Coalition and the National Lifesavers Conference. Currently, he serves as Chair of the Board of the National Alliance to Stop Impaired Driving (NASID) and on the Board of Youthcast Media Group, a nonprofit that trains high school and college students from underserved communities to write about and report on often overlooked health and social issues, such as traffic safety.
Adkins holds a political science degree from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa. Outside of work, he volunteers time with Dickinson College, West Virginia University and The Matthew Shepard Foundation, among others. Adkins and his husband, Ben, live in the Logan Circle neighborhood in Washington, D.C.
Ms. Coffey has devoted her life’s work to public safety, is a nationally recognized leader in impaired driving prevention, and a pioneer in the ignition interlock industry. For 26 years, Ms. Coffey was responsible for driving Smart Start’s government and special interest initiatives and led the company’s legislative efforts in state government and Congress. She was Smart Start’s liaison to judicial, court, and DMV authorities and spearheaded advocacy efforts for public safety leaders and groups throughout the nation. She was instrumental in educating stakeholders on the application and benefits of Smart Start’s ignition interlock program, helping to assure its successful adoption in every state. She founded Safety and Advocacy for Empowerment (SAFE), formally known as the Coalition of Ignition Interlock Manufacturers (CIIM), which led to the adoption of model legislation in 35 states. She proudly serves on the Executive Committee for the National Alliance to Stop Impaired Driving and the Texas Impaired Driving Task Force.
Ms. Coffey is an accomplished national presenter and spokesperson and is considered a knowledgeable expert and credible representative in the field of ignition interlocks and DUI offender monitoring.
Ms. Coffey provides resource testimony across the U.S. before House and Senate committees concerning model interlock legislation, functionality of the interlock device and her vast experience of state interlock programs. She is committed to continuing to shape the business of saving lives and sharing information about this lifesaving technology with as many audiences as possible. She continues her important work at Smart Start as an interlock industry representative in an emeritus position.
Ms. Coffey joined Smart Start in 1998, bringing 20 years of Texas court management experience. Ms. Coffey earned her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Texas State University. She lives in Lampasas and Austin, Texas, is married to Retired Criminal Court Judge, Daryl Coffey, and enjoys time with her grandson, Oliver Beaux, and cows on the Coffey Grounds Ranch.
Kristin Smith is the Head of Global Road Safety Policy at Uber, leading the company’s impaired driving prevention efforts that show Uber’s direct role in reducing incidents and saving lives.
During her tenure at Uber, Kristin has integrated the Safe System approach into global road safety efforts, championed support for Vision Zero initiatives, and prioritized the safety of vulnerable road users. With operations in 70 countries, Kristin’s leadership has an impact on road safety throughout the world.
Experienced in transportation policy across public, private, and advocacy sectors, Kristin brings a multifaceted perspective to her work and understands that tackling the crisis on our roads requires a broad coalition of stakeholders.
Her deep commitment to road safety is deeply rooted in personal tragedy, having lost her father to a drunk driver in 2015. This experience not only fuels her personal dedication but also shapes her professional mission to end impaired driving and help ensure the safety of all road users.
M. Kimberly Brown is a Senior Attorney at the National District Attorneys Association’s National Traffic Law Center in Arlington, Virginia. She serves as presenter and faculty at state, regional, and national conferences and training courses pertaining to impaired driving and other traffic safety issues. She also participates in the development of and updates to trial advocacy curriculum as well as the creation of new written resource materials for prosecutors and law enforcement.
Prior to her employment at NDAA/NTLC, she served as the Chief of the Criminal Section at the District of Columbia’s Office of the Attorney General (DC OAG). The DC OAG’s Criminal Section maintains responsibility for the prosecution of all adult traffic misdemeanor offenses and the majority of quality of life offenses. While Chief, she was uniquely positioned to help lead the District’s response to numerous impaired driving issues including problems related to miscalibration of breath test equipment, failures to follow scientific procedure and protocol, and new impaired driving legislation. As a result of these issues, she also helped develop an entirely new breath testing program for the District. She also collaborated with both local and national law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to address high level issues relating to prosecution within the District’s multi-jurisdictional criminal justice system. Other previous legal experience includes work at the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office in Pontiac, Michigan; the Michigan Attorney General’s High-Tech Crime Unit in Livonia, Michigan; civil litigation work at Covington & Burling in Washington, DC; and criminal defense work in Michigan and Washington, DC.
Kristen retired from public service in 2022 and worked in Toxicology for over 24 years. She is a Toxicology Liaison for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Region 9 and supports Arizona, California, Hawaii, and the Pacific Territories.
Before her retirement, Kristen served five years as the Laboratory Director for the California Department of Justice, Bureau of Forensic Services—Toxicology Laboratory. Her laboratory provided services to 46 of California’s 58 counties. Kristen’s expertise in toxicology not only involved directing the laboratory’s operations but also testified extensively on the effects of alcohol and drugs on human performance and in postmortem scenarios.
Furthermore, Kristen’s commitment to forensic sciences extended beyond her role as Laboratory Director. While employed at the Sacramento County Laboratory of Forensic Services, she actively contributed to public safety as a member of the Crime Lab Response Team and Clandestine Laboratory Response Team. Kristen’s multifaceted contributions underscore her dedication to the highest standards of forensic analysis and her hands-on involvement in addressing critical challenges in the field. She served as a Quality Manager/Supervisor and a Criminalist at the Sacramento County Crime Lab for over three years and 8.5 years in the toxicology unit. Further, she enriched her knowledge during a 7.5-year tenure in the private sector as a toxicologist.
A recognized authority in her field, Kristen is actively involved in influential organizations. She was a member of SAMHSA’s Federal Drug Testing Advisory Board, contributing her expertise to shape national policies. Additionally, she is a member of the National Safety Council’s Alcohol, Drug, and Impairment Division and on The Society of Forensic Toxicologists—Toxicology Resource Committee. She also served as the Committee Chair for the Technology, Research, and Data Subcommittee of California’s Impaired Driving Task Force.
Throughout her career, Kristen has been a dedicated educator, imparting her knowledge to prosecutors, law enforcement professionals, fellow toxicologists, and stakeholders in traffic safety. Her passion for education led her to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Biology (Micro/Molecular) from Portland State University in 1997, followed by an MBA from the University of Southern California (USC) in 2021. Currently pursuing an M.S. in the Ayurveda Integrative Medicine Program at Maharishi International University, Kristen aspires to continue her academic journey with a Doctorate in Physiology, focusing on researching the impact of pharmaceuticals on health.
Tony Cotto is the Director of Auto and Underwriting Policy for the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC), where he advises member companies on all legislative and regulatory matters related to automobile insurance and risk-based pricing across property/casualty lines. He frequently represents NAMIC before federal and state policymakers at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), the National Council of Insurance Legislators, as well as individual state regulatory and legislative bodies. He also represents NAMIC at several insurance industry and road safety community organizations where he provides analysis, research, and testimony on priority issues for NAMIC members.
Before joining NAMIC in 2020, Tony served as an Executive Advisor in the administration of Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin, overseeing legislative and regulatory reform efforts across more than 35 agencies and licensing boards, including the Department of Insurance. Prior to that, Cotto advised insurers in private practice as a Managing Associate at the law firm of Frost Brown Todd, which followed a 5-year stint as Financial Policy and Legislative Counsel at the NAIC. During his decade and a half in Washington, DC, Cotto also served as Counsel to the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations advising the ranking member at the time, Dr. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), and as Associate General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Commerce in the George W. Bush administration. He began his legal career prosecuting whistleblower complaints at the U.S. Office of Special Counsel.
Cotto earned his J.D. from The George Washington University Law School and his bachelor’s degree in political science from Yale University. He lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with his wife and daughter.
Eric Dumschat is MADD Canada’s Legal Director. He is the author of many of the documents that form the foundation of MADD Canada’s advocacy efforts in recent years. He has spoken at conferences, both national and international, and appeared before legislative, parliamentary and senate committees, and to politicians, government officials, media, and other stakeholders to provide insight, recommendations and prospective solutions on how to combat impaired driving on Canada’s roads.
As a government affairs representative for Intoxalock, Chase works closely with valued members of the traffic safety community to reduce instances of impaired driving, and expand access to lifesaving technologies. Chase uses his legislative experience and connections to interact positively with key stakeholders across a variety of states to help drive positive legislation, especially in the Midwest and Southeast.
Chase is a board member of the SAFE coalition, a member of the FBI Impaired Driving Task Force, and enjoys partnering with national organizations like MADD and GHSA to help keep roads safe. Chase, a Michigan native, is a proud graduate of the University of Michigan.
Dr. Curt E. Harper has over 16 years of experience as a Forensic Toxicologist. He was appointed Chief Toxicologist for the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences (ADFS) in 2012. As Chief Toxicologist, he oversees technical operations, method development and validation, and the quality assurance/quality control program. He manages productivity, serves as training coordinator, and develops and maintains standard operating procedures. Dr. Harper has a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology and a Master’s of Science in Forensic Science from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He holds board certification as a Fellow of the American Board of Forensic Toxicology (F- ABFT) and serves as Chair of the Oral Fluid Committee and former Chair of the SOFT/AAFS Drugs and Driving. In addition, he acts as a President of the International Association for Chemical Testing (IACT) and an Executive Board member of the National Safety Council’s Alcohol, Drugs and Impairment Division (NSC-ADID). Dr. Harper serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in the Department of Justice Sciences, an adjunct professor at Oklahoma State University within the School of Forensic Sciences, and faculty for the Borkenstein Alcohol Course at Indiana University. His interests include oral fluid drug testing, DUID testing and interpretation, and automation, robotics, and AI. ADFS is the first state crime laboratory to implement a comprehensive DUI/D oral fluid drug testing program in the United States. As an Alabama Peace Officer, Dr. Harper has been certified as a Drug Recognition Expert since 2015 and is an Alabama Impaired Driving Prevention Council member. Before becoming Chief Toxicologist at ADFS, he served as Toxicology Supervisor in Richmond for the Virginia Department of Forensic Science for two years. Dr. Harper has testified on the effects of alcohol and other drugs in over 235 criminal or civil cases during his tenure in Alabama and Virginia
Chris Heartsill is currently certified by the American Board of Forensic Toxicology as a Diplomate – Forensic Toxicology and received his B.S. degree in Chemistry from East Central University in 1991. Chris has been working in analytical chemistry for over 33 years with more than 29 years of forensic toxicology experience including the areas of human performance forensic toxicology, postmortem forensic toxicology, and forensic laboratory quality management. Chris is currently working as the Regional Toxicology Liaison for NHTSA Region 7. He was previously the Quality Manager for the Dallas Police Department Crime Scene Response Section. Prior to coming to the Dallas Police Department, he served as the Quality Manager for the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office in Fort Worth, Texas and the Toxicology Supervisor, Toxicologist, Quality Manager, and Breath Testing Technical Supervisor at the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office in Dallas, Texas. Chris is an active member of the Society of Forensic Toxicologists, currently serving as the President Elect, member of the Finance Committee, and Editor of ToxTalk. Other professional organizations include the Southwestern Association of Toxicologists, serving two individual terms as President, Grant Committee Chair, and Historian, the Texas Association of Crime Laboratory Directors, and the National Safety Council Alcohol, Drugs & Impairment Division, serving on the Executive Board and performing duties as Secretary. Chris participates in the creation of standards, guidelines, and best practices by serving on the OSAC Toxicology Subcommittee.
Erin Holmes serves as the Director of Global Road Safety at Abbott. In this role, Erin works to advance the company’s mission of creating safer roads by eliminating impaired driving. She endeavors to translate research into practice and provide thought leadership, strengthen DUI/D programs and policy, and increase the implementation of roadside drug testing and oral fluid screening.
Prior to joining Abbott, Erin was the Vice President of Criminal Justice Programs & Policy at Responsibility.org. She oversaw the organization’s traffic safety and criminal justice portfolios, managed partnerships, developed widely utilized programs/resources, and delivered education to thousands of practitioners. Before transitioning to policy work, Erin was a Research Scientist at the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF). During her tenure at TIRF, Erin conducted qualitative research and published extensively. She presented internationally on impaired driving issues and criminal justice system improvements. She also conducted evaluations, developed online curricula, education programs, primers, and engaged in knowledge translation.
A subject matter expert on alcohol and drug-impaired driving, Erin routinely serves as faculty for the National Judicial College and other judicial organizations. In the policy realm, Erin is frequently called upon to draft and analyze legislation as well as provide testimony at both the state and federal level. In addition to her role as an educator, Erin provides technical assistance to state agencies to improve program administration and delivery.
Erin graduated summa cum laude and has an Honors and Master’s degree in Criminology from the University of Ottawa.
Sabra Jones, PhD, is a Forensic Toxicologist and board-certified as a Diplomate by the American Board of Forensic Toxicology. Sabra is the Regional Toxicology Liaison (RTL) for the United States (US) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Region 5, serving the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Sabra has worked in transportation safety at the US Federal Aviation Administration, driving impairment, in addition to other areas of forensic toxicology at the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s office. Prior to becoming one of the first US RTLs, she served as an Assistant Professor and graduate student mentor at Boston University School of Medicine’s Biomedical Forensic Sciences program. She conducts research in the areas of forensic toxicology, analytical chemistry, and impairment.
Sabra obtained her PhD at Oklahoma State University, Center for Health Science in Forensic Science. Her Master of Science degrees in Drug Chemistry (M.S.) and Forensic Toxicology (M.S.) from the University of Florida as well as undergraduate (B.A.) and graduate (M.A.) degrees in Criminal Justice from the University of Central Oklahoma.
She serves as the Immediate Past Chair and on the Executive Board of the National Safety Council’s Alcohol, Drugs, and Impairment Division. She serves as Vice-Chair of the US Academy Standards Board’s Toxicology Consensus Body. Sabra is active in several professional organizations such as the Society of Forensic Toxicologists, Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, and the American Academy of Forensic Sciences where she is a past chair of the Toxicology Section. Sabra was appointed by the US Commonwealth of Massachusetts’s Governor Charles Baker to serve on the Forensic Oversight Board and the Special Commission on Operating Under the Influence and Impaired Driving.
As President of RADD, Erin Meluso applies decades of marketing, promotion, and management skills to oversee the creation of edutainment programming: music and entertainment-driven outreach projects to promote alternatives to driving impaired.
Statewide projects she oversees include a new California Highway Patrol-sponsored CHP Cannabis Tax Fund Grant, plus the RADD California College Coalition, (R3C) which serves as the state’s member of the National Consortium of State Coalitions formed by the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drugs Misuse & Prevention (HEC).
Amy Miles is the State Toxicologist at the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) and has over 20 years of experience in forensic toxicology. Amy provides expert court testimony and interpretation of laboratory reports for coroners, medical examiners, attorneys, and law enforcement officers. Amy also provides expert consultation for drug impaired driving cases both locally and nationally. In addition to her work at the WSLH, Amy is also the National Resource Toxicologist and Project Manager for the NHTSA/SOFT Regional Toxicology Liaison program.
Amy has given hundreds of presentations on the topic of drugs, alcohol and human performance, and public health at state and national conferences and in-service trainings and has contributed several articles to national publications. She is a member of several professional organizations and committees that pertain to alcohol, drugs and human performance and public health. Amy is the Past President of the Society of Forensic Toxicologists and is a National Judicial College faculty member. In 2020, Amy received the IACP DRE Ambassador Award, and in 2023 the Association of Public Health Laboratories’ Gold Standard Award, the Governor’s Highway Safety Association’s Kathryn JR Swanson Public Service Award and the SOFT Teaching and Mentoring Award.
Traffic Safety Management & Research, University at Albany SUNY
Jerry Miller is the Executive Director of the Institute for Traffic Safety Management & Research, University at Albany SUNY. He has been with the Institute for 7 years. The Institute was established in 1978 to provide a link between the State University of New York and New York State government to facilitate the application of academic expertise to the mitigation of traffic safety issues. From its inception, the Institute has played a key role in developing legislative and programmatic countermeasures for major highway safety issues.
Prior to joining the Institute, Jerry worked in various capacities for the State of New York for 15 years. The majority of that time was at the NYS Division of Criminal Justice, Office of Public Safety. He was a Program Manager within the law enforcement training division overseeing the development of curriculum and the delivery of training statewide. Jerry was also employed within the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles, Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee where he oversaw the State’s impaired driving program and was the State Coordinator of the Drug Evaluation and Classification Program.
Jerry began his professional career as a Police Officer from 1993 – 2001 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. His education consists of a Bachelor of Science, Criminal Justice, and a Master of Public Administration.
Matt Myers is the founder of DrugImpairment.com, an e-learning platform designed to connect toxicologists, law enforcement officers, and other forensic practitioners with industry-leading instruction on drug impairment. In addition to 20+ years as a law enforcement officer and service as a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) Instructor, Matt has completed a master’s degree in clinical toxicology from the University of Florida College of Pharmacy and extensive additional education in pharmacology and toxicology at other academic and forensic science institutions, including the Center for Forensic Science Research & Education and the Harvard Medical School Extension.
Matt serves as a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police Roadway Safety Committee and chairs the Scientific Working Group of the DRE Technical Advisory Panel, which oversees the scientific direction, curriculum, and standards of the NHTSA sobriety testing curricula. He is also a past Chair of the IACP DRE Section, a member of the National Safety Council’s Alcohol, Drugs and Impairment Division, a member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences’ Forensic Toxicology Standards Board, and a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Transportation Research Board Standing Committee on Impairment in Transportation.
Scott is currently the Executive Director for SADD | Students Against Destructive Decisions. He has spent over 20 years in the nonprofit space where prior to SADD, Scott was the Chief Development and Communications Officer for Engineers Without Borders USA. The vast majority of his experience has been in various leadership roles, advancing mission-oriented organizations through strategic fundraising and communications strategies and building collaborative community partnerships while engaging stakeholders around revenue generation. Scott began his career in youth development, including being a Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC) for residential and outpatient youth treatment centers, and has worked for small and large, local, national, and international nonprofits. He holds a master’s degree and several certificates and credentials, including being an advanced certified nonprofit professional (ACNP).
Not only is Scott passionate about education, mental health awareness, and helping to create and mentor the next generation of leaders, but he also believes in being active in the community, which sees him dedicating his time to several nonprofit and community boards, such as the Advocacy Council for the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at the University of Central Arkansas, his undergraduate alma mater, and the Advisory Board for the National Parents Organization. A proud and active dad to three daughters and a resident of Saint Charles, Missouri, he enjoys family time with his wife and kids, golfing, skiing, and cheering on his favorite sports teams, especially the Kansas City Chiefs.
In his current role as Director of Traffic Safety Advocacy & Research for AAA, Jake is an influential communicator who provides thought leadership on issues related to traffic injury prevention. From interpreting fatal crash statistics to assessing solutions to keeping drivers safe, Jake excels at translating complex research into evidence-based policies, research-validated interventions, and easy-to-understand language for the media. Jake has been featured in a variety of national media outlets, from USA Today and the New York Times to appearances on NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s World News Tonight, and The Dr. Oz Show.
As an epidemiologist, Jake considers traffic injuries and deaths an overlooked public health threat to Americans. He applies rigorous research and the sciences of public health to AAA’s public policy development, governmental advocacy and consumer education activities. Jake has developed nationwide advocacy strategies, brokered national partnerships and negotiated strategic alliances to influence consumers and policymakers in an effort to protect those who travel U.S. roads each day.
As the Association’s chief safety expert, Jake regularly works with transportation stakeholder groups, public health practitioners and elected officials at all levels of government. He frequently represents the AAA federation before state policy audiences, Congress and U.S. federal agencies, to persuasively state the case for AAA’s public policy recommendations and evidence-based interventions.
Inducted into the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health, Jake is a Mid-American Public Health Leadership Fellow alumnus and a member of the National Public Health Leadership Society. He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan, completed his graduate studies in public health at the George Washington University, and in public policy at the University of Chicago. While in Chicago, he was named a McCormick Tribune Leadership Fellow. Jake also holds a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University and has completed the Leadership Development Program through Eckerd College and the Center for Creative Leadership- the largest and most respected global program of its kind.
Prior to joining AAA, Jake managed a state-certified health department in the Chicago area where he directed public health education campaigns, a portfolio of governmental grant work, health-focused research and public health policy support for state and local policymakers. He advised on a wide range of issues from HIV prevention and childhood obesity, to the prevention of substance abuse and heart disease.
Though he began his career as a researcher in the medical field, Jake shifted his focus to applying research to policy development, and honed his skills in the real-world application of data and rigorous academic research to protect and improve the public’s health, and to help people reach their full potential.
Colonel Ron Replogle is the National Law Enforcement Initiatives Manager for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Prior to joining MADD as a full-time employee, Ron served on the MADD National Board of Directors. In 2015, he retired from the Missouri State Highway Patrol after 31-years of service, serving the last five years as the Patrol’s superintendent. He and his wife Cindy reside in Southwest Missouri where they enjoy spending time with family and their six grandchildren.
Brian retired from the Washington State Patrol in February 2010 after 30-years of service, the last five years as Assistant Chief. Brian joined the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) in March 2010 as their Director of Law Enforcement. Brian has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and an M.B.A. in Managerial Leadership from City University in Seattle, Washington. Brian has also attended the FBI National Academy and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.
In 2004 Brian received the Washington State Governor’s Distinguished Management Leadership Award; and in October 2016 received the IACP’s J. Stannard Baker Award for Lifetime Achievement in Highway Safety.
