Mental Health and Impaired Driving Working Group

Erin Inman has dedicated her career to public service, with a focus on educating criminal justice professionals about the dangers of impaired driving and their critical role in reducing injuries and fatalities on America’s roadways. She currently serves as the Director of the National Traffic Law Center (NTLC) at the National District Attorneys Association (NDAA), where she leads a team in developing training programs and resources to support Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutors (TSRPs) and prosecutors nationwide.   

Dr. Nelson’s work covers many facets of addiction, including the relationship between psychiatric comorbidity and DUI offense, how best to develop community recovery environments for youth with substance use problems, and the distribution and determinants of gambling and gambling problems. Dr. Nelson’s DUI work began with her collaboration on an NIH R01 grant to study substance abuse and mental health in repeat DUI offenders. Analyses of this sample demonstrated considerable psychiatric comorbidity and a relationship between that comorbidity and DUI re-offense. Based on this work, Dr. Nelson has been the PI on a multi-year set of projects focused on applying that research to clinical practice. Through these projects, she has led the development and implementation of a mental health assessment system (the Computerized Assessment and Referral System: CARS) at DUI programs across the state of Massachusetts, a randomized clinical trial of CARS at two of those agencies, and a six-month follow-up with more than 300 DUI offenders enrolled in the study. In 2017, she led the expansion of CARS activities to include six national pilot sites who used the program with their DUI clients. CARS was released publicly in June 2017 at www.carstrainingcenter.org. Since then, Dr. Nelson has led the creation of adaptations of CARS that have included diagnostic updates, a Spanish version of the CARS screener, and a version of CARS that can be used in more general behavioral health settings.   

Julie Seitz LGSW, MSW, LADC is a Project Director with Impaired Driving Solutions (IDS), All Rise (formerly NADCP) division, providing training and technical assistance to the treatment court field. Julie joined IDS in 2018, bringing over 20 years of experience in the clinical sector and community program development.  Before joining IDS, Julie was the clinical director of an internationally recognized treatment center offering the entire continuum of clinical care, including a first-of-its-kind direct access opioid withdrawal unit, where she was the project lead. Identifying the barriers to accessing treatment, Julie worked collaboratively as an advocate for systems change while ensuring clients’ voices and choices were honored. Recognizing the many pathways to recovery and the need for additional recovery services, she worked with a small team to develop and launch a recovery community organization serving rural communities in northern Minnesota. Julie spent ten years as the treatment provider with the Minnesota Sixth Judicial District DWI and Mental Health courts, which are recognized for their excellence at state and national levels.  As a published author and clinician, she has spent the last 25 years of her career giving clients a voice. Her work with clients has focused on feedback-informed, research, and outcome-driven practice. As a fierce advocate for education and growing the field, she is also an adjunct professor at the College of St. Scholastica in the Master of Social Work program. Julie has trained at the local, national, and international levels. Julie lives in northern Minnesota with her family and is an avid knitter. 

Dr. Scott Silverii serves as MADD’s National Law Enforcement Initiative Manager, bringing over 35 years of law enforcement experience to the organization’s mission to eliminate impaired driving. His career spans tactical operations, executive leadership, and policy advocacy, uniquely positioning him to bridge enforcement practices with victim-centered prevention strategies .  

In his current role at MADD, Dr. Silverii pioneers strategies engaging law enforcement agencies nationwide, advocates for evidence-based impaired driving policy, manages federal grant programs supporting enforcement initiatives, and provides specialized training on DUI enforcement and victim support. His work focuses on establishing thought leadership in traffic safety policy while maintaining the tactical credibility essential to effective law enforcement partnerships

Officer Thomas has been a Police Officer for the past 28 years, focusing on impaired driving, serious injury, and fatal collision investigations. A Washington State Drug Recognition Expert for 25 years, Officer Thomas has worked with individuals who have struggled with Substance Use Disorder, and in the Spokane Municipal DUI Therapeutic and Accountability Court. He is currently a DUI Officer, Drug Recognition Expert and Motor Officer assigned to the Spokane Police Department Traffic Unit. In addition, he is a D.R.E. Region-4 coordinator, D.R.E. instructor, and currently holds a position on the Washington State Traffic Safety Commissions D.R.E. Advisory Board.