Jean Rickerson- Founder and Editor SportsConcussions.org
Jean is the CEO and founder of Sports Concussions.org, a non-profit concussion education organization with representatives in seven states across the country. Previously, she worked as a Senior Project Manager at ManTech International, a defense contractor. There she ran the communications department and produced video programs on submarine acoustics for twelve years. She earned a B.S. in Human Ecology from the Univ. of Maryland and received her concussion education from physicians at Harvard Univ., Univ. of Washington, and the Boston University School of Medicine. She is a member of the Children's National Medical Center's Emergency Medical Services for Children committee at the state and national levels, the Washington state TBI committee, and the Mental Health Association of New York City's TBI Alliance. Jean is listed in Who's Who in America and Who's Who of American Women. In Nov. 2011 she received the American Red Cross 'Real Hero' award for her work raising concussion awareness. She has been quoted in the New York Times, TheWashington Post, USA Today, ESPN Radio and other media. Jean's teenage son suffered a concussion in 2008. His recovery took four months.

Chris Franklin M.Ed., ATC, AT/L- Program Manager

Chris was featured in the Japanese Broadcast Corporation production entitled, "Concussion Management in the United States" in 2012 as the developer of the acclaimed concussion management program at North Kitsap High School in Poulsbo, Washington, where he has worked for almost 20 years. At NKHS Chris is the Director of Athletic Training and Head Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) and Sports Medicine instructor, responsible for six Athletic Training/Sports Medicine classes daily (3 Sports Medicine I classes, 2 Sports Medicine II classes, 1 Sports Medicine III Kinesiology class, and 1 Sports Medicine Practicum class) with an average of 150 students each year. Since 1995, Chris has offered sports medicine/athletic training coverage to over 600 high school student athletes in 20 interscholastic sports.

Chris is also the Chairperson of the Washington State Athletic Trainer (AT) Advisory Committee, where he assisted in the development of the AT licensure state law which was passed in 2008. He received the Gatorade Secondary School Athletic Trainer Award for Excellence in 2010, the Washington State Sports Medicine Instructor of the Year in 2000 and 2007, and was nominated for Washington State Teacher of the Year in 2007. He speaks on the topic of concussions at many venues including annual state athletic association meetings and the Seattle Seahawks High School Mentorship Academy.

Ann Whitley, Ph.D - Program Manager

Dr. Ann Whitley brings the added dimension of sport psychology to our team. Ann has been a collegiate athlete, coach and is currently a post-secondary instructor at the University of Alaska in Anchorage. As an instructor at the University of Alaska she has prepared students over the last 10 years to become coaches, physical therapists and counselors. She has also been employed by the Anchorage School District since 1983. Ann has participated in the Arctic Winter Games and assisted the UAA cheerleading squad. Dr. Whitley is a member of the FBI Citizen Academy, the Anchorage Police Citizen Academy and the NAACP.

Jordan Anderson- Multi-Manager

Jordan is pursuing a degree in computer science with a minor in artificial intelligence. A webmaster with several years of experience, Jordan's passion for all things computer-related have fueled his interest in pursuing a career in cyber-security, protecting organizations and corporations from cyber-criminals. He was elected captain of the Sequim, Washington, FIRST Robotics team that captured 15th place in an international robotics competition in March 2012. He is also working towards certification as a computer repair technician.

Jan Downey- Reporter

Scott Rainey- Metro-DC Representative
Scott Rainey is the volunteer Director for SportsConcussions.org in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Scott became actively involved in concussion advocacy and education in 2010 when his daughter, Sarah, sustained a concussion playing soccer. Scott has supported Sarah’s advocacy work, including testifying before Congress and the Virginia Board of Education. Their advocacy efforts successfully expanded the state’s implementing guidelines for the management of concussions to require that potential cognitive impacts be addressed in Virginia schools. In addition to his work with SportsConcussions.org, Scott is a member of the Fairfax County Public School Concussion Policy Team and a member of an advisory board to Children’s National Medical Center’s Safe Concussion Outcome, Recovery and Education (SCORE) program. Scott actively supports Sarah and his son Jason who both play travel soccer.

Scott is a licensed coach and referee and has also held administrative positions at the state and club level.Professionally, Mr. Rainey is a licensed merchant mariner and attorney and currently serves as a Senior Maritime Policy Advisor to the Committee on the Marine Transportation System (CMTS). Mr. Rainey has been actively involved in national policy issues relating to the Marine Transportation System for over two decades. Prior to joining the CMTS Executive Secretariat, Mr. Rainey represented state pilots as Deputy Director for the American Pilots’ Association. Mr. Rainey also represented deep-draft public port authorities while employed by the American Association of Port Authorities. Mr. Rainey first moved to Washington, D.C. to serve as counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries.Mr. Rainey is an honors graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Washington School of Law. Mr. Rainey is a member of the Washington State Bar Association and the Maritime Law Association of the United States.

Sarah Rainey - State Representative
Sarah Rainey is a high school student-athlete and a volunteer Representative for SportsConcussions.org in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Sarah is an elite youth soccer player who plays for the nationally-ranked VSA Heat out of Haymarket, Virginia. In 2010, Sarah sustained a concussion playing varsity soccer for her high school during her freshman year. Sarah’s concussion sidelined her for over four months and impacted her cognitive abilities to such an extent that she required temporary academic accommodations. Fortunately, Sarah recovered fully and returned to playing soccer. Sarah’s experience, particularly the challenge dealing with lingering cognitive impairment, and the lessons she learned, motivated her to become an advocate for concussion education.

Sarah, then 14, testified before the Committee on Education and Labor of the U.S. House of Representatives. Sarah also testified before the Virginia Board of Education and successfully argued for the expansion of the Board’s Implementing Guidelines to address the potential cognitive impacts concussions can have on students returning to the classroom. Sarah worked with the CDC to include her story and her message about the cognitive challenges on the CDC’s concussion website. Sarah’s concussion advocacy has been reported on by the New York Times, Washington Post and Richmond Dispatch. Additionally Sarah was one of the featured interviews in an in-depth concussion report by NBC12 TV in Richmond and was also interviewed by NPR. Sarah has been selected as an honoree for her concussion advocacy work by the Mental Health Association of New York City and will be recognized at their Annual Gala in June of 2012. Sarah is a member of the Fairfax County Public Schools Concussion Policy Team and is a student member of the American College of Sports Medicine and the National Athletic Trainers’ Association.

Danny Gadd - videographer

Danny Gadd was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest and has been part of the Seattle video production community for over 30 years. Experience. Depth. Heart. These words and more describe what he brings to his projects. Danny is a videographer, editor and owner of HeartVisions Video Productions and a freelancer for SportsConcussions.org. He has worked at KOMO-TV in Seattle on several shows including weeknight, Live at 4 and Northwest Afternoon.

Danny was also a videographer and senior editor at Victory Studios in Seattle for over 17 years. His work has taken him to Thailand, China, Japan, Tanzania, Canada and all over the United States. National and regional awards include several Emerald City awards, one Gabriel for "Patty’s Story" an Emmy nomination for "India Polio" and a Telly award for "With Love, Heather." Danny has a Bachelor of Science degree in visual communications from Western Washington University.

Jim Russell - Winter Sports Manager

Jim Russell lives in north Idaho near Sandpoint [on the shores of Lake Pend Oreille's Bottle Bay] and is in his 12th season of ski instructing at Schweitzer Mountain Resort. He grew up on NY's Long Island, and didn't learn to ski until his mid-20s while attending the University of Washington in the mid-70s. There he discovered night skiing and took lessons from UW ski club instructors at Ski Acres on Snoqualmie Pass. After leaving active Navy submarine duty in 1980, he returned to the northwest and honed his skiing skills in the variable snow conditions that the Cascades frequently offer before moving to north Idaho in the early '90s. He's currently a certified Level 2 PSIA instructor and teaches skiers of all ages and abilities.

Donna Mello- Rhode Island Representative

After sustaining three concussions in the span of 3 months, Donna Mello realized that what her son Dylan was experiencing could have been prevented if a law had been in place prior to his injuries. This prompted her to contact her local Representative and Senator who in turn, drafted a Bill and presented it to the Rhode Island State House. Both Dylan and Donna testified, among others in support of the legislation. Within months, the Concussion Law was passed and many concussed athletes in Rhode Island have been saved from the long road Dylan has had to endure in his nearly four year recovery. Her efforts have helped many injured athletes find to the proper avenues for treatment. The law also provides the much needed education component to manage an injury from baseline testing to followup procedures.