Robert W. Day, MD, PhD, MPH
Board Chair, Founder
President & Director Emeritus of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Dr. Robert Day also serves as a member of the FHCRC Division of Public Health Sciences, Cancer Prevention Research Program and has served as the Scientific Director for the International Consortium for Research on the Health Effects of Radiation. Dr. Day has earned degrees at Harvard College, University of Chicago, and University of California at Berkeley School of Public Health and was named Emeritus Dean and Professor at the University of Washington School of Public Health.
John Gahagan
Vice Chair
John Gahagan is co-chair of SAMA’s Family Action Council. John is an active advocate of safe disposal sites for prescription medications. He speaks locally, statewide and nationally about youth substance abuse and the need for improved awareness and treatment.
Herb Bone
Treasurer
Laurel L Spelman
Secretary
Laurel Spelman earned an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Stanford. Spelman has more than 25 years experience in urban residential and mixed-use real estate development and previously served as Director of residential real estate development for Vulcan Inc. Spelman also served as Housing Developer for the Downtown Emergency Services Center working to expand housing resources for the city’s most disabled and vulnerable homeless, as well as Board Vice President of the Housing Resources Group, a non profit affordable housing developer. She also was a Vice President of Intrawest Corporation and formerly a principal at The Seneca Group.
Steve Burns
Steve Burns is a Captain in the Washington State Patrol, District 2. District 2 is home to metropolitan cities of Seattle, Bellevue, and surrounding communities, which host the majority of major events in the state to include dignitary visits, major sporting venues, and cultural and political events.
Rose Dennis
Rose Dennis earned her B.A. in Business Management at Seattle Pacific University in Executive Management with the JC Penney Company; tenured college professor at Edmonds Community College as Director and Professor, teaching classes in Fashion, Retail, Marketing an Business Management (includes teaching one year in Kobe, Japan); Public Relations and Special Events Director for City Centre and fashion designer Luly Yang; Director of Procurement, Marketing, PR and Operations for the non profit Art’s organization PONCHO. Currently serves on the PONCHO and Pacific Northwest Ballet Board of Trustees. Rose and her husband Frank’s son Matthew, is a cancer (AML) and substance abuse survivor. They support SAMA’s mission, and know first hand that research, treatment and education are greatly needed to prevent drug addiction and abuse among our youth.
Dennis Donovan, Ph. D.
Dr. Dennis Donovan has been the director of the University of Washington Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute since 1993 and has been a UW faculty member since 1981. He has served as Principal Investigator on a number of federally funded grants, including NIAAA’s Project MATCH, the NIAAA COMBINE Study, and the NIDA National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN). Dr. Donovan has published more than 150 articles and chapters in the area of alcoholism and addictive behaviors, has published numerous books. He was selected by the Center on Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) to serve as the Chair of the Consensus Panel developing and publishing the Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) on Relapse Prevention and Recovery Management.
Norman Johnson
Norman Johnson is Executive Director of Therapeutic Health Services (THS), a non-profit chemical dependency and mental health agency located in Seattle.
Aurie Hollingsworth “Holly” Miller
Holly Miller is the Director of the City of Seattle Office for Education.
Jim Mitre
Jim Mitre teaches at Seattle Pacific University in the School of Health Sciences. He is board-certified as a Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse through the American Nurses Credentialing Center and has practiced for over 25 years on Seattle Children’s Hospital’s Inpatient Psychiatry Unit. His work on the SCH IPU included caring for teens dealing with mental health and substance use issues. Jim currently serves on the Neighborhood Health Special Interest Group of the King County Nurses Association, whose focus has been on health care and policy issues affecting people who are homeless. He has served as Local Unit Chair for the Washington State Nurses Association and continues to be active in legislative activities in Washington. He is also a member of NAMI Greater Seattle. Jim is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and serves as a Psi Chapter-at-Large Vice President. He is also a member of the Asian American Pacific Islander Nurses Association and serves on the Membership Committee and the By-Laws Committee. At Seattle Pacific University, Jim serves on the School of Health Sciences Academic Student Affairs Committee and is an active member of the Cultural Safety Committee.
Kjell Oswald
Kjell is responsible for business development at Meridan Capital, an investment management boutique and hedge fund. Prior to joining Meridan Capital, Kjell served as Director of Development for Seattle Children’s Hospital, providing strategic leadership for major gift fundraising efforts in the areas of Children’s Cancer, Cardiology, Cardio Thoracic Surgery, Neurosurgery and Bioethics. In addition to his non-profit fundraising, he has also been involved with private equity fundraising and board development for local start-ups. Kjell spent the first part of his professional career as a division 1 rowing coach, most recently for Oregon State University where he lead the team to its highest national ranking in history, for which he received the Pac 10 coach of the year recognition. Kjell is a Seattle native and graduate of Lakeside School and the University of Washington. He serves on the Board of Directors for Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center, as well as the Board of Stewards for Washington Rowing.
Carllene Placide
Carllene Placide is a partner in the Labor & Employment Group. She concentrates her practice on international business, employment law, employment litigation and OSHA/WISHA matters. She also has extensive experience handling immigration matters. Ms. Placide earned her BS at Cornell University and JD at Seattle University School of Law. She was named a “Rising Star” by Washington Law Politics. Ms. Placide is engaged in numerous civic activities including the King County Bar Association Diversity Coalition, Cornell University Alumni Ambassador, King County Superior Court Volunteer Guardian Ad Litem, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project Pro Bono Attorney, Pacific Northwest Ballet Board of Trustees, Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Board of Directors Member & Counsel to the Board.
Donna Rosenberg
Donna Rosenberg is a community volunteer having held fundraising roles with Boys and Girls Club of King County, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, The Humane Society, Woodland Park Zoo, and PONCHO. Ms. Rosenberg currently serves on the board of the USO of Puget Sound Area. Ms. Rosenberg attended the University of Arizona and worked for Schwartz Brothers Restaurants for twenty years in management and operations assistant to John Schwartz.
Andrew J. Saxon, M.D.
Dr. Andrew Saxon is Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington and Director, Addictions Treatment Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System Medical Director, Addiction Psychiatry Residency Program, University of Washington. Preceding his entry into psychiatry, Dr. Saxon completed an internal medicine internship and worked for 4 years as an emergency room physician. Subsequent to his general psychiatry residency at the University of Washington, Dr. Saxon has 23 years of experience as a clinical and research addiction psychiatrist. Dr. Saxon is board certified with added qualifications in addiction psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Dr. Saxon serves as one of five National Clinical Experts on office-based treatment of opioid dependence with buprenorphine for the Physician Clinical Suppport System, a national mentoring network for physicians. Dr. Saxon is also the Medical Director of the SAMHSA funded Physician Clinical Support System for Methadone.
Thomas Todaro
Tom has a Master’s in Economics from Stanford University and is a leader of business development of Biotech and Technology companies in the Seattle area.
