SPEAKERS
Ana Acosta
Trauma Injury Prevention and Education Specialist, University Medical Center of El Paso
Ana Acosta is the Trauma Injury Prevention & Education Specialist and Safe Kids EP Coordinator at UMC El Paso. She received her Master’s Degree in Sociology with an emphasis on injury prevention at UTEP. She has been an active board member of the Drowning Prevention Coalition of EP since 2011.
Breakout Session: Water Safety Outreach in Underserved Borderland Communities
Presentation will be available on Monday, March 29th, on the DAY ONE conference page.
Jesus Alderete
Injury Prevention Coordinator, Children’s Health
Jesus Alderete is the lead coordinator for Know Before You Go (KBYG), a water safety program at Children’s Health in Dallas TX. As the lead, Jesus has been able to implement community programs dedicated to water safety in targeted areas to educate both parents and kid for past years. He also leads the KBYG coalition.
Breakout Session: Distant Supervision: Why the Message Matters
Presentation will be available on Monday, March 29th, on the DAY ONE conference page.
Cristina Alvarado
Director of Swim Lessons, Rose Bowl Aquatic Center
Cristina was born and raised in Los Angeles. From an early age, she had an unbridled passion for all things water. She has a background in animal husbandry/training and graduated from CSULA with a B.A. in Psychology. For the past 14 years, Cristina has worked at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center, and is now the director of swim lessons. Her water safety advocacy not only helps children gain the swimming skills they need to stay safe but also ensures that every child has the opportunity to learn how to swim. She was recently recognized by the Positive Coaching Alliance as a National Double-Goal Coach Award winner.
Breakout Session: Distant Supervision: Why the Message Matters
Presentation will be available on Monday, March 29th, on the DAY ONE conference page.
Steve Barrow
Program Director, California Coalition for Children’s Safety and Health
Steve Barrow has 30+ years experience working on public policy involving children’s safety and health and consumer safety. He is one of the founders of several statewide policy coalitions in CA, including the CA Coalition for Children’s Safety and Health and CA Immunization Coalition. He served as a state Emergency Medical Services Commissioner for Governor Brown, and has been a Director of Governmental Affairs for the Children’s Advocacy Institute housed at the University of San Diego School of Law, teaching advocacy to laypersons all around CA. He was one of lead legislative advocates behind CA’s Pool Safety Act, Bicycle Helmet law, Playground Safety Act, and other children and health legislation and regulations.
Breakout Session: TBD
Presentation date TBD.
David Benjamin
Executive Director, Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project
GLSRP Executive Director of Operations, Education, Public Relations and Project Management. Dave’s nonfatal drowning incident was his inspiration to co-found and lead the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project. He is a project manager, public relations specialist, and technical writer with degrees from Eastern Illinois University in English, Professional Writing, Creative Writing, and Business Administration. He is also a Great Lakes surfer.
Breakout Session: The Fallacy of Swim at Your Own Risk
Presentation will be available on Thursday, April 1st, on the DAY FOUR conference page.
Jennifer Bennett
RN, BSN, Swim Safe Forever INC & Parents Preventing Childhood Drowning
Jennifer (Jenny) Bennett is an Emergency Room Registered Nurse in a suburb of Houston, TX. She is a mother of 4 children, including a son who fatality drowned in 2016. Since then, Jenny has become an advocate of drowning prevention and is involved in many campaigns to end childhood drownings.
Breakout Session: “Water Baby” Culture and How it Increases with Toddler Drownings
Presentation will be available on Thursday, April 1st, on the DAY FOUR conference page.
Linda Bolger
Program Developer of the FAST (Floatation Aided Swim Training) Program, FastSwimProgram.com
Linda is a retired Health and Physical educator from New Jersey. A move to Florida created urgency to improve the available WSI programs by developing the FAST swim program. Approval was granted by the FL and NJ Boards of Health. In NJ, approval was also granted by the State Department of Education Advisory Counsel.
Breakout Session: Survival Techniques: Are the Risks vs. Benefits Valid
Presentation will be available on Tuesday, March 30th, on the DAY TWO conference page.
Breakout Session: How to Implement AAP Water Safety Guidelines FAST
Presentation will be available on Wednesday, March 31st, on the DAY THREE conference page.
Ron Bregman
Lieutenant, Hanauma Bay Marine Preserve
Ron is currently a supervisor for the City and County of Honolulu – Ocean Safety and Lifeguard Services Division, at Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. He has over 30 years of lifeguarding experience and open ocean-related activity in the Hawaiian Islands, with intimate knowledge of the challenges facing water safety officials and government agencies in monitoring over one million residents and nearly 10 million annual visitors in one of the most hazardous ocean environments in the world.
Breakout Session: Lessons Learned from Lifeguarding in the Hawaiian Islands
Presentation will be available on Thursday, April 1st, on the DAY FOUR conference page.
Mike Brisson
Family Medicine/EMS Physician, South Baldwin Regional Medical Center
Mike Brisson is a Family Medicine and EMS physician from Orange Beach, AL. He has extensive experience in pre-hospital and wilderness emergency care, to include drowning prevention and resuscitation. Mike practices within six miles of the world’s most famous beaches, and he incorporates water safety into every patient encounter.
Breakout Session: Drowning Stops With Docs
Presentation will be available on Monday, March 29th, on the DAY ONE conference page.
Kate Connell
Program Supervisor, City of Iowa City
Kate Connell is an Aquatics Program Supervisor in Iowa. She has worked in the aquatics field for 15+ years sharing her passion for safety and leadership through staff management, development, and training. Kate is an advocate for equity in recreational water use and has assisted in providing free and reduced swimming lessons, safety education, and accessible pool events to the diverse Iowa community where she lives. Kate leads trainings and conscious conversation on Equitable Aquatics, demystifying staff training, and humanness through leadership. Kate also has experience in private recreation as a small business owner and yoga teacher. Through The Art of Teaching Private Yoga, she has coached thousands of yoga business owners all over the world and published a guidebook under the same name. She spends her recreational time with her husband, Matt, and son, Anderson.
Breakout Session: Equitable Aquatics: The 3 P’s of Inclusive Aquatics
Presentation will be available on Monday, March 29th, on the DAY ONE conference page.
Melon Dash
Founder, Miracle Swimming School for Adults, LLC
Melon Dash founded Miracle Swimming School for Adults in 1983 and has taught 5000 adults with her universal paradigm that works for all fear. She authored Conquer Your Fear of Water in 2006 and an instructor training program in 2004.
Breakout Session: Learning to Swim is Not Learning Strokes
Presentation will be available on Thursday, April 1st, on the DAY FOUR conference page.
Brianna Davis
Private Swim Instructor, SwimForBri, LLC
Brianna Davis is the owner of SwimForBri LLC, a private swim lesson company that travels to client’s locations for lessons. She has been teaching swim lessons for 12 consecutive years. It started out as a first summer job and grew into her passion. She has studied fear and trauma within participants and has created a swim program that excludes fear but still teaches participants water safety skills in a timely fashion.
Breakout Session: Swim Lessons Without Fear
Presentation will be available on Monday, March 29th, on the DAY ONE conference page.
Zachary Davis
Manager, SwimForBri, LLC
Zachary Davis is formerly a swim instructor and lifeguard with the YMCA. He has worked in production of youth events and co-owns, manages and is the husband to Brianna. He has always wanted to help make the world better and swim lessons is their vehicle to drive the world to be better.
Breakout Session: Swim Lessons Without Fear
Presentation will be available on Monday, March 29th, on the DAY ONE conference page.
Paula DiGrigoli
Executive Director, NCH Safe & Healthy Children’s Coalition
Paula is the Executive Director of the NCH Safe & Healthy Children’s Coalition and an NDPA Board Member. She has 20 years experience in public health including drowning prevention. Under Paula’s leadership, the coalition has implemented several drowning prevention initiatives in Naples, Florida. Many of these initiatives have translated into statewide initiatives and best practices. She believes we can do great things as individuals, but only together we can overcome great problems. Board member of NDPA, SW Florida Child Death Review Committee, and WaterSmartFlorida.
Live Workshop: Drowning Prevention Task Force – Strategic Planning, Financial Sustainability and Evaluation
Live Workshop will be Thursday, April 1st, on the DAY FOUR conference page.
Sean Duffy
Area Chair, Ottawa Drowning Prevention Coalition/Lifesaving Society
Sean Duffy is an aquatics and recreation professional and drowning prevention advocate from Ottawa, Canada. Sean is the Area Chair for the Lifesaving Society, Canada’s leading organization responsible for drowning prevention and a partner on the Ottawa Drowning Prevention Coalition. Sean works in a management role for the Student Life sector at the University of Ottawa.
Breakout Session: Preventing Downing in Canada During a Pandemic
Presentation will be available on Thursday, April 1st, on the DAY FOUR conference page.
Craig Dunham
Emergency Medical Services Water Safety Advocate
Craig Dunham is an Emergency Medical Services Educator with 40+ years experience as a healthcare practitioner, educator, author and advocate in the Health Care and Marine Industries. He currently serves as The National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians State Advocacy Coordinator/for the Great State of Michigan, where he is also advocates for The Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, Great Lakes Water Safety Consortium, and RiskWatchSystems.
Breakout Session: Water Safety & Rescue – A Survivors Story
Presentation will be available on Monday, March 29th, on the DAY ONE conference page.
Breakout Session: Cold Water Drowning Prevention – Considerations for the Cold
Presentation will be available on Tuesday, March 30th, on the DAY TWO conference page.
Nat Etrog
Captain (ret.) Water Rescue Team/Commissioner ABFD, Atlantic Beach Rescue Squad/Atlantic Beach Fire District
Nassau County Certified Grade III Ocean Lifeguard for over 50 years. 12 years served as Captain, Water Rescue Team, Atlantic Beach Rescue Squad, 45 years served as Chairman, Parks and Beaches Commission, Village of Atlantic Beach, Commissioner, Atlantic Beach Fire District (elected position), Vice Chairman Nassau County Water Rescue Association.
Breakout Session: Training Standard Operating Guidelines (SOG) for Water Rescue Team
Presentation will be available on Thursday, April 1st, on the DAY FOUR conference page.
Mark Finas
CFO & Founder, LifeguardEye CV Analytics, Inc.
Mark leads the LifeguardEye project, whose main focus is to introduce surveillance cameras and new data processing technologies to improve the monitoring of water bodies and implement new drowning prevention strategies. LifeguardEye CV Analytics conducts extensive research in the field of computer vision and brings together a strong engineering team and expertise in water safety and drowning prevention. The company’s research covers safety in open water, water parks & recreation areas, and public & home pools. Mark has 20 years of experience in establishing and developing businesses including research, marketing and deployment.
Breakout Session: Application of Computer Vision Technology in Pools and Water Parks
Presentation will be available on Wednesday, March 31st, on the DAY THREE conference page.
Doug Forbes
President, Meow Meow Foundation
Doug Forbes is a former marketing executive who advised tech giants in brand initiatives. He will complete a master’s in journalism at Harvard, December 2020. Forbes is President of Meow Meow Foundation, a 501(c)(3) focused on water and camp safety following his 6-year-old daughter Roxie’s preventable drowning at summer camp.
Breakout Session: Your Eyes Could Change Everything
Presentation will be available on Tuesday, March 30th on the DAY TWO conference page.
Cindy Freedman
Founder, Swim Angelfish
Cindy is a recreational therapist and an Occupational therapist. After working for 10 years as a recreational therapist in a variety of settings she pursued a masters degree in OT. Her career as an OT includes specialty training in sensory integration, reflex repatterining and aquatics. She is currently certified as an Autism Specialist by IBCCES. As a swimmer and national champion diver her love of the water combined with her education and work experience created the opportunity for Swim Angelfish to become a reality! “Our mission is to create an aquatic community of trained instructors so that together we can decrease the alarming statistic of drowning being the leading cause of death for children with adaptive swim program needs.”
Breakout Session: Swim Angelfish
Presentation date TBD.
Rowdy Gaines
Olympic Gold Medalist
Often referred to as “Swimming’s Greatest Ambassador”, Ambrose “Rowdy” Gaines is a three-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer. The Winter Haven, Florida, native didn’t start swimming until he was 17, but improved rapidly within two years to earn a swimming scholarship to Auburn University. Gaines had broke 11 world records leading up to 1980 and was favored to dominate his events at the Olympic Games Moscow 1980, but the United States boycotted the Games that year. Despite taking a year-long hiatus from swimming upon thinking his athletic career might be over, Gaines returned to the water in 1981 and made the U.S. team for the Olympic Games Los Angeles 1984. He won an individual gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle and anchored the gold-medal winning teams for the 400 freestyle relay and 400 medley relay. Despite being inflicted with a life-threatening neurological disorder at the age of 31, Gaines made a comeback to his sport and was the oldest swimmer to qualify for the 1996 Olympic Trials at 35. He decided not to compete, but instead became the swimming commentator for NBC. Gaines is a regular television commentator on NBC and NBC Sports for swimming and sporting events, as well as a motivational speaker and a national spokesperson for a number of organizations.
General Session: Rowdy Gaines: An Inspirational Conference Opening
General session will be on Monday, March 29th, at 12:45pm on the DAY ONE conference page.
Natalie Griego, M.D.
Emergency Room Physician, Midwest Water Safety/Logan’s Peace Park
Emergency Room physician – St. Mary’s Medical Center Blue Springs, MO 64014 University of Colorado School of Medicine – Denver, CO – 1996 Southern Colorado Family Medicine Residency – Pueblo, CO – 1996-1999 Personal experience with the loss of a 4 year old son 9/2008 Motto: NEVER LEAVE A CHILD UNATTENDED
Breakout Session: Medical Aspects of Grief
Presentation will be available on Tuesday, March 30th, on the DAY TWO conference page.
Michael Haggard
Attorney, The Haggard Law Firm
Compassionate, empathetic and a fervent advocate for victims of crime, Michael Haggard has dedicated his career to the pursuit of justice on behalf of his clients in the courtroom securing unprecedented awards and as an activist who continuously lobbies for permanent solutions and change through local, statewide and federal legislation. Specializing in pool drowning, negligent security, wrongful death, unsafe premises and products liability, Haggard has established himself as a powerful force in the legal community as the Managing Partner for The Haggard Law Firm.
After spending time as a Public Defender and working with a small personal injury firm before joining The Haggard Law Firm, Haggard was named a partner in 2001, secure in the belief that every case holds equal importance and could mean the opportunity to award a family resolution to a devastating incident.
Ultimately, Haggard hopes to give victims the tools and resources to help rebuild their lives. By convincing a judge or jury to hold those responsible accountable he gives victims and their families a sense of justice and comfort that another family won’t have to go through this same tragedy. Devoted to his clients, Haggard has received numerous awards for his time and dedication earning him recognition as one of the most highly regarded personal injury attorneys in the country. In 2017 he was awarded the Florida Justice Association’s highest honor, the Perry Nichols Award, and was named Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers of America. He has also been honored to receive the Advocate of Justice Award from the National Crime Victims Bar Association received the Lifetime Achievement selection to America’s Top 100 Attorneys®, has been twice named a Most Effective Lawyer by the Daily Business Review, is a member of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers, and is annually recognized as a Florida Trend Legal Elite Lawyer, a Florida Top 100 Super Lawyer, and one of the Best Lawyers in America.
Keynote Session: Advocating for Safer Waters
Keynote session will be on Tuesday, March 30th at 12:30pm on the DAY TWO conference page.
Stacy Hoaglund
President, Autism Society of Florida
Stacey Hoaglund is the president of the Autism Society of Florida, parent of a young man with autism, educational advocate, statewide coordinator of Partners in Policymaking, author and disability consultant. She trains on a wide range of topics related to autism, including water safety, behavior, communication and collaborative processes.
Breakout Session: Drawn to Water: Teaching Kids with Autism
Presentation will be available on Monday, March 29th, on the DAY ONE conference page.
Adam Katchmarchi, Ph. D.
Executive Director, NDPA
Dr. Adam Katchmarchi is an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology, Health, and Sport Sciences at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He also serves as the executive director for the National Drowning Prevention Alliance. He is a licensed teacher, emergency medical technician, and holds over 20 aquatic and safety certifications. He received a National Swimming Pool Foundation Fellowship Award in 2014 and has been recognized twice by Aquatics International as a Power Award recipient, first in 2012 as a “Next Generation Leader in the Field of Aquatics” and again in 2017 as one of the “Most Influential People in the Aquatic Industry.”
