Our
Officers and Directors
Dr. Don Smith, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Michigan State
University, is the chairperson of the board of directors of SMARTER.
He is a leading traffic-safety expert, having authored or co-authored
numerous publications as well as having consulted on or directed numerous traffic-safety research projects. Don is the grandfather (some might say the godfather)
of Michigan’s rider education program. He was selected by the Motorcycle Safety
Foundation to conduct Michigan's first motorcycle instructor training in
1973 and was a consultant to the Foundation in the
development of the first Beginning Rider Course and the initial Motorcycle Rider
Skill Test.
Don served as the motorcycle safety program coordinator at Michigan State
University for many years. He, along with Tom
Hampton, who served as the association's inaugural vice chairperson and was the
first educational consultant for rider education with the Michigan Department of
Education (1979-1997), built Michigan’s rider training programs.
Dan
Petterson, Ed.D., is SMARTER's president and chief executive officer.
Dan
has an extensive background in both public K–12 and motorcyclist-safety
education. In 1990 he earned not only a doctorate in education but also
certification by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) as a chief instructor.
Combining his passion for education with that for motorcycles, he has taught
over 400 experienced motorcyclists training to become MSF RiderCoaches, being
named the 2003 Coach Trainer of the Year, and has taught hundreds more the basic
rider course.
Dan
has also contributed his expertise to the development of several MSF curriculum
components, has presented at state and national motorcycle safety conferences,
and has served as the State of Michigan’s
motorcycle safety coordinator. He is currently involved in numerous
traffic-safety committees. Dan has completed course work from Michigan State
University in motorcycle crash investigation and consults with attorneys and law
enforcement in complicated crashes involving motorcycles.
As
an avid motorcyclist, Dan owns what his spouse describes as “a pole barn full
of bikes,” including an FJR 1300 Yamaha, a 450 KTM EXC, a KTM 620 Duke, a GSXR
750 Suzuki, and an endurance rally prepared KLR 650 Kawasaki. He still owns his
first motorcycle, a 1962 Harley-Davidson. He has also completed many advanced
level motorcycle training courses, including Freddie Spencer’s
High Performance Riding School, the Kevin Schwantz Riding School, both levels of
the Penguin Road Racing School, and all four levels of the California Superbike
School.
Jorge Cerame,
vice
chairperson
of SMARTER, has
been involved in motorcycle-safety instruction for well over ten years. He has
been an instructor and RiderCoach in schools in both California and Michigan.
Jorge is an engineer who works for Dow Chemical Company's Environmental, Health
and Safety Department.
Kim Cloud is the board secretary of SMARTER. Kim is an active RiderCoach with both the publicly funded program
sponsored by Ferris
State
University
and
the Rider's Edge program sponsored by Hot Rod Harley-Davidson of Muskegon.
Kim retired from his elementary school teaching position in 2006 and
is now enjoying more time in his garage. He rides both street and off-road
bikes.
Sean Duperron
is SMARTER's treasurer. Sean is an avid motorcyclist whose early
memories of riding a Briggs and Stratton powered minibike with no brakes, no
engine shut-off switch and a sticking throttle still burn strong, and he has
ridden approximately 100,000 miles over the course of the last 20 years. Sean
joined the AMA at age 16 so he could enter and compete in motocross races, and
he's been a politically active member ever since. Sean has been a RiderCoach
since 1999, and he completed the Harley-Davidson Motor Company Inc. Rider's Edge
Instructor Training Program in 2002 and the Fasttrax Safety School for Street
Riders in 2003.
He graduated with honors from Central Michigan University and
owns a construction business, of which he is general contractor.
Board member Rich
Henrion is a Detroit-area native who has lived most of his adult life in "da UP." Rich holds double master's degrees in education, is a Master Mechanic, a
Motorcycle Safety Foundation RiderCoach (since 1980), RiderCoach Trainer (since
1985), MSF Chief Instructor award winner, long-time Iron Butt member, and
multi-time
guest author for the BMW owners association magazine.
He is also the best person
to ride long distance with, as he never gets lost (GPS expert) and has the skill
and carries the tools he needs to fix any possible breakdown.
Board member Mark
Plant was raised in the Black Hills of South Dakota, where he learned
off-road riding, starting out with a Honda 70 trails bike. He has been a
certified MSF RiderCoach since 1990 and currently works for the Ferris State
University and Grand Rapids Community College Motorcycle Safety Programs.
Additionally, since 1999, Mark has been a Sidecar/Trike instructor, certified by
the Evergreen Safety Council.
He has also coached for the Gold Wing Road Riders
Association, of which he is a life member. Mark currently rides a Honda Gold
Wing 1500-cc touring bike and a Kawasaki 250-cc Ninja.
Mark
works at Progressive
Technologies in the building-maintenance department.
Ever
since board member Scott Shoup got his first dirt bike, at age 6, his
enthusiasm for motorcycling has not subsided. He enjoys all aspects of the sport
and has a background in trail riding, motocross, touring and sport bikes,
including the occasional track and day cruisers. Wanting to share his passion
with others, Scott became and MSF RiderCoach in 2002, and in 2007 he became
Harley-Davidson Rider's Edge certified.
Scott
is a lifelong resident of Mason County, MI. To support his passion, Scott works
as a builder and real estate broker.
Board member Diane
Tammens has off-road, track-day,
and street-riding experience. She has been a certified MSF RiderCoach since 2000 and is a RiderCoach
who thoughtfully and with rigor applies her deep knowledge of how people learn
to her facilitation of rider training courses. Her first bike was a SRX 250 Yamaha (you know the little red-and-white
sport bike with the red seat), and she longs to have it back again.
Diane is retired from a career as a teacher and public school administrator.
