Board Chair

Gareth Hedges, JD

North Carolina
President, Redwoods Group

Gareth Hedges is President of The Redwoods Group. Prior to this position, Gareth has served as Chief Claims Officer, General Counsel, Director of Consulting, and as a Risk Management Specialist focused on Aquatic and Child Safety.

Gareth has presented at the National Drowning Prevention Symposium, Association of Aquatics Professionals Annual Conference, the World Conference on Drowning Prevention, World Aquatic Health Conference, and the American Camp Association National Conference, among others. He was on the CDC’s drowning prevention expert panel in 2011 and sits on the advisory committee for the National Drowning Prevention Alliance. In 2012, Aquatics International named Gareth as one of the “Power 25” leaders in the aquatics community.

Gareth received a BS in Public Policy from Georgia Tech in 2003, and a JD from Albany Law School in 2009. He lives in Durham, North Carolina with his wife, Nicole, and daughter, Eleanor.

Vice Chair

Lyndon Haviland, MPH, DRPH

Connecticut
Domestic and International Public Health Consulting
CUNY School of Public Health, Distinguished Scholar and Chair of the Advisory Council

Lyndon Haviland, MPH, DrPH, is a former member of the Executive Board of APHA and recipient of two of its highest honors, Friend of the Student Assembly and the Director’s Citation. With more than 25 years of experience in domestic and international public health, Dr. Haviland has led various public health campaigns, initiatives, and organizations.

She has advised global leaders, presidents, and agency heads on maternal and child health, access to vaccines, vaccine hesitancy, sexual and reproductive health, tobacco control, and health promotion/disease prevention. She was the Senior Project Leader for the UN Secretary-General’s Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health, an initiative which helped to align all member states of the United Nations around a common strategy for saving more than 16 million lives and raised more than $40 billion in new resources for women and children.

Dr. Haviland has worked in a broad range of professional environments spanning domestic, academic, multinational, and multilateral organizations, including the Earth Echo International, GAVI, UN Women, Policy Wisdom, Rabin Martin, the Aspen Institute, UNAIDS, the United Nations Department of Public Information, the UN Foundation, HRSA/SPNS projects, UNDP, WHO, the International Medical Corps, the American Legacy Foundation, The International Catholic Migration Commission, and the International Organization for Migration. She holds a masters and doctorate degrees in public health, and has completed Advanced Management & Leadership training at the Harvard Business School.

Secretary

Anton J. Gunn, MSW, CDM, CSP

South Carolina
Chief Diversity Officer, The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)

Anton J. Gunn is the Chief Diversity Officer of the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Health Center where he is responsible for oversight and execution of the Medical Center’s diversity initiatives and innovative community health programs. Previously, he served as a senior official in the Obama Administration as the Director of External Affairs at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), where he advised President Barack Obama and Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on public engagement strategies to introduce Main Street to the Affordable Care Act. Anton was also a 2014 Resident Fellow at the Institute of Politics in the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

 

Treasurer

Herb Jansen

Connecticut & South Carolina
Partner and Global Director of Human Capital (retired), Ernst & Young

Herb Jansen retired from Ernst & Young as Partner and Global Director of Human Capital. Prior to Ernst & Young, Herb was a leader at Arthur Andersen for over 20 years, responsible for the Northeast area tax practice and member of the US Tax Leadership Team and Chairman’s Advisory Committee. Jansen is a CPA with an extensive background in executive management, including strategy development and operations management, as well as taxation, compensation, and benefits.

Herb holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a major in accounting from the University of Tennessee. He has served other nonprofit organizations such as Montessori schools and Junior Achievement. He was a Sergeant in the United States Army and is a highly decorated Vietnam veteran. He splits his time between Kiawah Island, South Carolina, and Newtown, Connecticut.

Board Member

Kimberly Archer

Washington, DC
Managing Director, Russell Reynolds Associates
Co-leader, Global Nonprofit Sector, Area Manager Washington, DC

Kimberly Archer of Russell Reynolds Associates works with US-based and international organizations in identifying and assessing top leadership talent. She works closely with Boards on succession planning and CEO recruitment. In addition, she works within organizations to recruit other senior leadership roles and has a functional expertise in external relations including communications and marketing, advocacy/policy, and government affairs, as well as fundraising and business development.

Kimberly has nearly a decade of international search experience and joined Russell Reynolds Associates in 2005. Prior to executive search, Kimberly worked in the nonprofit sector as a Vice President of Strategic Partnerships & Development at one the nation’s largest public health foundations with a focus on tobacco prevention and cessation. Her previous private sector experience is in marketing and communications and working most recently for Avon Products, Inc. with responsibility for the company’s flagship and first retail venture in New York City. Kimberly has also held positions in public relations with Federated Department Stores – Bloomingdale’s, serving as Manager of National Promotions and Special Events.

Kimberly earned her B.A. in psychology from Hofstra University. She has also completed the Executive Education Leadership Program at Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania.

Board Member

Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA

Alabama
Founder and CEO of BayouClinic, Inc.
18th United States Surgeon General

Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA served as the 18th United States Surgeon General and is the Founder and CEO of BayouClinic, Inc. She is currently the NOLA.com/Times Picayune Endowed Chair of Public Health Sciences at Xavier University of Louisiana. Dr. Benjamin specializes in prevention policies and health promotion among individuals as well as large populations, especially concerning obesity, childhood obesity, and children’s health. She has special interest in rural health care, health disparities among socio-economic groups, suicide, violence, and mental health.

From her early days as the Founder of a rural health clinic in Alabama to her leadership role in the worldwide advancement of preventive health, Dr. Regina Benjamin has forged a career that has been recognized by a broad spectrum of organizations and publications. In 1995, she was the first physician under the age of 40 and the first African-American woman to be elected to the American Medical Association Board of Trustees. Other past Board memberships included the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Kaiser Family Foundation Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, Catholic Health Association, and Morehouse School of Medicine.

Dr. Benjamin is a member of the Institute of Medicine and a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. She has been chosen as a Kellogg National Fellow and Rockefeller Next Generation Leader.

In 1998, Dr. Benjamin was the United States recipient of the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights. She received the 2000 National Caring Award, which was inspired by Mother Teresa and was recognized with the Papal honor Pro Ecclesia et Ponticifice from Pope Benedict XVI. In 2008, she was honored with a MacArthur Genius Award Fellowship. In 2011, Dr. Benjamin became the recipient of the Chairman’s Award at the 42nd NAACP Image Awards.

In May 2013, Reader’s Digest, ranked her #22 of the “100 Most Trusted People in America.”

Benjamin has a B.S. in chemistry from Xavier University, New Orleans, attended Morehouse School of Medicine, earned an MD degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and an MBA from Tulane University. She is the recipient of 23 honorary degrees.

Board Member

Rochel Leah Bernstein

Los Angeles, CA
Founder & Executive Director, Child Safety Pledge

Rochel Leah Bernstein is the founder and executive director of Child Safety Pledge, an organization committed to prevent and combat child sexual abuse in the United States. A parent, mother of four and survivor herself, she has worked for the past eight years with youth-serving organizations, funders and parents to ensure strong policies and best practices to prevent, detect, and respond to child sexual abuse.

Together with her team she is focused on collaborating with purpose-driven companies, foundations and empowering a national grassroots movement dedicated on keeping all children safe from sexual abuse in YSOs and physical environments. She has a passion for philanthropy, travel and street art.

 

Board Member

Ricardo DeLeon, MBA

Newport, KY
Chief Operating Officer, The Hispanic Scholarship Fund

Ricardo retired from The Procter & Gamble Company in 2016, after 25 years in financial roles, and specializing in Supply Chain and Mergers and Acquisitions.  Post-retirement, Ricardo served as VP/Corporate Controller for the Duracell Company and Chief Operating Officer for The Hispanic Scholarship Fund.

Ricardo holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Princeton University and an MBA from Washington University, St. Louis.  He has served on other nonprofit organizations including Catholic Charities of Southwest Ohio, National Society of Hispanic MBA’s, Princeton University’s Alumni Council, and Su Casa Hispanic Center – Cincinnati.  Ricardo resides in Newport, KY.

 

Board Member

Patricia Dailey Lewis, Esq.

Delaware
Executive Director, Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children

Patricia Dailey Lewis, Esq. is the Executive Director of The Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children. Prior to this position, Mrs. Lewis served as Deputy Attorney General and Director of the Family Division of the Delaware Department of Justice (DDOJ). Mrs. Lewis has worked in the field of family and child advocacy and protection since 1985, when she joined the Delaware Department of Justice. Prior to being the Division Director, she was the Statewide Leader for the Families at Risk Unit of the Delaware Department of Justice. An impassioned advocate for children, she has served as a commissioner on the Child Protection Accountability Commission, the Child Death, Near Death, and Stillbirth Commission, the Governor’s Steering Committee for the Protection of Children, the Victims Advisory Council, and more. Since 1989, Dailey Lewis has served as an Adjunct Professor at Delaware Law School. Mrs. Lewis is an authorized and active Facilitator of Darkness to Light’s Stewards of Children® child sexual abuse prevention program.

Mrs. Lewis resides in Wilmington, DE, and is married to Lawrence W. Lewis, Esquire. They have one daughter.

Board Member

Andrea Harner

California
Children’s Advocate & Philanthropist

Andrea Harner is a passionate children’s advocate. She is a Forensic Interview Specialist at the Children’s Advocacy Center in Covina, CA where she utilizes the Ten Step Forensic Interview Protocol developed by Thomas D. Lyons at USC to interview children who are suspected to have been victims of abuse. In this role, she works with law enforcement, social workers, prosecutors, and medical professionals to protect children. Previously she worked as a Senior Strategic Adviser for Darkness to Light, focusing on fundraising and social behavior and change communication initiatives. She also recently co-executive produced the documentary series Lorena, which has re-ignited the national dialogue on domestic violence. She is an Authorized Facilitator for the organization’s child sexual abuse prevention training program Stewards of Children® and holds regular trainings to teach parents, organizations, and concerned adults best practices for protecting children. Harner received her Master’s Degree in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College in New York City. For her externship, she worked as a Clinical Forensic Specialist at the Safe Horizon Staten Island Child Advocacy Center where she provided counseling to children who had been abused and to their non-offending caregivers. She took a break from direct service work to raise her twin boys – during which time she discovered her love for interior design and worked as an Interior Designer for Homepolish for a few years. She lives in Los Angeles near her beloved Griffith Park where she enjoys hiking with her husband Jonah Peretti and their 10-year-old twin boys and one-year-old twin girls (mini Goldendoodles).

Board Member

Cathy Huber

Washington
Children’s Advocate and Philanthropist

Cathy Huber comes to Darkness to Light with a goal of working to expand child sexual abuse prevention education and awareness efforts in the Pacific-Northwest. A devoted children’s advocate, Huber embodies the grassroots activism responsible for much of Darkness to Light’s growth to date. She and her husband, George Huber, President and Founder of Equity Investment Group, Inc., have served on a variety of charitable organizations and are known throughout the Midwest and Washington State for their philanthropic work.

Cathy’s passion for children’s causes and hands-on experience as a mother gives her valuable perspective.

 

Board Member

Robert Hoffman

Texas
Partner, DLA Piper

Robert Hoffman is a Partner at DLA Piper of Dallas TX. Rob represents clients across the United States in all aspects of complex litigation, including contract breach, fraud, malpractice, construction, insurance coverage, bad faith claims, and class action suits. Rob looks at each case as a collection of puzzle pieces, with the fervent confidence that there is always a way for the pieces to successfully come together in his clients’ favor. The proof: Rob has won virtually every case he’s handled over the last decade, whether by a favorable jury verdict, dispositive motion, or settlement for a few pennies on the dollar.

For the last 12 years, Mr. Hoffman has been the General Counsel of The General Counsel Forum, an association consisting of approximately 700 general counsel and managing counsel. He is a member of the forum’s National and Texas Boards, as well as their Executive Committees.

From 2013 through the present, Rob has been acknowledged by The Best Lawyers in America in the area of Commercial Litigation. He was also recognized as one of the Top 15 Corporate Defenders in the Dallas/Fort Worth area by the Dallas Business Journal one of The Best Lawyers in Dallas by D Magazine. His talent as a commercial litigator has earned Rob recognition in Texas Super Lawyers each year since its inception in 2003, and has earned him recognition in Super Lawyers in the separate Corporate Counsel edition.

Board Member

Sebastian Steadman

Washington, DC
Strategy and Technology Consultant, Booz Allen Hamilton

Sebastian is a Strategy and Technology Consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton. He is recognized for expertise in change management, strategic planning, process improvement, and strategic communications. During the last 6 years, he has engaged senior executives at the Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) Systems Center to provide consulting expertise for SPAWAR’s adoption of a new organizational structure.

Sebastian completed his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from the College of Charleston and Master’s in Business Administration from the Citadel Graduate College. He has completed several nationally recognized training certifications in Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) Foundations, Six Sigma process improvement methodology, and Software Configuration Management.

Sebastian has been recognized for his contributions to the Charleston community as one of Charleston Regional Business Journal’s “Forty Under 40.” He co-founded Possibilities Without Borders, a charity supporting numerous university service learning projects to Africa. He is a speaker coach for TEDxCharleston. He also severs as a mentor with the College of Charleston School of Business MBA Mentor Association and The Citadel School of Business Mentor Association.

Board Member

Jamie Tozzi

South Carolina
Professional Coach & Speaker

Jamie Tozzi is a professional coach and speaker passionate about helping executives develop the transformational leadership and communications skills critical to achieving results in today’s complex business climate. Jamie is a former technology executive with a 24-year track record of delivering exceptional results. During her 20- year tenure at Microsoft Corporation, Jamie was known as a Transformation and Growth Leader, developing multiple incubation businesses into mature growth businesses for the company. She is a multi-disciplinary leader having held senior positions in sales, marketing, and partner channel fields. Jamie is passionate about focusing on the success of people – employees, customers, and partners—as the secret weapon in generating breakthrough results.  Prior to joining Microsoft, Jamie held positions in both Audit and Business Applications Consulting practices at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Tozzi holds a Bachelor of Science with a double major in Marketing and Communications from Boston College.

Tozzi is a mother to three boys and an active community member in Charleston, SC. She and her husband, Jeff, share a deep passion for helping children thrive and realize their full potential. They have established academic and sports scholarships for children in the local community and donate their time to sports and career coaching for high school and college-age students.

Advisory Board

Advisory Board Member

Viola Vaughan-Eden, PHD, MJ, LCSW

Virginia
Associate Professor and PhD Program Director, Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social Work, Norfolk State University
President, National Partnership to End Interpersonal Violence
President Emerita, American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children

Viola Vaughan-Eden is Associate Professor and PhD Program Director with The Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social Work at Norfolk State University in Southeastern Virginia. As a clinical and forensic social worker, Dr. Vaughan-Eden serves as a consultant and expert witness in child maltreatment cases – principally sexual abuse. Throughout her career, she has conducted more than 2000 child abuse evaluations and provided expert testimony more than 500 times. She lectures nationally and internationally on child and family welfare to multidisciplinary groups of professionals. She has been an invited panelist on two Congressional Briefings – Spare the Rod, Protect the Child: A Reconsideration of Corporal Punishment of Children in Homes and Schools (November 2015) and Protecting Child Safety in Family Court (September 2016).

Dr. Vaughan-Eden is President Emerita of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC), President of the National Partnership to End Interpersonal Violence (NPEIV), and President of the National Organization of Forensic Social Work (NOFSW). She also serves as Editorial Advisor for the Journal of Social Work Education and on the editorial board of numerous other national research journals, including the Journal of Child Sexual Abuse.

Dr. Vaughan-Eden is the recipient of several honors, including the 2012 NASW-Virginia Chapter Lifetime Achievement Award. See www.violavaughaneden.com.