The following are brief biographical sketches of former officers and directors of the Skilled Motorcyclist Association—Responsible, Trained and Educated Riders, Inc. The information presented here is accurate as of the time of each individual’s service on the board.

Jan. 2011–Jan. 2015: A founding member of SMARTER, 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, from 1999 to 2011, Mark was 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.

Aug. 2007–Jan. 2012: Jorge Cerame, a founding member, then vice-chairperson upon the resignation of Tom Hampton, and then a director after reorganization, has been involved in motorcycle rider safety instruction for 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.

Feb. 2007–Jan. 2011: Kim Cloud served as  the board secretary of SMARTER. Kim is an active RiderCoach with both the publicly funded program sponsored by Ferris State University and the Riders 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.

Feb. 2007–Jan. 2011: Board member Diane Tammens has off-road, track-day, and street- riding experience. Diane is retired from a career as a teacher and public school administrator. 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.

Feb. 2007–Jan. 2010: Steve Lick is the former director of the Professional Development and Training Institute for Ferris State University and where he served as the administrator of their Motorcycle Safety Program. He has also served as founder and coordinator of the Allegan County Intermediate School Motorcycle Rider Safety Program and the Grand Rapids Community College Motorcycle Rider Safety Programs. Steve has been a RiderCoach/Instructor since 1998, became Riders Edge certified in 2006 and later completed RiderCoach Trainer training. Among the RiderCoaches who have worked for Steve, he has a reputation as the boss from heaven. Steve expects and demands excellence, but is the kind of person who knows that you get what you model and support. He is a RiderCoach who can demonstrate what he expects. When it comes to RiderCourse curriculum-aligned creative tools, Steve is a leader.

Feb. 2007–Jan. 2009: Linda Thompson served as the first treasurer of SMARTER and played a vital role in SMARTer’s incorporation.  Linda is a dynamic RiderCoach known for her outstanding positive support for struggling new riders. As a RiderCoach, she worked for several northern Michigan public sponsors and was actively involved in Harley-Davidson’s Riders Edge program as both a RiderCoach and a Quality Improvement Specialist. She is a retired elementary school teacher who holds a master’s degree specializing in teaching children to read.

Feb. 2007–Jan. 2008: Former board member Jon Twork’s entire professional career was in the motorcycle industry, first with Suzuki and then Yamaha. Now a dedicated RV’er, Jon resigned from the board when his term expired. Jon was formerly a rider training instructor/coach and a long-time coordinator of rider education in northwest Michigan. He began his involvement in rider training with the formal start of Michigan’s statewide program in 1984, led the Central Michigan University rider-education program when it was recognized as an Outstanding Regional Program in 1988, and continued his active involvement in rider education until his retirement in 2000. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation recognized Jon’s career-long contributions to rider safety by awarding him a special Outstanding Motorcycle Safety Promotion award.

Feb. 2007–Aug. 2007: Tom Hampton served as SMARTER’s inaugural vice chairperson. If Dr. Don Smith is the grandfather of Michigan’s rider-education program, Tom is certainly the father. He led Michigan’s rider-education program as the first Educational Consultant for Rider Education with the Michigan Department of Education and served from May 1979 through his retirement in May 1997. Tom is the architect of Michigan’s Rider Education Program.

Sean Duperron served on the SMARTER board from January 2009 to January 2020 always in the role of treasurer.  He considered himself the conservative board member leaning toward supporting all-rider helmet laws for the financial savings to society while also not being a supporter of unneeded government regulation.

In 2017 he become a leader in the plans to expand Michigan’s off-road riding trails in Benzie County, his home area.  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. The AMA recognized him as a life member in 2012.

Sean became a MSF RiderCoach in 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. Sean and his wife live in northern Michigan and in January 2011 became the proud parents of their daughter, Nicolette.

He remains an active SMARTER member.

Jason Bradford served as a director on the SMARTER Board from January 2015 through January of 2021. Jason is a lifelong resident of the Grand Rapids, MI area having served in law enforcement for the Grand Rapids Police Department from 1995- 2013.

In 2009 he achieved certification with MSF as a RiderCoach. Besides the teaching duties, Jason has assisted with various tasks, such as course preparation and curriculum development. Jason taught with the Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) program has served as the program manager of Fox Powersports Riding Academy.

 

Don Smith, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Michigan State University, was the chair of the board of directors of SMARTER from its inception until January 2013 and continued as an active board member until his death in November, 2021.

He was 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 was 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 motorcyclist-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 motorcyclist safety program coordinator at Michigan State University for many years.  He was the recipient of MDTSEA’s Silvernale Award in 1976 for his work at MSU’s Highway Traffic Center. Don and Tom Hampton, who served as the SMARTER’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.

Scott Shoup joined the SMARTER board in 2010 and served as secretary of the board through 2021. Wanting to share his passion with others, Scott became an MSF RiderCoach in 2002, and in 2007 he became Harley-Davidson Rider’s Edge certified. Scott is a Lead/Chase rider for Yamaha Event Demos and has participated in the “New to 2” initiative across the country to attract new riders to the sport.

To support his passion, he works as an insurance underwriter. As a member of the Scottville (MI) Optimist Club, he was selected the club’s 2012 Member of the Year, was formerly vice-president of the organization, and was its 2013–14 president.