2016 SMSA Election Nominees

Sunshine Beer – Chairperson Nominee

Sunshine Beer is the Director of the Idaho STAR Motorcycle Safety Program. She has been involved in motorcycle safety and rider education since 2003 as an instructor, mentor instructor, instructor trainer, and program administrator. Sunshine served as the STAR Program’s Training Manager from 2008 to January of 2015 before being promoted to the program’s director. Sunshine is an active member of Idaho’s State Highway Safety Plan Motorcycle Safety Partners focus group and recently accepted an invitation to serve on the Idaho Traffic Safety Commission.

Sunshine has been a voting member of the SMSA for several years and served on the SMSA’s Executive Committee (EC) for two years as the Western Region Representative and EC Secretary. During her term on the EC, she played an active role in driving many positive changes within the organization, including negotiating the hiring of Highway Safety Services, LLC and Brett Robinson to manage to the SMSA. Additionally, Sunshine led the Bylaws Committee that drafted the current version of bylaws which allow greater inclusivity and a voice for supporting and individual members.

Sunshine is the co-author of several of STAR’s eight courses and can also be credited with helping Idaho STAR to become one of only two basic rider training programs to be formally evaluated and recognized by the SMSA as meeting the NHTSA Model National Standards for Entry-level Motorcycle Rider Training. Sunshine has also created and delivered leadership and professional development workshops and training seminars for a wide range of audiences both at the local and national levels.

Sunshine’s goals are to lead others to knowledge, encourage thought and action, inspire excellence, and change the world and save lives, one motorcycle rider at a time. Her background as an instructor, trainer, program administrator, and former EC member gives her the broad perspective on motorcycle safety and the comprehensive skill set of a leader and expert in the industry.

Paul Graves – Eastern Region Representative Nominee

Paul has been riding motorcycles since graduating high school in 1975. In 1992 he became an MSF certified Instructor/RiderCoach. Paul worked as an instructor for the Vermont DMV Rider Education Program on a part-time basis until becoming the Program Coordinator in 2002. Also in 2002, Paul became Vermont's first MSF certified RiderCoach Trainer.

Paul has been involved with SMSA since the mid 1990’s. Currently he is serving on the Policy and Planning, Bylaw and Executive Committees.

Paul spends much of his free time during the summer riding motorcycles and camping with his wife Cathie. Paul currently rides a 2015 Honda Goldwing and a 1992 Honda Nighthawk 750.

Chuck Stiteler – Central Region Representative Nominee

Chuck Stiteler has 35 years in marketing, sales, brand management, budgeting, corporate innovation training, performance standards and contract negotiation. Chuck has 27 years as motorcycle instructor and 8 years as Lead Trainer in Ohio. In addition to training, he has provided program structure analysis and deployment analysis and ROI of various initiatives.

Chuck is in his third year as state coordinator for Ohio. His focus is on building trade alliances, instructor recruitment, budget analysis, grant writing, system structure, accident analysis, and new curricula design and implementation. Chuck is currently serving as SMSA - Member at Large – Central Region and also as an SMSA Executive Committee Liaison on the SMSA Motorcycle Safety Programs Committee.

Education: B.S. Marketing, Franklin University, Columbus, Ohio 1985, B.S. Business, Franklin University, Columbus, Ohio 1985, Master Leadership Development, Organizational Structure and Design, Human Resource Development, Xavier University Cincinnati, Ohio 2008.

Larry Starkey – Western Region Representative Nominee

Larry Starkey is the California Motorcyclist Safety Program’s statewide Coordinator and a Sergeant with the California Highway Patrol. Larry has served as a Highway Patrolman since 2002 and has previously worked in the Monterey are as a CHP Motorcycle Officer from 2003-2010, during which time he rode approximately 300,000 collision-free enforcement miles. During this time, Larry also rode as a Protective Services Detail Motor Officer providing motorcade services to foreign and national dignitaries, including presidents and multiple motorcades for the Reagan funeral in southern California.

In 2010, Larry was assigned to the California Highway Patrol Academy as an instructor. In 2011, Larry worked as an Academy motorcycle instructor and Demonstration rider for the Academy’s Motorcycle Enforcement Training Program and the Certified Motorcycle Training Office Program where he trained new motorcycle officers and sergeants in the safe and proficient operation of enforcement motorcycles.

Larry is the co-lead on the Strategic Highway Safety Plan’s Motorcycle Challenge Area.

Larry has been a motorcyclist most of his life, beginning with dirt bikes as a child and became licensed in the state of California at the age of 16 when he began riding his street bike to high school.

Larry served honorably on active duty with the United States Coast Guard from 1992-1996 and is currently an active member of the American Legion and a Life Member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.Larry has worked as a reserve firefighter where he obtained the rank of Fire Captain, prior to joining the California Highway Patrol.

Larry has a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science.

Jay Jackson – Individual Members’ Representative Nominee

In the spring of 1986, Jay became a motorcycle safety instructor and his future in rider education started in earnest. Over the next 10 years, he served as a site coordinator/administrator and became a motorcycle license examiner. In 1996, he was asked by ABATE of Indiana to become the State Director of their Motorcycle Safety Division (a title he holds to this date). Jay left a lucrative and prestigious position as administrator for a large medical practice, originally thinking that it would be a two to three year sabbatical. 20 years later, he's still there.

Under his direction, the program quickly expanded and more than doubled the number of sites, ranges and riders trained. With about 7,000 students enrolled annually, this was larger than a number of state programs.

Jay became certified as a Chief Instructor by the MSF in 2000 and has conducted and assisted in numerous training courses in several states. He also served on the Advisory Committee for the Indiana Motorcycle Operator Safety Education Program for many years.

Jay has attended countless regional, national, and international meetings and conferences related to motorcycling and motorcycle safety. He has developed an extensive network of friends that are motorcycle safety professionals. He maintains regular contact with program coordinators from several states, motorcycle safety instructors/rider coaches nationwide, numerous governmental agencies, the motorcycle industry and countless motorcycle groups, clubs and organizations (and of course, individual riders).

Jay's professional background, years of experiences in rider education, and most importantly his broad social network, make him ideally suited to serve as the Individual Member's Designated Representative on the SMSA Executive Committee.

Michele O’Leary – Individual Members’ Representative Nominee

Michele O’Leary began her career in Motorcycle Safety in 2004 by coordinating the Motorcycle Driver Licensing Program for Oregon DMV. Michele then moved on to be the Motorcycle Safety Program Manager at Oregon’s Transportation Safety Division. Retired for a year now, she has 10+ years in motorcycle safety policy and planning. For two years she chaired the SMSA Policy and Planning Committee. Michele has also participated in Motorcycle Safety Technical Assessments as a team member and as a recipient. One of her proudest accomplishments was having her student project thesis on unendorsed motorcyclists used as a basis for a change in Oregon law. Michele brings experience and perspective as a State Member and now as an Individual Member, recently involved in her local Vision Zero traffic safety efforts. Michele hopes to have the opportunity to represent individual members on the SMSA Executive Committee. She thanks you for your support!