James Norton - Chairman

James Norton is an Executive with the Fortune 100 Corporation General Dynamics.

As Vice President for General Dynamics C4 Systems, Norton leads the Washington DC Operation for the Defense, Homeland Security and Cyber Community groups which formulate and implement business and communication strategies on behalf of the Corporation.

General Dynamics C4 Systems, the largest business unit of General Dynamics Information Systems technology group, is a leading integrator of secure communication and information systems and technology around the world.

Previously serving as a director of government relations for General Dynamics, Norton understands the complex nature of homeland security issues such as border control, transportation and cyber security. His government-service credentials include senior-level positions at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), from 2003 to 2007, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), from 2001 to 2003.

Immediately prior to his work at General Dynamics, Norton served as a member of former Secretary Michael Chertoff's senior executive staff at DHS. Norton also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for legislative affairs for DHS serving as the Department’s ambassador to the House of Representatives, working on key issues such as the initial rollout of the National Cyber Security Division, Intelligence Reform Act, Katrina Reform Act, and Appropriations Acts for Fiscal Years 2005 through 2008 and the Secure Border Initiative.

During his tenure at the EPA, Norton worked closely with lawmakers and staff in the U.S. Congress, state and local governments and individuals in the private sector to draw attention to key agency initiatives.

Norton is the National Chair of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Infragard National Members Alliance (INMA) Advisory Board.  InfraGard is a public-private partnership of subject matter experts in national security who share information and intelligence to prevent hostile acts against the United States.

As an adjunct professor with Johns Hopkins University Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences in Washington D.C., Norton has been teaching courses relating to Homeland Security and Congress since 2008.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Norton serves on the National Board of Directors for the Curt and Shonda Schilling Melanoma Shade Foundation of America. He is also an advocate for the DC based Calvary Women’s Services; a nonprofit organization that provides housing a support services for homeless women.

Norton received the 2010 Rays of Hope award from the Shade Foundation and was selected as the Salve Regina University Alumni of the year in 2009.

He received a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and master’s degree in management from Salve Regina University in Newport, R.I.

 

Mark J. Robertson - Secretary and General Council

Mark J. Robertson is a founding member of the law firm of Robertson & Anderson, PLLC based in Washington, DC.  He represents clients in an array of government regulatory, enforcement and public policy matters and counsels clients with transactions involving homeland security technology.

Mr. Robertson previously served in several senior positions with the Department of Homeland Security where he provided legal and policy guidance on issues arising throughout the department and was particularly engaged in matters involving the development and procurement of homeland security technology and the protection of critical infrastructure.  During his service with DHS, Mr. Robertson served as Chief of Staff to the General Counsel assisting in managing and overseeing the operations of the 1,500-lawyer Office of the General Counsel. He concurrently served as the Associate General Counsel for Science and Technology, where he provided legal and policy advice concerning the Department's research and development efforts focused on countering chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats, as well as the dangers of infectious disease.  Mr. Robertson also provided legal and policy guidance on issues relating to immigration, customs enforcement, international agreements, CFIUS transactions, transportation security, port and cargo security, labor and employment, public health, incident management, procurement, grants, infrastructure protection, intelligence sharing and investigations. In addition, Mr. Robertson worked closely with counterparts at the White House, Departments of Justice, Energy, State, Treasury, Defense, and Health and Human Services to coordinate counterterrorism, emergency response and federal law enforcement initiatives.

Before his public service, Mr. Robertson practiced corporate and finance law with international law firms based in New York and Washington, DC. He received his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and B.A. from Hampden-Sydney College

 

Fred Van Magness, Jr. - Treasurer

Fred Van Magness is an attorney who has spent his career providing trusted advice and consultation to clients in both the private and public sectors.

After graduating Tufts University and Boston College Law School, Fredbegan his legal career litigating civil cases as an associate at a prestigious Boston law firm. His clients ranged from individuals to regional utility companies to international product manufacturers and insurance companies.

From there, Fred pursued his commitment to public service by serving as Chief of Staff and Senior Legal Counsel for the Minority Leader of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. In this capacity, he provided strategic advice on complicated public policy issues to the Minority Leader and other members of the Republican Caucus and their staff.

Currently, Fred is co-founding Partner at Lyric Consulting, a private consulting firm in Andover, Massachusetts which provides public relations, communications and marketing services to budding entrepreneurs and aspiring political candidates across New England. He is also a licensed attorney-broker affiliated with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Andover, Massachusetts. He also serves as an occasional guest contributor to The Morning Show on the New England Cable News channel, and has been quoted in several other publications.

 

Meredith Warren - Public Relations Chair

Meredith Warren began her career as a newspaper reporter for the Eagle-Tribune in Lawrence, Massachusetts, where she participated in the paper's Pulitzer Prize-winning team for Breaking News in 2003.

A graduate of Boston University's College of Communications and the renowned Boston University Washington Program, Meredith spent several years covering the Merrimack Valley as well as the political beat on Beacon Hill.

After leaving the newspaper, she served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Communications Director for the Minority Leader of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, in which capacity she frequently interacted with members of the news media from across Massachusetts and beyond.

Currently, Meredith is co-founding Partner at Lyric Consulting, a private consulting firm in Andover, Massachusetts which provides public relations, communications and marketing services to budding entrepreneurs and aspiring political candidates across New England.

Meredith is a frequent guest contributor to The Morning Show on the New England Cable News channel. Meredith has also been a featured guest on Sky News, National Public Radio, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Radio, WGBH, and The Geraldo Rivera Radio Show, and she has been quoted in The Boston Globe, The New York Times, The Associated Press and several other publications.

Meredith is also a licensed real estate salesperson affiliated with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Andover, Massachusetts. She also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus.

 

Jacqueline Prince Sims

Jacqueline Sims is a doctoral candidate in Applied Developmental and Educational Psychology at Boston College who brings a survivor’s passion and an educator’s experience to her position on the SHADE National Board. In 2003, after being diagnosed with melanoma at just 15 years old, Jacqueline connected with the SHADE Foundation with the aim of educating other young people about melanoma. In cooperation with the Foundation since then, she has made it her goal to ensure that no child or family need hear the words “You have melanoma” without being properly equipped with the knowledge to prevent it. Together with the foundation since that time, Jacqueline has promoted sun safety education and melanoma prevention through popular media outlets such as PARADE Magazine, YM Magazine, and The Arizona Republic and through numerous personal appearances and interviews across the country. In 2005, she testified before the Arizona state legislature in support of legislation requiring Arizona elementary schools to integrate the SunWise curriculum into their classrooms.

Jacqueline received her B.A. in Developmental Psychology from Duke University, where she studied as a Robertson Scholar and did extensive work with and research on health education and educational disparities both domestically and abroad. She is active in Duke’s Young Alumni Network and also lends program evaluation expertise to Raising a Reader Massachusetts, an early literacy initiative in the Boston area.

 

Dr. Jennifer Tan

Dr. Jennifer Tan is a Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology, is board-certified by The American Board of Dermatology and has sub-certification in Pediatric Dermatology.  Dr. Tan received her undergraduate degree from Rutgers University and earned her medical degree from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. She completed her residency through the Harvard Combined Residency in Dermatology, where she served as Chief Resident prior to completing a fellowship in Pediatric Dermatology at Boston Children’s Hospital. Currently, she is an instructor in Dermatology at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, and practices Dermatology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital. She also directs a clinic at Boston Healthcare for the Homeless. Her clinical interests include pediatric dermatology, inpatient pediatric dermatology, medical dermatology and community outreach.

 

Sue Gorham - Ex-Officio, Executive Director

Sue Gorham has over 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership in the USA. A successful executive in Britain, Sue turned her sights to the non-profit world when she arrived in America 21 years ago. She has served in the role as founding executive director of the Make-A-Wish Foundation International and executive director of the ALS Foundation.

In 2002, Sue Gorham and Shonda Schilling, who had recently been diagnosed with melanoma, discovered the need to educate this generation about sun safety. Together they founded the SHADE Foundation and Gorham took on the task of Executive Director. The goal was to deliver a clear message of sun safety and in the 10 years since conception, the Foundation has raised and spent $5.5 million on programs, helped fund over one hundred and fifty shade covers over school playgrounds (which will provide I million hours of shade each over a 10 year period) and has educated over 1,000,000 children across the country in sun safety.

A native of the UK, Gorham attended Sydenham Girls College, Southwark Business College, London. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Sales & Marketing (UK) and a graduate of Arizona State University Non-Profit Management Institute.

Since officially becoming an American citizen, Gorham's main goal is skin cancer education for K - 8 grades and the reduction in the incidence of skin cancer. She is a member of the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention. Gorham co-authored 3 white papers with Dana Farber Cancer Institute, SHADE Skin Cancer Prevention Initiative. She has been a member of Arizona's Governor's Task Force for Children, the Arizona Comprehensive Cancer Coalition and is the recipient of the Environmental Protection Agency's Helios leadership Award. Sue currently resides in Florida with her husband and cocker spaniel, Ladybug.