The Sports Pro Community Network and it's SPCN TV Internet TV Channel (www.SPCN.TV ) is pleased to present this first in a series of Live Interactive National Town Hall Meeting Webcasts on Concussion and Traumatic Brain Injury in Youth Athletics featuring expert panelists from academia, the coaching profession and the medical community in addition to administrators, sports organization leaders and equipment manufacturers.

On-line participants will be able to forward questions to panelists via email during this live 90-minute webcast presentation.   

Featured Presentations from:

Congressman George Miller
Congressman George Miller is chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee and chairman of the Democratic Policy Committee, a leadership position. George is a leading advocate in Congress on education, labor, the economy, and the environment. He has represented the 7th District of California in the East Bay of San Francisco since 1975. He is a key proponent of H.R.6172, "the Protecting Student Athletes from Concussions Act of 2010".

Joseph F. Clark
Professor, Department of Neurology, University of Cincinnati
Adjunct Professor; Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology
Faculty Member; Neuroscience Program
Faculty Member/Executive Committee; Physician Scientist Training Program

Joseph F. Clark, Ph.D. is a Professor of Neurology highly experienced in brain injury diagnosis, complications and recovery. His lab was the first to discover a new molecule produced after bruising or bleeding in the brain called bilirubin oxidation products (BOXes). BOXes are a family of molecules that cause and contribute to complications post bleeding in the brain and also act as a biomarker post brain injury. Dr. Clark is also a former Emergency Medical Technician having worked on an Ambulance for seven years. He is a certified athletic trainer and has worked with high school, college and Olympic athletes.

Currently Dr. Clark participates in the Mild Traumatic Brain Injury program for the Division of Sports Medicine at the University of Cincinnati. He is co-principal investigator of the Point of Care Center for Emerging Neuro Technologies (POC-CENT). POC-CENT is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded center to develop neurologic devices to assess brain injury including mild traumatic brain injury and concussion.

Robert Erb
CEO, Schutt Sports
Robert Erb is the CEO of Schutt Sports, joining the company in October 2007. Erb has brought to Schutt a lifetime of hands-on experience in the sporting goods industry, primarily with adidas and Taylor Made. During his brief time at Schutt, the company has maintained its hold on its position as the world's #1 maker of football helmets and faceguards, owning a nearly 58% marketshare. During that time, the company has seen its share in the NFL increase each season, including an 11% jump last year. In 2010, over 30% of the players choose to wear Schutt helmets. Erb has also focused the company on leveraging its thermoplastic urethane (TPU) cushioning into its entire helmet line; this year, 12 of 13 Schutt helmets will have TPU Cushioning.

Erb joined adidas America in 1994, as General Counsel and Secretary. By 1998, while being promoted to lead the strategic direction as Head of Sports Marketing, he and the Executive Management Team grew their division from $250 million in sales to over $1.5 billion.

Erb is a volunteer firefighter, soccer and football coach.

Renaldo Nehemiah ('Skeets')
Former NFL Wide Receiver
Director - Track & Field Worldwide for Octagon

A former wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers and part of the 1984 Super Bowl Championship Team, Nehemiahmaintains that the beginning of the end of his professional football career was a vicious hit by Atlanta Falcons defensive back Kenny Johnson in 1983 that knocked him unconscious.

As a world-class track and field athlete, Nehemiah held the world record holder for the 100-meter high hurdles and was the first man to run under 13 seconds for that event. He is a member of the National Track and Field Hall of Fame and was the only four-time winner of the Superstars, a made-for-television decathlon-style competition broadcast by ABC Sports.

As Director of Track & Field, he oversees the management and marketing of Octagon's clients, including contract negotiations, endorsements, media-relations and licensing.

Christopher G. Vaughan, PsyD
Pediatric Neuropsychologist , Children's National Medical Center
Assistant Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences & Pediatrics
The George Washington University School of Medicine - Safe Concussion Outcome, Recovery and Education (SCORE) Clinic

Dr. Vaughan is a pediatric neuropsychologist who currently practices in Washington, DC and Maryland.  He is a member of the Division of Pediatric Neuropsychology at Children's National Medical Center in Washington DC, and he is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Pediatrics at the The George Washington University School of Medicine.  He completed his undergraduate degree at James Madison University and both his master’s and doctorate degrees in clinical psychology at Loyola College in Maryland.  He has previously trained at Johns Hopkins University, the Kennedy Krieger Institute, Eastern Virginia Medical School and Children’s National Medical Center.  He is a member of the Safe Concussion Outcome, Recovery and Education (SCORE) Clinic at Children’s National, where he sees children and adolescents with sports and non-sports related concussion.  He is also actively involved in research and is the principle investigator on a project using advanced neuroimaging techniques to better understand the neurobiological correlates of concussions.  He has presented his research at national and international conferences and he has published multiple research articles in scholarly journals. 

Jon Almquist, ATC, VATL
Administrator, Fairfax County Public Schools Athletic Training Program
Former Chair of the NATA Secondary School Athletic Trainers Committee

Jon Almquist is the Athletic Training Program Administrator for Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), the largest school division in Virginia with 25 high schools with full athletic programs. Almquist provides administrative oversight to the staff of over 50 Certified Athletic Trainers (ATCs) who collectively provide comprehensive athletic healthcare for over 25,000 student athletes annually.

Amy Garcia RN, MSN
Executive Director
National Association of School Nurses (NASN)

Amy Garcia's primary responsibilities are to carry out the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) strategic plans and to oversee the operations of the organization.Garcia is also a nationally known speaker on health careissues.

The NASN is the expert voice for optimal student health and for professional development of school nurses.  Every child has access to a school nurse all day, every day.The National Association of School Nurses supports the health and educational success of children and youth by developing and providing leadership to advance school nursing practice by specialized registered nurses.

The NASN's strategic goals are to be an influential advocate for safe and effective school health services, be an indispensible resource for school services and programs, be the recognized expert voice of school nursing and to improve the reliability, quality, and accessibility of school health data to promote research and knowledge development in child health and school health.

Sam Mutz
National Football Commissioner
Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc.

Mutz has been the National Football Commissioner for Pop Warner Little Scholars since 1994. The mission of Pop Warner Little Scholars is to enable young people to benefit from participation in team sports and activities in a safe and structured environment. Through this active participation, Pop Warner programs teach fundamental values, skills and knowledge that young people will use throughout their lives.

To ensure a safe playing environment, all Pop Warner Football players are matched by age and weight levels.There are strict mandatory equipment requirements and Pop Warner provides Coaching Clinics and Risk Management Training and an enforced national rulebook incorporates time-tested rules.A full-time executive staff supports all local associations and assists in sound policy creation.

Bobbie Quinn
Co-founder and Principal Owner of Gladiator by SGI

Bobbie Quinn is a Co-founder and Principal Owner of Sport Guard Inc. (SGI) the manufacturer of the patented Gladiator® custom mouthguard. SGI has become the largest consumer direct manufacturer of custom mouthguards in the country. Motivated by a concussion her son suffered while playing ice hockey, Ms. Quinn was the inspiration for the Gladiator®.

Bobbie has fostered awareness on the importance of preventing concussions and oral injury on a national level. She oversees all new product designs and development of the Gladiator® and has successfully created and implemented an impression system "kit" for athletic trainers and the general public to use at home. This "kit" has revolutionized the custom mouthguard market by eliminating a third party in the process allowing the best possible protection directly to the athletes at an affordable price.

Bobbie Quinn has pioneered the changed attitude of mouthguards from uncomfortable mandated piece of equipment to desirable, performance enhancing protection. The Gladiator® introduced the first truly "personalized" custom mouthguard.

Recently, a Gladiator® Fang mouthguard created for LeBron James, of the Miami Heat brought national recognition and respect to the value of a mouthguard.

Please check back.
More information on panelists and agenda will be provided shortly.