Brandy Nannini Joins Alcohol Monitoring and Technology Leader as Vice President for Government Affairs
GRAPEVINE, Texas, Sept. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Smart Start, the worldwide leader in alcohol monitoring services and technologies with its ignition interlocks and portable breath-testing devices, is pleased to announce the hiring of Brandy Nannini as Vice President of Government Affairs. She brings more than 30 years of expertise in prevention of impaired driving, with extensive experience in federal and state government relations.
Beginning October 1, 2022, Nannini will work alongside Debra Coffey, Smart Start's Vice President of Government Affairs, to continue the company's extensive legacy of outreach and partnership with stakeholders throughout the world.
Nannini most recently served for nearly 20 years as Senior Vice President, Responsibility Initiatives, at the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility (Responsibility.org). Founded in 1991 and supported by 11 prominent distillers, the independent, not-for-profit organization is one of the nation's leaders in impaired-driving prevention.
"Brandy brings a wealth of experience, a broad network of connections, and a proven record of dedication and leadership to her new role," said Smart Start CEO Matt Strausz. "With her on our team, we will continue to strengthen our reputation as a government affairs leader."
"The nation is in its third year of historic increases in drunk driving deaths," Strausz added. "We remain dedicated to working with professionals at all levels of government, as well as private organizations, to save lives through the expanded use of ignition interlock devices."
Nannini has played a pivotal role in saving lives through prevention of impaired driving. As Public Policy Director for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, she opened the organization's first office in Washington, D.C. In 2000, she played a major role in passage of a federal .08 blood alcohol concentration (BAC) law, with adoption in every state by 2002.
She managed government relations and traffic safety programs for Responsibility.org and spearheaded passage of numerous state and federal laws, including ignition interlock laws. Nannini led efforts to address drug and substance impaired driving with the establishment of the National Alliance to Stop Impaired Driving (NASID), a coalition that Smart Start serves on as a founding member.
"After many years of working together as partners, I am excited to be working alongside Brandy at the state and federal level to maximize the use of the only technology available to prevent a person from driving drunk," Coffey said. "The opportunities to prevent impaired driving and save lives are endless, and increased support is desperately needed."
Ignition interlocks are the most effective way to save lives by preventing an impaired driver from driving drunk again. Since its inception, Smart Start has prevented millions of engine-starts when a driver was drinking. This not only saves lives, but also gives DUI offenders the chance to regain restricted driving privileges, continue meeting family and work commitments, and promote a lifestyle that includes driving without drinking.
"Currently, 34 states require the use of ignition interlocks for all DUI offenders, but every state needs this law in place and fully implemented in order to reverse the nation's deadly increase in impaired driving deaths," Nannini said. "I am excited to be a part of the Smart Start team and continue working with the entire traffic safety community to get back on track toward the goal of zero deaths."
ABOUT SMART START
Based in the Dallas suburb of Grapevine, Texas, 1A Smart Start LLC is the acknowledged leader in alcohol monitoring nationally and worldwide with our advanced alcohol breath-testing technology. Smart Start's Ignition Interlock is a convenient, discreet solution for impaired driving offenders, while SmartMobileTM, BreathCheckTM, and ORBISTM portable alcohol monitoring devices provide the greatest benefit at the lowest cost to users and monitoring authorities. Our SmartWebTM online platform offers quick reporting and analysis for easy caseload management. Smart Start is Setting the Standard in Alcohol Monitoring Technology® with thousands of service locations across the U.S. and internationally, and a 24/7/365 multilingual Customer Care Center. For more information, visit smartstartinc.com.
Media Contact
Charlotte Leparulo, Smart Start, Inc., 1 800-880-3394 Ext: 2203, [email protected]
SOURCE Smart Start, Inc.
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