Connie Russell is the mother of Matthew Beard, a Florida State University Marine Biology student who was struck by a DUI driver on December 21, 2006. Matthew sustained life-threatening injuries and was in a coma for eight days before succumbing to his injuries, dying on December 29th, 2006 at the age of 21. Since that time, Connie has become a tireless advocate for impaired driving prevention and traffic safety, and has spoken to audiences across the state of Florida. They recently participated in a Road and Safety Panel at the 2019 Boys and Girls Club National Keystone Conference in Orlando.
Connie and Jim exemplify all our speakers with their dedication and motivation to save lives.