THOMAS E SMITH FOUNDATION - Key Persons
As Thomas' older brother, Christopher has always been supportive of whatever sport, activity, or venture Thomas pursued. But after living through Thomas' first accident, and seeing what results in sufficient therapies and resources yield, Chris knew helping his brother and Tucker start a Foundation that would do the same for others was something he had to do. Then, after Thomas miraculously recovered and just 14 months later they were back in the Boston Medical Center, Chris could not help but feel like something much bigger was in store for Thomas and his legacy.
From his studies at Florida Atlantic University's Barry Kaye College of Business and throughout his professional career, Chris has always had a passion for the opportunity to enrich lives by helping people. His personal connection with The Thomas E. Smith Foundation's mission made it easy for Chris to see that his purpose in life was to help his brother and Tucker build a Foundation that will help those affected by SCI and paralysis, and eventually find a cure for paralysis.
Since the Foundation's inception, Chris has provided start-up guidance and mentorship to both Thomas and Tucker; and since relocating to Boston in November 2012, he has come on board full-time to serve as the Director of The Thomas E Smith Foundation. Since then Chris has co-founded and helped successfully launch The Thomas E. Smith Foundation's two latest projects, Dance for Paralysis and the Look-Up Line. His professional experiences outside of The Thomas E. Smith Foundation span the industries of digital marketing, real estate, technology, and Enterprise SaaS. Chris and his wife Lindsey reside in Marblehead, MA with their two daughters Brooklyn and Scotland.
Along with the name Jake Thibeault comes the title hockey player. Growing up in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Jake fell in love with the game of hockey. Every day you could find Jake shooting pucks, in the gym, or on the ice and doing what he could to become the best player possible. Jake seemed to always have to go the extra mile and push a little harder than his peers in hockey, and that work eventually would pay off. Jake started his hockey career in Fitchburg at the age of 4 and made it all the way to Milton Academy where he would don the M and play at one of the highest levels of high school hockey in Massachusetts. Jake had a goal of playing hockey collegiately and his goal was almost reached.
However, on September 4th, 2021, Jake would skate down the left side of the rink in a fall hockey game with the Boston Bulldogs and take a life-changing hit by the defender. Jake suffered a broken T-7 vertebrae that would change his life. Jake became paralyzed from the waist down. Immediately Jake and his family were in uncharted water and did not know what was the next step. A day after as Jake laid in the ICU Thomas Smith and The Thomas E. Smith Foundation stepped right in to help both emotionally and financially. Jake truly believes he and his family would be lost to this day if it was not for Thomas and The Foundation.
Jake graduated from Milton Academy on time and is currently an undergraduate at Babson College. Each day Jake puts in 3 to 4 hours of work towards his goal of walking again. Thomas Smith's impact on Jake is unlike that of anything else and for that reason, Jake has joined The Foundation. It is Jake's hope and plan to have the same positive impact that Thomas had on him with others confronted with a life-changing injury.
Josh's journey with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) began in 1997 when his brother Justin suffered an accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. In 2001 while they were both attending college in South Florida, Josh met Tom's brother Chris. The two bonded over their love of music and the New York/Boston sports rivalry, and a lifelong friendship was formed. In the summer of 2008, Josh got the call about Tom's first accident from Chris and rushed out to Massachusetts from New York to help the Smith family navigate that tough time.
Through his experience with his own brother, Josh had become incredibly familiar with SCI rehabilitation, spending time with his brother at the Kessler Rehabilitation Center, Rusk Rehabilitation Center at NYU Langone, and The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. The unlikely events of two friends whose younger brothers had both suffered SCI brought the families closer together, and as Tom began to develop The Thomas E. Smith Foundation Josh got involved as a supporter. He moved from New York to Boston in 2017 and joined the foundation as a Director in 2022.
Josh is a veteran of two overseas deployments and currently serving as an officer in the New York Army National Guard. His professional experience includes executive positions in both Commercial Real Estate and Technology. He is currently living in Boston with his wife Amanda where he serves as the Chief of Operations for the Boston Public Library.
Kandie's passion for making a difference led her to TESF in 2013, initially as a supporter then quickly turned into advocacy for raising awareness for spinal cord injury prevention in hockey. She began "Hockey Moms Against Injury" and rallied support for the "LookUp Line" amongst the hockey community. Meeting Tom and having a son who played hockey fueled her motivation to make the game safer for all. Recognizing how essential financial and emotional support is for a SCI patient continues to drive her in providing assistance to as many grant recipients as possible.
Her commitment to the cause led to a Director's role in which she has been a key member of the team. As a liaison to the Boston Bruins Foundation and the Bruins Alumni Association, she is devoted to ensuring these partnerships and events continue to be successful. Kandie earned a BS in Business Management from Bentley University and is currently a Partnership Manager in the Global Mobility industry. Personally, she is a proud mom of three adult children, Kathryn, Braeden, and Jules, and has recently celebrated over 3 decades of marriage with her husband Scott. An avid sports and wine enthusiast, Kandie makes it a point to enjoy each and every day.
Job Titles:
- COO
- Executive Director
- Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Thomas E. Smith Foundation
Sarah is the inaugural executive director and chief operating officer of the Thomas E. Smith Foundation. Along with the TESF founders, Sarah leads the foundation's comprehensive growth strategy to advance the organization's mission to ensure that people affected by paralysis have what they need to live healthy, productive lives and one day find a cure.
Sarah brings over fifteen years of experience developing and managing high-quality grant programs and community health initiatives, Sarah has held leadership roles at two nationally recognized grantmaking foundations: RIZE Massachusetts Foundation and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation. She has successfully led grantmaking endeavors, programmatic strategy, and actionable policy research - notably overseeing a portfolio of grants to expand access to health care and advance racial justice in health during her time with the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation. Sarah was also a member of the community health team at Mass General Brigham where, among other efforts, she managed the Partnership for Community Health, a multi-million-dollar investment in community health centers. She started her career at MDRC, a leading public policy research firm. As part of the program development team, Sarah collaborated with some of the nation's top philanthropies to build evidence to alleviate poverty.
She received her Bachelor's degree in English from the University of Vermont and was a recipient of the Barbara Rhodes Memorial Scholarship and the University of Vermont Presidential Scholarship. She is a graduate of LeadBoston, a mid-career, year-long experiential leadership program that focuses on developing inclusive leaders and driving social innovation. Sarah is a Master of Public Health candidate at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University.
Thomas Smith is the first person in medical history to be paralyzed three separate times and recover. A rising hockey star from Massachusetts, Thomas' first injury was sustained playing the game he loved and many thought it would end his promising career. After months of rehabilitation, he made a one-in-a-million recovery and was cleared to return to the ice to pursue his dreams of playing collegiate hockey. Just one year later, Thomas was skating in team practice and shockingly sustained a second unrelated paralyzing injury that left him paralyzed from the waist down. He spent over a month in the hospital before beginning outpatient physical therapy and began his second road to recovery. Not even four months later, Thomas was involved in a car accident on his way to physical therapy and was paralyzed for a third time. In just 17 months, Thomas had suffered three separate paralyzing injuries.
In 2009, Thomas co-founded The Thomas E. Smith Foundation with friend Tucker Mullin to better the lives of those affected by and living with paralysis through financial and emotional support. In 2011, he founded The Look-Up LineTM, ice hockey's first warning track, to decrease the risk of catastrophic injury in hockey. To date, The Look-Up LineTM had been installed in hundreds of ice rinks across North America.
In 2015, Thomas created The Reality Ride Challenge to raise money and awareness for paralysis research. Spanning 2,100+ miles from Boston, MA to Miami, FL, the 38-day cycling event started on March 25, 2015, and was completed on May 1, 2015. Accompanied by friend Teague Egan as well as friends and family along the way, Thomas and Teague cycled on average 65 miles a day, 3 miles a day in a handcycle wheelchair in recognition of Thomas' three accidents, and walked 1 mile each day as a beacon of hope for the paralysis community. As a result, The Thomas E. Smith Foundation raised $100,000 for research at The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis.
In 2018, Thomas became the first person who has been paralyzed multiple times to complete the Boston Marathon without the use of a wheelchair. He has since completed four Boston Marathons and plans to continue to do so every year to raise money and awareness for the paralysis community. Through the efforts of The Thomas E. Smith Foundation, Thomas and his team have donated $1,000,000+ to individuals with paralysis as well as paralysis research. He currently resides in Marblehead, MA with his fiancé Rachael.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Trustee of the Hockey Humanitarian Award Foundation
Tucker Mullin felt the same passion his co-founder Tom did for hockey, following his desire to play from prep school to college. Tucker and Tom met the first time as opponents on the ice when Tom played for the Pingree School and Tucker skated for Phillips Andover Academy. A strong friendship between them developed when the two became teammates at the Junior hockey level.
When Tom suffered his first accident, Tucker made a personal commitment to support Tom both as a friend and teammate. He also witnessed his friend's challenges and frustrations firsthand, especially the need to travel to Miami for medical care. Following Tom's second injury, he and Tucker founded the Thomas E. Smith Foundation. While Tucker started the organization with Tom to help a close friend, as the organization grew he realized his support was not only helping just Tom, but the entire spinal cord injury community.
Tucker has been actively involved in community service efforts for many years and has contributed to numerous charitable organizations and fundraising efforts. He brings an organizational skillset to The Thomas E. Smith Foundation and manages the majority of operations. He and Tom continue to function as teammates in the fight for those with spinal cord injuries, embracing the opportunity to help others in need and to grow the Foundation into a national leader.
Tucker is also a Trustee of the Hockey Humanitarian Award Foundation based in Minneapolis, MN. He is a Vice President at Goldman Sachs and currently resides with his wife and young family in Boston, MA.