Meet the Team

Thomas Smith

President & Co-Founder

Thomas Smith is the first person in medical history to sustain three separate paralyzing spinal cord injuries.

In 2009, Thomas co-founded the Thomas E. Smith Foundation (TESF) 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 Line(TM), ice hockey’s first warning track, to decrease the risk of catastrophic injury in hockey. To date, The Look-Up Line(TM) 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 his 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 hand-cycle wheelchair in recognition of Thomas’ three accidents, and walked one mile each day as a beacon of hope for the paralysis community. As a result, TESF raised and donated $100,000 to 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. As of 2025, he has completed seven Boston Marathons and plans to continue doing so every year to raise money and awareness, by walking for those who can’t. To date, TESF has donated $2,000,000+ to better the lives of those living with paralysis.

Thomas lives in Marblehead, MA with his wife Rachael and dog Lokey.

Sarah Merrefield

Executive Director & Chief Operating Officer

Sarah is the inaugural executive director and chief operating officer of the Thomas E. Smith Foundation. She 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.

Chris Smith

Chief Advancement Officer

As Thomas’ older brother, Chris has always been supportive of whichever sport, activity, or venture Thomas pursued. But after living through Thomas’ multiple paralyzing spinal cord injuries, and witnessing the life-changing impact sufficient access to necessary rehabilitation and medical resources yields, he knew helping his brother and Tucker launch the Thomas E. Smith Foundation (TESF) was something he had to do.

Chris has been a trusted advisor to co-founders Thomas and Tucker since TESF’s inception in 2009, and in 2013, became a Trustee of the organization. With years of successful leadership as a volunteer, and over two decades of sales and marketing experience, he was appointed Chief Advancement Officer in May 2024. In this role Chris oversees TESF’s advancement, brand communications, stewardship, and technology efforts.

Chris currently reside in Marblehead, MA with his wife Lindsey and their two daughters, Brooklyn and Scotland.

Jenna Labbe

Senior Engagement Officer

Jenna Labbee is the Senior Engagement Officer at the Thomas E. Smith Foundation. In this role, she is responsible for engagement initiatives, managing TESF’s grants portfolio, and brand communications. Jenna joins the TESF team after eight years with the MW Fund as their Executive Director. She deeply values the relationships she built over the years while working for the MW Fund and believes they will be an integral and valued component in supporting TESF’s mission.
Prior to her time with MW Fund, Jenna spent 12+ years working in Public Relations for various Boston-based boutique agencies. Throughout her career, she has worked with several professional athletes, directly managing their nonprofit organizations and guiding their charitable efforts. Some former clients include The TB12 Foundation and The Light Foundation.

Before initially joining the MW Fund as a Board Member, Jenna worked alongside Founder and President Matt Wetherbee at a Boston-based Sports Marketing company where they worked in the non-profit sector, successfully executing large-scale charitable events, fundraising campaigns, and charity raffles. Some former clients she worked directly with include: Ray Bourque, Drew Brees, Milan Lucic, The San Francisco Giants, The LA Kings, Troy Brown, and Mark Wahlberg.

Jenna received her Bachelor’s degree in Communications and Journalism from the University of Massachusetts (Amherst). She currently resides in Norwell, MA with her husband Chuck, and their rescue dog Lucy.

Tucker Mullin

Co-Founder

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 (TESF). 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. His role as board chairman, allows Tucker to support the team in their effort to continue growing TESF into a leading non-profit nationally.

Outside of TESF, Tucker is 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.

Kandie Hale

Director

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 currently works in business development with the Wounded Warrior Project. 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.

Joshua Rosenthal

Director

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. When Josh moved from New York to Boston in 2017, he joined the foundation as an Advisory Board Director in 2022.

Josh is a veteran of two overseas deployments and currently serving as an Captain in the New York Army National Guard. Outside of the military, Josh’s professional experience spans multiple industries as an operations executive. He currently lives in Boston with his wife Amanda and their son Osias.

Jake Thibeault

Director

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.

Andrew DiPietro

Director

Andrew DiPietro is the Owner & President of ClimateZone, and has been an advisory director to the Thomas E. Smith Foundation since 2022.

Matt Wetherbee

Director

On June 7, 2016, three days before his 29th birthday, Matt suffered a C-3 spinal cord injury while playing basketball. He then spent two months at Massachusetts General Hospital and three months at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. He then attended Journey Forward, a nonprofit facility in Canton, MA that specializes in spinal cord injury rehabilitation. He currently is participating in epidural stimulation research at the University of Louisville.

Originally from Marblehead, Massachusetts, Matt attended James Madison University where he completed his undergraduate and Master’s degrees in Sports Management. While working in the sports marketing field before his accident, he worked tirelessly for the benefit of numerous charitable organizations and worked as client relations and marketing manager for many corporate clients. Matt currently resides in Louisville, KY with his wife Kaitlyn, newborn Chase, and therapy dog Seven.

Zdeno Chara

Director

Zdeno Chara is a legend. He played 24 seasons in the NHL and served as captain of the Boston Bruins for 14 years. He won the 2009 Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman, led Boston to the 2011 Stanley Cup, and earned the 2011 Mark Messier Leadership Award. A six-time NHL All-Star, flag bearer for Slovakia at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, and holder of the record for most games played by a defenseman, Zdeno was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2025. He is widely recognized as one of the NHL’s greatest players, leaders, and competitors.

Giving back to the community has always been central to Zdeno’s career. Shortly after retiring in 2022, he met TESF co-founder Thomas Smith at the Annual NHL Alumni Game. Inspired by Thomas’ journey and TESF’s mission, he then ran the 2023 and 2024 Boston Marathons to raise funds and awareness on behalf of TESF. In 2023, TESF established the Zdeno Chara Paralysis Grant, awarded each year to an individual and family living with paralysis. His leadership, commitment, and drive led him to join the TESF’s Advisory Board of Directors in May 2025.

Ben Mottola

Director

Ben’s friendship with Tom began in the bitterly cold rink of the Pingree School and grew into an active role with the Thomas E. Smith Foundation. As a founding member and owner of Stratford Capital with over 30 years of experience in real estate investment and strategic business development, Ben brings valuable operational and growth expertise to TESF’s Advisory Board. He has been active in community service roles in his hometown for over 30 years and is a strong believer in contributing to the well-being of others.

Ben has a degree in Business Administration from St. Michael’s College, and he lives on the North Shore with his wife and two children. He enjoys spending time with his family, is a passionate animal lover, and enjoys outdoor sports.

Joseph Wadland

Director

Joseph (Joe) Wadland started the law firm Wadland Ackerman in 1993 after having practiced with one of New England’s largest law firms for several years. Joe has represented Fortune 500 companies, numerous New England based companies and businesses, family businesses and individuals in litigation and trial. His practice is focused in the areas of health care, medical malpractice, products liability, insurance coverage, subrogation, traumatic personal injury with emphasis on spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries and wrongful death, closely-held corporation disputes, employment litigation, and clergy sex abuse.

Wadland Ackerman’s practice encompasses state and federal courts, having represented clients in all six New England states as well as California, Florida, New Jersey and New York. Joe also represents clients before various licensing authorities, administrative agencies and in the case of individual health care providers, before hospital boards, committees and boards of registration. He is licensed to practice in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and was a founding board member of the MWFund.