About

WHO IS THE MADDOG STRONG FOUNDATION

Who We Are

The Maddog Strong Foundation was created in the spirit of Maddie “Maddog” Grobmeier who passed away unexpectedly from an asthma attack the day after her 18th birthday. Maddie inspired many by donating her organs and tissues so that others could live on to do amazing things for the world. Only three months before she died, Maddie miraculously walked away with just a few bumps and bruises from a very serious car accident… that accident inspired her to sit down and have a conversation with her parents about organ donation. “If something like this ever happens to me again and I don’t make it,” she said, “promise me that you’ll donate my organs so that something good can come from tragedy.”

OUR MISSION

Inspire the Next Generation of
Organ and Tissue Donation Advocates

The mission of the Maddog Strong Foundation is to inspire the next generation of organ and tissue donation advocates by providing education, promoting donor registration, and encouraging conversations about this life-saving topic. 

OUR VISION

Education. Registration. Conversation.

Our vision is a world where no one has to wait for a life-saving transplant because everyone can have open and informed conversations about being a registered donor.

OUR PILLARS

View Our Annual Impact Report

VIEW HERE

Take a look at some of our accomplishments and
activities from this past year, showcasing our incredible achievements and the progress we have made.

Gifted: The Docuseries

The Maddog Strong Foundation is the Fiscal Sponsor for Gifted: The Docuseries, which won four International Telly Awards for the trailer:

Learn more about how you can support this life-saving project at https://gifted-productions.com/

Board of Directors

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Dr. Cyndi Grobmeier

President

Dr. Cyndi Grobmeier (Ed.d) is on faculty in the Department of Communication at Saint Xavier University in Chicago where she has worked since 2003. In addition to teaching courses in the Strategic Communication major, she is the Director of the Basic Public Speaking Course Program. Cyndi was the 2022 Faculty Mercy Mission Award Honoree.

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Cheryl Weiss

Treasurer

Cheryl Weiss has worked at BMO Bank for over 35 years. She has held various roles in both front line and back office, as well as regional and district management roles. She currently works as a Project Manager.

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Jim Frederickson

Director

Jim Frederickson is the owner of Gym-Kinetics Gymnastics School in Mokena, Illinois, where he also served as the Head Coach from 1985 until 2018. Jim’s years of dedication to coaching led to 6 USA Junior Olympic National Team Members, 68 National Qualifiers, and 21 Full Athletic Scholarships to Division I Colleges.

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Olivia Fox

Director

Olivia Fox, Transplant Outreach Coordinator at UI Health, is a dedicated healthcare professional with over a decade of experience in organ donation and transplantation patient advocacy and support. Olivia has worked tirelessly to empower individuals and families facing lifesaving decisions. Her passion for multicultural community outreach and support for young people aligns perfectly with the Maddog Strong Foundation's goals. In addition, Olivia is the daughter of a kidney transplant recipient.

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Robert Horsey

Director

Robert Horsey is a critical care registered nurse who has dedicated most of his twenty-one year career to the field of Organ Donation and Transplantation.

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John Di John, J.D.

Director

A respected leader in the legal field, John has provided day-to-day practical and business-oriented legal advice to the leaders of the third largest archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. His knowledge of employment, labor and education areas will be an asset to developing creative strategies to manage and mitigate risks for the Foundation’s policies and initiatives.

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Daniela Maciel

director

Daniela Maciel earned her M.A. in Biomedical Sciences at Rosalind Franklin University. Throughout her most recent work as a research assistant at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, she made a strong impact on underserved elderly populations in the Chicagoland area for the advancement of Alzheimer’s Disease treatment and diagnostic procedures. Following the completion of the master’s program, Daniela plans to continue her studies at Rosalind Franklin to pursue a career as a primary care physician.

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Dr. Brad Mello

director

Dr. Brad Mello is Professor and Chair of the Communication Department at Saint Xavier University (SXU) on the south side of Chicago.

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Julie Mills

Director

A passionate, results driven healthcare professional with over 20 years of experience in a variety of Critical Care and TeleHealth settings, Julie brings a clinical and technology perspective to the foundation. She is a recent recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award and is an organ and tissue donor family member.

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Noah Parish

director

With expertise working with organ procurement organizations nationwide, Noah has dedicated his career to navigating complex healthcare systems and providing compassionate guidance to families during sensitive organ donation processes. His experience with nonprofits and his passion for making a meaningful impact in healthcare will be of great value to Maddog Strong. He currently works as the Travel Family Services Coordinator for Donor Recovery Services.

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Jamie Skvarla

director

Jamie Skvarla is a current student at Governors State University majoring in Biology. She plans on using her biology degree to pursue a career in physical therapy. Jamie is also an athlete at her school, playing for their Women’s Volleyball team. Her drive and dedication for the activities she is involved in brings great qualities and encouragement to those around her.

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Dr. Jaime Van Buskirk, PT, DPT, COMT, ATC

Director

A prominent figure in the Chicago area health, wellness and fitness industry, Jaime has a strong background in independent business and leadership as well as clinical operations. Her clinical knowledge and business acumen will be very helpful to the organization. Jaime is also a donor family member.

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Jim Vogel

director

Jim Vogel has over 25 years of experience in digital consulting, strategic thought leadership, and technology project management, and is currently the VP of Solution Engineering at Bounteous. Jim is also a cornea recipient.

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Sheryl Wabi

director

Sheryl Wabi is a Realtor at Berkshire Hathaway Biros Real Estate. Using her extensive knowledge, patience, flexibility, and low pressure sales approach, Sheryl has successfully grown her business consistently thanks to the repeat business of happy clients and their referrals of friends, family and neighbors.

Team Members

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Frank Grobmeier

Executive Director

Frank Grobmeier has held senior executive level sales and marketing positions for international lighting companies for the past 30 years. He is currently the owner and CEO of Red Mouse Media. He’s been a keynote speaker and workshop facilitator, changing the way that organizations think about their brands and messaging in disruptive environments. Frank has held leadership posts on numerous advisory boards, published editorial columns for magazines and newsletters, and has been honored with numerous service awards for leadership and dedication.

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Sam Grobmeier

Director of Communications and Founder of Students for H.O.P.E.

Sam Grobmeier is a media producer and performing artist with a passion for bringing advocacy to her art. She holds a degree from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where she majored in Drama (Musical Theatre & Screen Acting / Production) with a minor in Producing. She also has a working background in the non-profit world, video media production, public service scriptwriting, social media management, and event coordination.

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Summer Weiss

Chairperson Miles For Maddog

Summer Weiss is a passionate marketing coordinator with a drive for keeping up with current trends and elevating organizations to their full potential. She graduated with a B.A. in Publishing with minors in Anthropology and German in 2015 from Illinois State University. Currently, she is pursuing an American Sign Language Interpreter Certificate from the College of DuPage. In addition to her full-time career in Marketing, she works as a barista on the weekends.