Alex Otte named MADD National President
The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) is excited to announce 
that effective Jan. 1, 2021, Alex Otte was promoted to the National President of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). As President, Otte will serve as national spokesperson and chief advocate for MADD, whose mission is to end drunk driving, help fight drugged driving, support the victims of these violent crimes, and prevent underage drinking.
Prior to being selected to serve in this position, Otte worked as a Research Associate after joining NASBLA in 2018. Otte was the lead researcher and writer for NASBLA’s Boating Under the Influence (BUI) Report and Dashboard. The report serves as a collection of summaries of international studies related to alcohol, impairment, and the effects that those can have on rates of fatalities and traumatic injuries as it pertains to recreational boating. Otte was also heavily involved in the association’s national BUI outreach and awareness campaign, Operation Dry Water. Additionally, she collaborated with the NASBLA Boat Operations and Training (BOAT) Program, speaking with officers about the importance of their work as it relates to not only documentation and reporting, but also working with victims and their families after an incident.
Otte turned to the boating and water safety community and MADD in 2010 after a traumatic boating crash involving an intoxicated boater. When she was just 13-years old, she was on a jet ski on a Kentucky lake near her home when a drunk boat operator slammed into her at nearly 70 mph, causing a severe brain injury, a broken neck and collarbone, a shattered jaw, a lacerated liver, two shattered femurs, and the loss of her right leg below the knee.
“At 23-years old Alex has accomplished more than many do in a lifetime with her dedication to advocacy and seeing real change take place as it relates to impaired operation,” says John Johnson, NASBLA Chief Executive Officer. “Some might say that even physically surviving being run over by an impaired operator when she was just a teenager would be any person’s greatest accomplishment. However, once you meet Alex you know that after accomplishing that, she was only getting started. She is relentless in her determination and commitment to putting an end to the tragedy and loss that comes with impaired operation on the road and on the water. NASBLA is truly grateful for all she contributed and accomplished while she was with us and we are excited to see her in her new role as MADD’s National President.”