Rick Hayden
Co-Executive Director
Ricks life took an interesting turn in the summer of 1976 when on the way home from work one day he left his motorcycle and sailed through the air introducing himself to a car coming the other way. Needless to say, they never did become friends. A T-8 spinal cord injury gave Rick new perspective on life and with the gauntlet being thrown down, he accepted the challenge.
Ricks goal was to get his college degree and re-enter the workforce. His first degree was in Physical Education with the second being in Business. The dynamic duo he thought and he was right, they led him to the rehab segment of the healthcare industry where he worked for 32 years. Rick stated that getting the chance to meet so many incredible people and to get the opportunity to change a person’s life is incredibly rewarding. in 2015 Rick started Spinal Network. I love being a part of a team of dedicated people, whose mission is to provide resources that will have a positive impact on a person’s life and the lives of those around them.
On a personal note, Rick has been married to his beautiful wife Karen for 38 years and has five incredible children (Rick, Richelle, Jenna, Aimee and Kyle) and five fantastic grandkids (Isabella, Lucas, Reese, Parker, and River). Ricks passion is to be involved with great organizations such as Spinal Network, helping to improve the quality of life for those living with paralysis.
Debra Jackson suffered a spinal cord injury (T7 complete) in 2019 while riding her bicycle in Switzerland where she was living at the time. After spending 8 months in rehabilitation at the Swiss Paraplegic Center in Nottwil, Switzerland, she returned home to San Diego to be closer to family and friends
Debra serves on the advisory board of Padres Pedal the Cause, an organization that funds grants to local cancer research institutions through an annual fundraising cycling event. In addition to being on the advisory board, Debra led her corporate team and has participated in the event (pre and post injury) for the past 10 years. Debra also recently became involved with peer mentoring through Spinal Network, helping individuals who are new to a spinal cord injury.
Debra graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a major in Quantitative Economics and pursued her MBA from San Diego State University. She had a successful 30+ year career in corporate finance and supply chain management, the past 13 of which were with Becton Dickenson, a fortune 500 medical technology company. She resides in Escondido with her husband, Dan, and enjoys being active outdoors riding her hand-cycle and visiting local wineries with friends.
Debra Jackson
Co-Executive Director
Shana Thomas
Director, Social Media
Sean Petersen was born and spent his childhood just outside of Tampa, FL. He then attended Ohio State University where he was a student athlete and member of the ROTC program.
After college he joined the United States Marine Corps where he honorably served 8 years and left as a Captain. During that time he also got his masters degree from the University of San Diego. After leaving the Marine Corps, Sean spent much of his time in marketing and advertising but was looking for a company or product that was meaningful and made a difference.
In 2009 Sean found what he was looking for and starting working with GoldenBoy Mobility. 11 years later his mission is the same, to help provide independence and freedom through mobility vehicles and equipment. This is done through education, community involvement and a passion to make a difference.
Sean Peterson
Co-Director Community Engagement
Richard Green, LCSW
Co-Director, Community Engagement
Richard was a social worker at Sharp Rehabilitation Hospital in San Diego for over 40 years working with the SCI population. He is co-founder of the San Diego Brain Injury Foundation and facilitates the Men with SCI Network group that meets monthly at Sharp. Richard is the Sharp Rehab liaison with the United Spinal Association. Richard has recently accepted a volunteer position with Spinal Network as the Clinical Social Worker Consultant and runs the Family Caregiver Support Group.
Sanda Nicole Kaldor, MSW, LCSW, CMIP, C-DBT, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 20 years of experience as a therapist. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Social Welfare from Stony Brook University in New York. Currently, Sanda works with Rehab Without Walls, where she focuses on the treatment of patients with brain and spinal cord Injuries.
Sanda’s career began as an Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) Therapist, working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families. She later served as a Psychosocial Research Clinician in the UCLA Neurology research project focusing on Alzheimer’s disease (ACCESS Study), where she worked with dementia patients and their caregivers. Sanda has also held roles as a Psychosocial Clinician at Kaiser Permanente and has extensive experience working in Nephrology.
Sanda is honored to be a part of and contribute to The Spinal Network.
Sanda Nicole Kaldor, MSW, LCSW, CMIP, C-DBT
Executive Board Member
Penny Anders
Executive Board Member
An experience of 50+ years in healthcare has been fulfilling and rewarding. I have had the pleasure of working with the spinal cord population from the intensive care unit to the ultimate goal of returning to driving.
Having sustained a spinal cord injury in 2021 with the resultant paraplegia with an ironic twist to my life, advocating for community peer support groups, media education, and assisting as a liaison with the regulatory agencies and DME vendors has been a portion of my journey.
In addition, I sit on the Mesa College, physical therapy, assistant, advisory board and enjoy assisting students with their growth and journey in healthcare. I am inspired with community, education, and outreach.
I’m grateful to be included in the Spinal Network team as they continue their ever-expanding growth.