PLEASANT HILL – After her son died in a gut-wrenching case of college hazing, Debbie Smith MM became a leading voice for reform, helping to pass Matt’s Law – named after her son – which increases penalties for those who participate in such violent initiations, and forming a nationally known nonprofit to raise awareness of the dangerous rituals.
For her efforts to end hazing as well as her other community work, Debbie has been named Contra Costa County Woman of the Year by Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa.
“As a parent and grandparent, I know there is nothing more important than our children,” Sen. Dodd said. “Debbie has channeled personal heartbreak and determination into something that will help make all of our kids safer. I am extremely grateful for her work, which is nothing short of inspiring, and am happy to recognize her for her many achievements.”
“My work aims to give parents the chance to hug their children again,” said Debbie. “Hazing is a matter of life and death. Until you feel the soul-crushing reality of losing a child, it’s impossible to grasp the stakes at play. This award matters because our youth matter and society hangs in the balance. I’m humbled and honored to represent everyone fighting for positive change.”
The mission of the AHA! Movement is to increase awareness, accountability and responsibility towards eradicating hazing, by empowering our youth through education to be agents of change.
Debbie’s son, Matt Carrington, died in 2005 after he was subjected to extreme hazing while pledging a fraternity at Chico State University. The case made national headlines, and within a year, Debbie helped pass a new law making such hazing incidents a felony punishable by prison. Matt’s Law is credited with helping to shape the national conversation around hazing, resulting in updates to fraternity and sorority pledge codes of conduct at universities nationwide. Her work has been featured in documentaries and TV shows, and she is a regular speaker on high school and college campuses. In 2015, she created the nonprofit anti-hazing awareness group, AHA! Movement. In memory of her son, she added the suffix MM – for Matt’s Mom – to the end of her name.
In addition to her work to end hazing, Debbie, a part-time accountant, serves as the Ambassador Chair in the Pleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce, volunteers in the annual American Cancer Society Relay for Life and was awarded the Jefferson Award for public service in 2018. Along with her husband Greg and son Travis, she is an avid San Francisco Giants fan and has been a board member of the nonprofit Pleasant Hill Baseball Association, a non-profit organization.
Senator Bill Dodd represents the 3rd Senate District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Solano, Yolo, Sonoma, Contra Costa, and Sacramento counties. You can learn more about the district and Senator Dodd at www.sen.ca.gov/dodd.
