M3AAWG Elects Three New Officers to the Board of Directors
Tom Bartel Named New Board of Directors Chairperson; Mary Youngblood and Connie Klingelhoefer Join the Leadership Team
Tom Bartel, Validity's Senior Vice President of Data Services, was elected Chairperson of M3AAWG’s Board of Directors at the anti‑abuse working group’s 66th General Meeting. He joins Connie Klingelhoefer of AT&T and Mary Youngblood of Adobe as newly elected officers on M3AAWG’s Board following elections held during the San Diego Board Meeting.
With nearly three decades’ experience in email, security, and tech leadership, Tom will enter his role as Chairperson after previously serving as M3AAWG’s Assistant Treasurer.
Connie will succeed Tom as Assistant Treasurer, and Mary joins the Board as our new Co-Vice‑Chair. Rounding out the Board’s officers:
- Sam Silberman of Constant Contact remains Treasurer.
- Severin Walker of Proofpoint will remain Co‑Vice Chair.
- M3AAWG Executive Director Amy Cadagin continues as Secretary.
Continuity, Collaboration and Steady Execution
Tom first joined M3AAWG in 2005, finding its industry-wide collaboration to be a rare and refreshing antidote while fighting spam, phishers, and viruses. His conviction then remains steadfast today: no single person, company, technical standard, or governing body can create a world free of online abuse on its own. Collaboration is the only solution.
His top priority as Chairperson is preserving and strengthening M3AAWG’s way of bringing everybody together with a single goal: end abuse.
“M3AAWG represents something rare: competitors working together to protect trust in email and the broader internet. This collaborative model is even more essential today as AI accelerates the threat landscape. As Chairperson, I’m committed to steady execution, clear strategic direction, and expanding how we articulate and advance M3AAWG’s impact across digital trust,” he said.
In addition to his Board experience, he has made significant contributions to M3AAWG by leading the Awards Committee, and, as Co-Chair of the Growth and Development Committee, has greatly amplified the impact of M3AAWG initiatives worldwide.
Mary Youngblood of Adobe Joins as BOD Co-Vice Chair
Mary Youngblood has been elected M3AAWG’s new Co–Vice Chair of the Board of Directors. She is a decorated email-deliverability professional at Adobe who has been fighting abuse with M3AAWG since our 2004 inception.
Her industry expertise spans network abuse/IT security, compliance, MTA management, product design and implementation, ISP relations, and more. She has served in several key leadership positions at M3AAWG, including Board member in our early days, and Co‑Chair of the original Collaboration and Technical Committees. Perhaps most pivotal is her enduring commitment to mentorship and making newcomers to M3AAWG feel at home.
“I co‑chair M3AAWG’s leadership mentor program, assisting new and experienced leaders with fresh approaches to managing their groups and helping them balance their responsibilities,” she said. “I also enjoy volunteering for the Guides program at in‑person meetings, helping first‑time M3AAWG attendees navigate sessions and the fast‑paced schedule.”
AT&T’s Connie Klingelhoefer is New Assistant Treasure
Connie Klingelhoefer, with over 25 years in leadership and oversight roles at AT&T, brings strong experience and expertise to her new role working closely with Sam to steward the organization's finances as Assistant Treasurer.
Throughout her career, she has worked primarily in network and server operations and led a Security Incident Response Team (SIRT) for nearly a decade, which gave her critical insight into the abusive nature of online criminals. For Connie, the fight to protect people from online abuse is highly personal.
“My elderly aunt and uncle were scammed out of $200,000 in 2012. When they sought my help, I quickly realized the magnitude of scamming and its devastating impact on victims. Although we managed to stop the scam, it drained their bank accounts and took a toll on their health. This experience fueled my passion for fighting the good fight," she said.
With Deep Gratitude: Thank You, Sara Roper
With these elections, Sara Roper has concluded her impactful tenure as M3AAWG’s Chairperson. Sara oversaw a successful organizational refresh to meet the demands of an evolving abuse landscape. Her influence will continue to shape the organization, and she will lead our newly launched Financial Services SIG.
“Sara’s transformative leadership marked a serious evolution for M3AAWG; by simplifying and evolving our structure, she strengthened our future and set a higher standard that I’m eager to uphold,” said Tom.
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