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Gala Honoree
Secretary Leon Panetta began his long and distinguished public service career in 1964 as a First Lieutenant in the United States Army, and upon discharge went to work in Washington as a legislative assistant. He was appointed director of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare’s Office for Civil Rights, served as executive assistant to the mayor of New York City, and was later elected to the United States House of Representatives. Serving in Congress for sixteen years, Secretary Panetta was a key participant in agriculture, healthcare, ocean and federal budget issues. In 1993, Secretary Panetta left Congress to serve as director of the Office of Management and Budget for the Clinton administration, and a year later he accepted appointment as the president’s chief of staff.
In 1997, Secretary Panetta joined with his wife Sylvia to establish and co-direct The Panetta Institute for Public Policy, based at California State University, Monterey Bay. Reflecting Secretary Panetta’s own ideals and personal example, the nonpartisan, not-for-profit study center seeks to attract thoughtful men and women to lives of public service and prepare them for the policy challenges of the future. Returning to public service in the Obama administration as director of the CIA, he ran the operation that brought Osama bin Laden to justice, and, as Secretary of Defense, led the effort to develop a new defense strategy, helped bring two wars to an end, and opened up opportunities for everyone to serve in the military. Secretary Panetta returned to the Panetta Institute as chairman in 2013. Gala Emcee
Brianna Keilar is the anchor of CNN Right Now which airs weekdays at 1:00 p.m. She is also the author of Home Front, a column that focuses on military families in hopes of bridging the military-civilian divide. Previously, Brianna was CNN’s senior Washington correspondent, responsible for covering important stories on politics, policy and breaking news in Washington. She also serves as the network’s primary fill-in anchor for The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer. Brianna has also served as senior White House correspondent for CNN, reporting on the Obama administration from the nation’s capital and from around the world. In this post she covered several key stories for the network from the government shutdown to Obamacare, for which she earned a 2014 Aldo Beckman Memorial Award from the White House Correspondents’ Association. Prior to covering the White House, Brianna served as a congressional correspondent, responsible for covering the activities of both the U.S. House and Senate.
Featured Scholarship Recipients
Madisyn, the daughter of a disabled Army National Guard Veteran, was awarded her third ThanksUSA scholarship to continue majors in Special Education and Bible at Johnson University in Tennessee. With the goal of working in children’s ministry and/or special needs ministry, Madisyn will continue her education and pursue a Master’s in Strategic Ministry. “I have seen the importance of special needs ministry as so many families who care for a person with a disability are not welcomed in churches. I want to help those families and make sure they all know God’s love.”
Kevin, the son of a retired Army Staff Sergeant, was awarded a 2020 ThanksUSA scholarship to begin Neuroscience and Biology majors at the University of Texas at Austin. Aspiring to attend Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Kevin explains, “I would like to become a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon because I have always had a passion to help and serve people.” While still in high school, Kevin completed an Associate’s degree, shadowed medical staff at McLane’s Children’s Hospital, served on the Belton Youth Advisory Commission, and logged hundreds of volunteer hours in the local community.
Harris, the son of a retired Army Reserve Lieutenant Colonel, received ThanksUSA scholarships in 2017 and 2018 for undergraduate studies at New York University: Stern School of Business. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Business, Finance, and Accounting in 2019, Harris began a career as an Investment Banking Analyst at Sonenshine Partners. In 2018, Harris attended the ThanksUSA Career Fair hosted by Lockheed Martin. The valuable advice he received at that event prepared him to enter the workforce. “Your gift motivates me to work hard and succeed so that one day I may be able to pay it forward and provide scholarships for students the way you did for me."
Jennifer, the spouse of a disabled Marine Corps Veteran, had begun her college education in 2004. Then she received the news that her husband had been injured while serving in Iraq. “I immediately quit my jobs and schooling and was on a plane to be by his side in the hospital and in life from that moment forward. Looking back on it I see that I put my education on hold to assist in his wellbeing.” With the assistance of a 2020 ThanksUSA scholarship, Jennifer is now able to continue her academic journey as an English major, with German minor, at Southern Illinois University: Edwardsville. Her goal is to work for the Federal Government and give back to the war fighters still on active duty and on the ground.
Kiana, the daughter of an active-duty Navy Captain, has received consecutive ThanksUSA scholarships for the past three years. A History major at the University of Florida, Kiana intends to pursue a dual-track Juris Doctor and PhD program. Although her father’s career keeps him away from the family for months at a time, their bond is as strong as ever. “My family lives by the principle that we all serve and sacrifice together. Through his military service, I have learned independence, self-reliance, patriotism, and confidence. I also learned that serving others means being committed to something greater than oneself.”
ThanksUSA Lifetime Achievement Award
Danny Garcia is a former Marine, ordained minister and co-chair of Global Walk Corporation, a nonprofit organization that raises funds to support children and families across the world. Danny co-chairs Global Walk with his wife Jaqueline, a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and Air Force Academy graduate. Since 1996, Danny has walked and prayed for families and world peace on six continents, covering a distance of more than 26,000 miles (greater than the circumference of the earth). His humanitarian travels have allowed him to rub shoulders with dignitaries, world religious leaders, presidents, prime ministers and royalty. The main purpose of his walks is to facilitate, promote, and support the needs of children and their families. With more than three decades of military service between them, Danny and Jackie have a special connection to veterans and military families. Danny continues to inspire hope and to walk and pray globally.
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Sean & Anne Coffey
"The ability for a spouse and a child of a service member to continue their education is of critical importance. The doors to a quality education must stay open, and an organization like ThanksUSA is of great value to all of us just now. I know firsthand how much this means to our veterans and their families.” - Secretary Leon Panetta
Dinner Table Sponsors
Adduci, Mastriani & Schaumberg LLP
Asfa and Zahid Butt, Medisolv Inc. Gephardt Government Affairs iHeartMedia KPMG LLP KeyBanc Capital Markets Lindsay Goldberg Mizuho Americas Charles W. Moorman IV MUFG National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation PNC Bank RAZR Solutions RBC Capital Markets Regions Bank Scotiabank The O Team Truist TwinLogic Strategies USAA U.S. Bank Auction Donors
Athletic DNA
Baltimore Ravens Black Rifle Coffee Bradford Portraits Bunny Bruning Elliott Datlow, Aspen Hill Club Mark and Sally Ein Foundation Founding Farmers Franklin Sports Elizabeth Frazee Gells Hunter Hayes Head Pickleball Alexander James JTCC Denis Kudla Mission BBQ Octagon Pittsburgh Steelers Frances Tiafoe Trump National Golf, Washington DC Wilson Sporting Goods Co. 
Special thanks to:
Kevin Borke, Video Editing
GDIT Helping Hand Scholarship Fund Jackson Casey Fund Red Cloud Food Services |
Virtual Program
NATIONAL ANTHEM
Rachel Okun, ThanksUSA Co-founder INVOCATION Gen. Ed Brandt (Ret) WELCOME REMARKS Brianna Keilar, CNN Jon Rosa, ThanksUSA Amanda Folks, ThanksUSA LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Daniel and Jacqueline Garcia, Global Walk FAMILY OF HONOR VIDEO Madisyn Clark, Scholarship Recipient Captain Scott Clark, USA (Ret) Mrs. Karen Clark MEET THE SCHOLARS Sheila Casey, Moderator Deb Mullen, Moderator Kevin Arellano Harris Mohsin Jennifer Pendergraft Kiana Polanin KEYNOTE REMARKS Secretary Leon Panetta, 23rd U.S. Secretary of Defense SPOKESPERSON MESSAGE Frances Tiafoe, Tennis Pro SPECIAL PERFORMANCE Hunter Hayes, Singer, Songwriter, and Multi-Instrumentalist About ThanksUSA
ThanksUSA is a 501(c)(3) organization that honors the men and women of the United States Armed Forces by providing
need-based scholarships and pathways to employment for their spouses and children. Since 2006, ThanksUSA has awarded 4,850 scholarships valued at nearly $16 million to military families in all 50 states and every branch of the military. 
Executive Leadership Committee
Andrew Don, Co-Chair, National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation
The Honorable B. Robert Okun, Co-Chair, The O Team Anthony Applewhaite, Brunswick Group Stephen Baskin, King & Spalding LLP John Bruner, Aegis Mobile Greg Carnrick, Gephardt Government Affairs CCM Mike Ferraro, USAF (Ret), Bridging The Gap, LLC Elizabeth Frazee, TwinLogic Strategies Capt. Steve Jordon, USN (Ret), Northern Virginia Tech Council Jessica Marventano, iHeartMedia Deanna Tanner Okun, Adduci, Mastriani & Schaumberg LLP Patricia St. George, KPMG LLP COL John “Lanier” Ward, USA (Ret), Leonardo DRS |
