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Board of Directors

The Honorable B. Robert Okun
Chairman

In 2011, Bob founded The O Team, a Washington, DC, based government relations and content development company. With more than 30 years of experience in Washington, Bob is a seasoned professional that assists clients in developing policy positions and navigating Congress, the White House, and Federal Agencies.

Prior to founding The O Team, Bob was with NBC as Vice President, Washington, DC, for nearly 17 years. As head of NBC's Washington office, his responsibilities included coordinating the development of NBC's policy positions on legislative and regulatory issues and representing NBC's positions to the Congress, the Administration and the FCC.

Bob has served as Assistant Secretary for Legislation and Congressional Affairs at the U.S. Department of Education (1991-1992) and was Floor Assistant to former House Republican Leader, Robert Michel. In this position, he served as principal liaison to the Senate, as well as to governors, mayors and other leaders and groups involved in the legislative process.

In the House of Representatives, he has long experience as Executive Director of the Republican Conference (1989-1991), Executive Director of the Republican Policy Committee (1987-1988), and Executive Director of the House Republican Research Committee (1983-1986). He also served in the House as Staff Director for the Task Force on Regulatory Reform (1981-1983) that focused on telecommunications regulation reform.

Bob is a summa cum laude graduate of Duke University with an honors degree in economics. He studied economic history at New College, Oxford, England. He serves on the Boards of the National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation and ThanksUSA which he founded in 2005. Bob is married to Deanna Okun, has two daughters, Rachel and Kelsi, and resides in Virginia.

Carolyn Ferek
Secretary

Carolyn is the eldest daughter of four children. Her parents met while her father was stationed in the Air Force in England. She and her brother were both born in England; later another brother and sister were born in Florida. Her father served twenty years in the Air Force and her energetic mother maintained the family. During this period she moved with her family to such locations as Florida, Alaska, Washington, DC, and then back to England.

Carolyn completed high school at an American Air Force base in England and then moved to Florida where she worked her way through college at the University of West Florida, earning a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education in 1978. More recently she received her Master's degree from George Mason University in Initiatives in Educational Transformation.

She has been teaching for approximately fifteen years, with a break to raise her own two children. During those early childrearing years she became involved in the environment and worked for the Washington State Energy Office and specifically with an outreach program to teach conservation topics. When she moved to the east coast with her family, she resumed her teaching career. She currently teaches third grade at Franklin Sherman Elementary School in McLean, Virginia. She has been involved in many school activities including the Student Council Association, the ESOL program, and environmental issues and currently, in the school renovation committee.

She lives in Falls Church, Virginia, with her husband of twenty years, Ron. She is extremely proud of her two boys, Peter and Mark, who are students at Virginia Tech majoring in Mechanical Engineering. She enjoys exercising, knitting, reading, racquetball and gardening when she has free time, and traveling to warm climates with sugary white sand beaches.

Patricia St. George
Treasurer

Patricia St. George, CPA, is a partner in KPMG’s Federal practice with 20 years of experience, and has managed complex projects to help organizations become auditable, as well as business process outsourcing and business transformation projects. She has experience in developing policies and procedures, assessing regulatory compliance, performing financial and operational audits, managing accounting system implementations, defining system and functional requirements, managing large programs, developing organization-wide transition strategies/plans, and implementing transition plans.

​Patty provides support to Federal organizations centered around management and financial reporting and analysis, and advises organizations on operational issues that affect process, internal control, business risk, organizational alignment, and technology. She applies her broad financial background to developing programs and managing large-scaled programs within the Department of Defense (DoD) and other Federal civilian agencies. Patty currently serves as the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) lead partner where she oversees multiple teams delivering services across all DLA Headquarters and every Field Command.

Anthony Applewhaite

Anthony Applewhaite is a director at Brunswick Group in Washington, DC. Tony has advised clients on a diverse range of communications and public affairs challenges including litigation, crisis situations, media relations, corporate profile raising/change management, internal communications, federal and state government regulation/investigations, offshore finance and digital/social media. 

​Before joining Brunswick, Tony was in the legal sector having worked in the Washington DC office of Morrison & Foerster LLP and in judicial chambers at the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He is a licensed attorney admitted to practice law in the State of New Jersey and in the District of Columbia.

Stephen E. Baskin

Stephen Baskin is a partner on the Intellectual Property, Patent, Trademark and Copyright Litigation team at King & Spalding. With over 20 years of experience, Steve is a first-chair trial lawyer with substantial experience representing technology companies in patent litigation, licensing and trade secret disputes, and other complex matters. His litigation and trial experience is broad and has included the representation of some of the largest and most well-known companies, including airlines, financial services institutions, manufacturing, technology, telecommunications and consumer products. Steve is also very involved in the community and public affairs. He chairs the Corporate Area Board for the American Cancer Society and serves on the Board of Directors for ThanksUSA and DC Appleseed.

Chaplain (BG) Ed Brandt
U.S. Army (Retired) 

Ed Brandt is the Pastor of Lely Presbyterian Church and comes to the Naples community following nearly 32 years of service in the National Guard. His last assignment was Chief Chaplain, National Guard Bureau and United States Army, Deputy Chief of Chaplains, Army National Guard. In those roles he provided resources, policies, and training for over 450,000 Soldiers, Airmen and their families. In addition, he provided leadership to over 2500 Army and Air National Guard Chaplains and Chaplain Assistants. Involved with the State Partnership Program, he worked with the Ohio National Guard to help Serbia re-establish their military chaplaincy and had the honor of meeting with the Chief of Chaplains from the Czech Republic, Philippines, and other countries around the world.
 
In 2008 Ed deployed to Iraq serving as a Brigade Chaplain providing pastoral care and worship to over 1200 Soldiers. For his service in Iraq, Ed received the Bronze Star for Meritorious Service. Upon returning home, he continued service as a Chaplain at the National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Virginia, and then as State Chaplain for Delaware. In 2017 he was selected as United States Army Deputy Chief of Chaplains, Army National Guard and in 2018 selected as Chief Chaplain, National Guard Bureau. Ed retired at the rank of Brigadier General in May 2020. When Ed retired, the Delaware National Guard presented the Distinguished Service Cross, and the National Guard Bureau presented the Joint Service Medal, normally reserved for the rank of major general and above.
 
Ed has served congregations in Pennsylvania, Delaware, California, and Michigan. Non-profit Board service includes the American Bible Society, ThanksUSA, the University of Findlay, National Guard Youth Foundation, and OneMoreDay. He was recently elected to the Board of Trustees for Lancaster Theological Seminary, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Ed is a lifelong Rotarian and a Paul Harris Fellow.
 
Ed’s academic degrees include a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College, a Doctor of Ministry from Lancaster Theological Seminary, a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Findlay. He has completed various MBA courses and participated in the Homeland Defense Seminar at Harvard University in 2016.
 
Ed is married with three children, three granddaughters and a beautiful Akita named Brownie. 

Ross Brown

Ross Brown is the head of the US Navy and Marine Corps markets at LMI. Prior to joining LMI, Ross served almost three decades in the US Army and among his assignments he had the privilege to command the 3d Squadron 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment in combat (Sunni Triangle of Death, Iraq); command a Joint Task Force in Central America as a Colonel; and serve on the Army (Office of the Chief of Staff, Army), Joint (JCS,J5) and OSD (Policy) staffs. After retiring from the Army, Ross served as an SES (Senior Executive Service) in the Department of Defense (Office of the SECDEF) and subsequently led JPMorgan Chase’s Military and Veterans Affairs office on Wall Street followed by two other executive positions in the private sector prior to joining LMI. Ross earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point and a master’s degree in Organizational Development from the University of Louisville.​

Rhett Butler


As Vice President of Sales for Intelligent Decisions, Rhett Butler leads an organization that is focused on supporting customers and partners within the Department of Defense, the United States Federal Government, and the Intelligence Community. In this role, Rhett is directly responsible for the success, growth, focus, and motivation of the Intelligent Decisions Sales Organization.  

With his experience in virtually every facet of the sales process at Intelligent Decisions, Rhett’s role as Vice President of Sales represents a legacy of consistency, customer focus, and proven methodologies that the company has been built upon. It is these qualities, combined with his proven track record for delivering results and leading a high-performing sales team, that have helped to deliver the tremendous success and growth Intelligent Decisions has experienced.

Since joining Intelligent Decisions in 2001, Rhett has been a very active participant in the company’s philanthropic endeavors to benefit ThanksUSA, The Tiger Woods Foundation, The George B. Thomas Saturday School and the Camaraderie Foundation. It is his belief that supporting organizations where we live and work is essential to fostering a strong sense of community. Rhett holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. As the proud son of a U.S. Army Veteran, he is honored to serve on the Board of ThanksUSA and support the inspiring work of the foundation.

Zahid Butt MD, FACG


Dr. Zahid Butt is Founder and CEO of Medisolv, Inc., a software company dedicated to data analytics with a focus on improving quality, safety and cost in hospitals and health systems. He provides overall strategic vision and as subject matter expert, hands-on assistance throughout the product development life cycle. Medisolv software is ranked number one in the country for Quality management in the Best in KLAS national ranking for healthcare IT solutions. More than 700 hospitals and 4,500 physician use Medisolv products for their quality and safety management, regulatory reporting and value based population health analytics needs.

Zahid is an active participant as an expert in many national panels including US Health and Human Services and the National Quality Forum for the development and implementation of electronic quality measures. Zahid co-founded and served as the first President of Digestive Disease Associates (DDA), a full-service provider of gastroenterology services. The corporation currently has 17 gastroenterologists, seven offices and two free-standing Endoscopy centers in Baltimore and Howard County. He is also a Senior Attending Physician at Howard County General Hospital and has served on the Quality Assurance, Credentials and Appeals Committees. He serves on the US Advisory Committee for the International Consortium of Healthcare Outcomes (ICHOM) and the Performance Measurement Workgroup for the State of Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission, among others.

General George W. Casey, Jr.
U.S. Army (Retired)

General George W. Casey, Jr. is one of the most accomplished soldiers in U.S. history and an authority on strategic leadership. As the 36th Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army from April 2007 to 2011, General Casey led what is arguably the world’s largest and most complex organization — 1.1 million people strong, with a $200+ billion annual budget — during one of the most extraordinary periods in military and global political history. He is widely credited with restoring balance to the war-weary U.S. Army, modernizing and leading the transformation necessary to defend our nation in the 21st Century, and ensuring the current force deployed in the war on terror was the best this country has ever fielded.

Prior to this, from July 2004 to February 2007, he commanded the Multi-National Force – Iraq, a coalition of more than 30 countries. General Casey guided the Iraq mission through its toughest days. He led cultural change in the US Armed Forces and built the Iraqi security institutions to set the conditions for our longterm success. On the homefront, General Casey has been a stalwart advocate for military families, expanding programs for the wounded, addressing the tough issues of substance abuse and suicide, reducing the stigma of combat stress and trauma, and providing long term support for survivors of the fallen.

The son of George William Casey, the decorated Major General who commanded the 1st Cavalry Division during the Vietnam War — and himself a father of a son who served — General George W. Casey, Jr. has enjoyed a long career of exemplary service as an American soldier. He was commissioned a second lieutenant of Infantry from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in 1970. Throughout his career, he served in operational assignments in Germany, Italy, Egypt, Bosnia, Iraq, and the United States. General Casey holds a master's degree in International Relations from Denver University and served as a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council of the United States.

Known for his vision, candor, integrity and humor. General Casey’s story is one of personal courage and commitment to excellence. His great love of country and his life of service and sacrifice form the basis of his viewpoints on leadership, vision, organizational culture, and leading transformational change.

Felicia Dellanini-Harrison

Since 2014, Felicia Dellanini-Harrison has worked with the CEO/Chairman of Red Cloud Food Services, Inc. in the capacity as Director, overseeing all corporate operations. Additionally, she has been at the forefront of organizing and promoting the Heartland 4 Heroes/ThanksUSA Golf Tournament each year in Brentwood, Tennessee.
 
Felicia previously supervised the retail portfolio and was responsible for the daily operations of all shopping centers in the Chicagoland area. Her responsibilities included overseeing all management staff, property operational items, maintenance, collecting accounts receivable budget preparation and approval, lease administration and tenant and client relations. Felicia has over 25 years of experience in retail property management. She worked for Mid America Asset Management, Inc. for 11 years, as a V.P., managing a portfolio of major projects for clients such as Invesco Realty Advisors, Smithfield Properties, Ohio State Police and Fireman’s Fund, Alecta Investment Management, and Oliver McMillan, while also over-seeing a team of managers and their portfolios. Prior to that, she worked for Glenborough Corporation for five years, managing, leasing and marketing a multi-state portfolio consisting of approximately 120 tenants. 
  
Felicia holds a Bachelors in Business Management from St. Leo College, received her ICSC SCSM designation, and is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). She is designated as an R.P.A. through BOMA National, holds an Illinois Real Estate Brokers License, a Florida Real Estate Brokers License, and a Tennessee Real Estate Broker’s License.

Andrew Don

As National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporations (CFC’s) Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Andrew Don is responsible for the oversight of CFC’s Treasury and Finance groups and the Generation and Transmission portfolio management function. He was appointed CFO in 2013.

The Treasury and Finance Group has responsibility for directing all capital acquisition development activities for short-term and long-term funding, interest rate hedging strategies and execution, banking and investor relations, rating agency liaison, development of new financial products, secondary market activities, and the loan syndication function on behalf of CFC borrowers. Don also is responsible for general and loan accounting, SEC reporting, financial statements, annual operating budget and taxes.

In April 2014, Don assumed management responsibility for CFC’s Generation and Transmission portfolio management function, which includes the member services, credit underwriting and lending function to Generation and Transmission cooperatives.

Don joined CFC in September 1999 as Director of Loan Syndications, became Vice President of Capital Market Relations in June 2005, and was named Treasurer in 2010. Prior to joining CFC, he held the position of Vice President and Manager of the Washington, DC, Loan Production Office for The Bank of Tokyo–Mitsubishi. Don started his banking career with the Bank of Montreal in New York in 1984 and subsequently was a Vice President for Corporate Banking for The Bank of New York from 1987 to 1990.

Born in Nairobi, Kenya, he received a B.A. from Dickinson College in Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from Fordham University of New York.

Lawrence Duncan III

Lawrence (“Larry”) Duncan III is a Democratic government affairs expert, strategic business consultant, and corporate attorney with over twenty-five years of experience representing Fortune 500 companies and national trade associations in Washington, D.C.
 
Larry is a partner at Monument Advocacy, a boutique government relations, strategic communications and public affairs firm specializing in managing complex public policy issues. He provides strategic advice, legislative advocacy and counsel to clients across multiple business sectors, including technology, media, financial services, transportation and defense. Before joining Monument in 2020, Larry was the founder and president of Potomac Policy Advisors LLC, where he advised several major technology companies on a range of issues. Previously, Larry was a senior corporate government affairs executive at Lockheed Martin with responsibility for federal and state government affairs, strategic political engagement, and community affairs. Prior to that, Larry was a legislative and regulatory attorney at two major Washington, D.C. law firms, Patton Boggs and Verner Liipfert. Larry began his career as a member of the U.S. Senate floor staff, where he worked for the Secretary of the U.S. Senate.
 
Larry is active in the Washington, D.C. community. He serves on the Board of Trustees for Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. He also is an active supporter of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the National African American Museum of History and Culture.
 
Larry holds a B.A. in Government from Harvard University and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. He resides in Potomac, Maryland with his spouse Janell and their two children.

General Ann E. Dunwoody
U.S. Army (Retired)

In November of 2008, General Dunwoody became the first woman in military history to achieve the rank of four-star general. She had already been the first woman to command a battalion in the 82nd Airborne Division, and Fort Bragg’s first female general officer in 2000. General Dunwoody is the former commanding general of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, which is one of the largest commands in the Army with more than 69,000 employees and presence in all 50 states and 145 countries.

In 2005, General Dunwoody became the Army’s top-ranking female when she received the promotion to lieutenant general (three stars) and became the Army’s deputy chief of staff, G-4 (logistics), at the Pentagon. During her more than 30 years as a quartermaster corps officer she led many organizations at home and abroad, commanding at every level.

General Dunwoody deployed to Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Shield/Operation Desert Storm in 1990. In 2001, as the 1st Corps support command commander, she deployed the logistics task force in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and stood up the Joint Logistics Command in Uzbekistan in support of the combined joint task force. Later, as commander of surface deployment and distribution command, she supported the largest deployment and redeployment of U.S. forces since WWII. She officially retired after 38 years of service in 2012.

General​ Dunwoody has recently been appointed to the board of directors of L-3 Communications, which employs over 51,000 people worldwide. She is also on the board of LMI, a well-respected government consulting firm, and Republic Services, Inc. She is a member of The Aspen Institute's Franklin Project Leadership Council. Her husband, Colonel Craig Brotchie, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), sits on the Board of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

Alex Ehrlich

Alex Ehrlich was most recently Managing Director of Morgan Stanley, and was globally responsible for the firm's Prime Brokerage business. He was also a member of the firm's Equity Operating Committee.

Alex joined Morgan Stanley in August 2009 following six years as Global Head of Prime Services at UBS. He spent the prior 22 years at Goldman Sachs, where he served as global co-head of that firm's Prime Brokerage business from 1998-2003.

Alex is married with three children and lives in New York.

Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr.

Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., is president and CEO of the American Gaming Association (AGA). In his role as the chief executive of the AGA, Fahrenkopf is the national advocate for the commercial casino industry and is responsible for positioning the association to address regulatory, political and educational issues affecting the industry.

A lawyer by profession, Frank gained national prominence during the 1980s when he served as chairman of the Republican Party for six of President Ronald Reagan's eight years in the White House (1983-1989). When Frank retired in January 1989, he had served as chairman of the Republican National Committee longer than any person in the 20th century (and second-longest in the history of the party) and led the party through two successful presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988.

Frank continues to serve in a variety of political capacities. He presently is co-chairman of the Commission on Presidential Debates, which conducts the general election presidential and vice presidential debates in presidential election years. He co-founded the commission in 1986 with Democratic National Committee chairman Paul Kirk. He also was a founder of the National Endowment for Democracy, where he served as vice chairman and a board member from 1983 to 1993. Additionally, he serves as a board member of the International Republican Institute (IRI), which he founded in 1984. He served for many years as chairman of the Pacific Democrat Union and vice chairman of the International Democrat Union, a worldwide association of conservative political parties from the United States, Great Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Japan, Australia, and 20 other nations.

Prior to becoming the AGA's first chief executive on June 1, 1995, Frank was a partner in the Washington, DC, office of Hogan & Hartson, where he chaired the International Trade Practice Group. He specialized in regulatory, legislative and corporate matters for multi-national, foreign and domestic clients. His early legal career included 17 years of practice as a trial and gaming lawyer in Nevada, his home state. In that capacity, he represented clients before Nevada gaming regulatory authorities. Frank served as the first chairman of the American Bar Association (ABA) Committee on Gaming Law and was a founding trustee and president of the International Association of Gaming Attorneys, a worldwide organization of government gaming regulators and private attorneys acting on behalf of licensed gaming enterprises.

Frank has held various positions relating to his legal background. For many years he was a member of the board of trustees of the National Judicial College, the ABA-sponsored judicial education center for federal and state judges; chairman of the Coalition for Justice, a group coordinating the ABA's initiatives to improve the American justice system; and chairman of the Legal Policy Advisory Board of The Washington Legal Foundation. He was a member of the Nevada State Board of Bar Examiners, president of the Washoe County Bar Association and vice president of the Nevada Trial Lawyers Association. He also sits on the board of directors of five New York Stock Exchange public companies: First Republic Bank, Gabelli Equity Trust, Inc., Gabelli Utility Trust, Gabelli Global Multimedia Trust, and Gabelli Dividend and Income Trust.

His civic involvement includes service as chairman of the board of governors of the City Club of Washington, a member of the board of trustees of the E.L. Wiegand Foundation, and a member of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, The Economic Club of Washington and the Federal City Council. Frank also served as a co-chairman of the Rivlin Commission, which investigated and reported on the government of the District of Columbia. He is a member of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and serves as a trustee of the Culinary Institute of America.

Frank is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, and the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California at Berkeley. He and his wife have three daughters. He is an avid golfer, tennis player, and sports enthusiast. 

Elizabeth Frazee

Elizabeth Frazee is co-founder of TwinLogic Strategies and serves as the firm’s CEO. Elizabeth is an attorney and political strategist with over 25 years of experience in Washington. Her career highlights include senior roles on Capitol Hill, executive experience at two leading tech and entertainment companies and experience as an entrepreneur, building TwinLogic.

Named a “Top Lobbyist” by The Hill newspaper, Elizabeth delivers results for her clients by interweaving deep policy understanding with communications, politics and an impressive network of contacts. She is an expert at managing issue campaigns and running coalitions. Elizabeth began her career in DC working for her home state Senator from North Carolina. Later she served as press secretary for the House Energy and Commerce Committee and completed her congressional service running the legislative office of then-freshman Representative Bob Goodlatte, who, 20 years later, serves as Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

As director of government relations at the Walt Disney Company she served as the motion picture industry’s representative in Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) negotiations and worked with Congress and the FTC to enact the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). She joined AOL in the late 90’s as vice president of public policy and ran its Congressional team, serving on the front lines of Internet policy debates and navigating the company’s merger with Time Warner. In 2004, she left AOL TimeWarner, taking the company as her first client, to build a government relations practice which morphed into TwinLogic Strategies when she and co-founder Sharon Ringley launched the firm in 2009. TwinLogic represents some of the most recognized brands in the technology and telecommunications sectors as well as innovative start-ups and non-profits.

Elizabeth earned her law degree from the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America, while working full-time for Congress. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She serves as a member of the board of the R Street Institute and the NRCC’s 218 program. She is also the proud mother of twins who provided the inspiration for the firm’s name. She and her husband, Curtis, live in Virginia.

Jessica Marventano

Jessica Marventano currently serves as Senior Vice President for Government Affairs at iHeartMedia. Prior to joining the company in 2004, she worked as Senior Director/Policy Counsel at Comcast Corporation.

She has extensive legislative experience having served as Republican Majority Counsel for the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, where she was chief advisor on all broadcast, cable and satellite policy issues for the Chairman. Before joining the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, she worked as an associate at the law firm of Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson & Hand. She split her time between the communications and legislative practice groups and worked for a variety of clients including the Walt Disney Company, Qwest, Lockheed Martin, SBC, Ameritech New Media and NBC. She began her work in Washington in the Office of the Honorable Clifford B. Stearns (R-FL) where she served as his Legislative Counsel and covered finance, telecommunications, and judiciary issues.

Ms. Marventano received a J.D. from Western New England College School of Law in 1994, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Stonehill College in 1991. She is the co-chair of the Corporate Roundtable for The Phillips Collection, a member of Board of Directors of Running Start and sits on the Board of Trustees of The Media Institute. In addition to her philanthropic work, she is licensed and trained in both business and social etiquette and is active in those areas. She resides in Virginia with her family.

Mrs. Deborah Mullen

A Navy spouse for 43 years, Deborah and her husband, Admiral Mike Mullen, have lived on naval installations on both coasts and overseas in the Philippines and Italy. They returned to Washington, DC in 2005. Admiral Mullen retired from the U.S. Navy in 2011 after 43 years of distinguished serviced. Prior to his retirement Admiral Mullen served as the 28th Chief of Naval Operations and the 17th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
 
Mrs. Mullen is a staunch advocate of military families, surviving family members, homeless veterans, and family readiness efforts. She met with spouses at military installations at home and abroad to get at the heart of the issues affecting their quality of life. She served on the board of Naval Services FamilyLine for five years and was also a member of the FamilyLine committee that developed the COMPASS program. COMPASS is a peer-based mentoring program developed by Navy spouses for new Navy spouses to enhance their knowledge through experience to meet the challenges of the military lifestyle. She served twice as Chairman of the New Flag Officer Training Symposium spouse committee and served for five years as the senior spouse advisor to the Navy’s Command Spouse Leadership Course in Newport, RI. 
 
Mrs. Mullen is the proud sponsor of the USS Dewey (DDG 105). The Dewey was commissioned in Seal Beach, CA on March 6, 2010 and is currently homeported in San Diego, CA.
 
Mrs. Mullen serves on the Board of Directors of ThanksUSA. ThanksUSA provides needs-based scholarships and pathways to employment for children and spouses of our troops. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS). TAPS provides compassionate care and resources to those families grieving the loss of their loved one who served our country in uniform.  She serves on the Board of Directors of the 1887 Fund. The goal of the 1887 Fund is to return the West Los Angeles Veteran Campus to be a home for veterans and to restore the original five buildings on the campus beginning with the Wadsworth Chapel. Mrs. Mullen is an honorary member of the Emeritus Board of Easterseals DC MD VA. Easterseals provides services, education, outreach, employment support, and advocacy to people living with disabilities, military, veterans, and their families. She also serves on the Harvard Business School’s Advisory Board.

Laura A. Odell

Laura Odell is the KPMG US Global Department of Defense (DoD) leader. She is a "hands-on," operationally focused leader specializing in integrating the financial and acquisition domains while leveraging new and/or existing interfaces across the enterprise. In this role, she develops and translates complex requirements (people, process, technology, risk) into a set of feasible solutions that are ultimately rendered in an electronic environment.

Laura's primary focus and responsibilities are client facing. However, she is responsible for internally driven initiatives that match world-wide industry trends as a member of the Executive Steering group for the Business Performance Services. She is highly involved in the Department of Defense and the communities of organizations that support military families. She has recently received the Ascendency award for which Industry leaders nominate peers to recognize excellence in mentorship.

Laura identifies the right balance between risk and performance by linking operational process controls to an organization's strategic objectives. She has managed and developed progressively complex projects where business and technology requirements intersect. Her experience working for the Federal government in Civilian Service positions ranges from major Department of Defense weapons systems acquisitions for the F/A-18 aircraft program to MILCON projects in the Pacific Rim. Her first job as a civilian servant was as a flight test engineer at the Strike aircraft directorate for the Navy in Patuxent River, Maryland. More recently she has led and directly participated in designing enterprise architecture artifacts to C4ISR methodology standards (including procure-to-pay, hire-to retire value streams and the Standard Financial Information Structure) for business transformation projects. Ms. Odell is Lean Six Sigma certified.

Laura's combined knowledge of business intelligence, performance metrics and logistics applications, has enabled her to assist public sector agencies to develop independent cost estimates and streamline financial management, procurement, valuation, accounting, and data reporting systems. Laura's broad background includes direct operational support for the Warfighter aboard aircraft carriers, as an engineer on advanced research and development (R&D) programs, internationally (Japan, Korea, Guam), supporting Aerospace and Defense commercial companies, and as a Partner at a Big Four accounting firm.

Laura resides in Virginia with her husband Captain David Graff. They have one daughter, Dr. Danielle Graff, and three very spoiled canines.

Deanna Tanner Okun

Deanna Tanner Okun, a Republican of Idaho, was nominated to the ITC by President William J. Clinton on November 10, 1999, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on November 19, 1999. She was sworn in as a member of the Commission on January 3, 2000, for a term expiring on June 16, 2008. She served as Chairman of the ITC from June 17, 2002, to June 16, 2004. She served two separate terms as Vice Chairman of the ITC, from June 17, 2004, to June 16, 2006, and from June 17, 2000, to June 16, 2002.

Prior to her appointment, Commissioner Okun served as counsel for international affairs to Senator Frank Murkowski (R-AK) from 1993-1999, where she was responsible for the international trade issues with which the Senator was involved as a member of the Senate Finance Committee. She also handled international energy and foreign relations issues for the Senator in his position as Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Earlier, Commissioner Okun served as a legislative assistant to Senator Murkowski, where she was responsible for his Foreign Relations Committee work, with an emphasis on East Asian affairs. Prior to her work with the Senator, Commissioner Okun was an associate attorney and member of the International Trade Group at the Washington, DC, law firm of Hogan & Hartson. Earlier in her career, she was a research associate specializing in trade at the Competitive Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC.

Commissioner Okun holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science with honors from Utah State University and received her J.D. with honors from the Duke University School of Law. She is originally from Paul, Idaho. Currently, Commissioner Okun resides in McLean, Virginia, with her husband, Bob Okun, and has two daughters, Rachel and Kelsi.

Kelsi Okun
Co-Founder

Kelsi Okun co-founded ThanksUSA with her older sister Rachel in 2005. After graduating from National Cathedral School, where she served as a sophomore class president, service board representative, and student body president, she now attends Stanford University. A recipient of the Caring Award, Jefferson Award, and the Guardian Award, Kelsi is continuously grateful and humbled to have grown up alongside this charity and is excited to continue working with the organization throughout college and beyond.

Rachel Okun
Co-Founder

Rachel Okun co-founded ThanksUSA with her younger sister Kelsi in 2005. She graduated in American Studies from Yale University in May 2019, winning the Norman Holmes Pearson Prize for her thesis, “Middle School Sucks: The History of an American Cliché.” She now works in the New York Catskills at the Center for Discovery, which offers services to 1,200 people with complex disabilities and medical frailties. She designs programming to fortify the round-the-clock staff, which means that, 15 years later, she has not strayed far from ThanksUSA’s own mission of taking care of caretakers.

General David Perkins
​U.S. Army (Retired)

GEN David Perkins retired from the Army in 2018, after more than 30 years of distinguished service. GEN Perkins assumed command of the US Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) in 2014. Under his leadership TRADOC developed the Army’s concept of Multi Domain Operations. Among many of his accomplishments, the Army stood up the Cyber Center of Excellence, which is now the leader in cyber training operations. Prior to commanding TRADOC, GEN Perkins was the commander of the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson and the Commander of the Combined Arms Center and commandant of the US Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, where he was the lead for synchronizing leader development across the Army, the management of the Army’s training support and training development enterprises, and the development and integration of the doctrine the Army uses around the world.

Peter L. Thoren

Peter L. Thoren is Executive Vice President of Access Industries, a privately held, U.S.-based industrial group with long-term investments worldwide and offices in New York, London and Moscow. Access’s industrial focus spans three key sectors: natural resources and chemicals; media and telecommunications; and real estate.

Representative companies in the Access portfolio of investments include LyondellBasell Industries (the world’s third largest independent chemical company), TNK-BP (a vertically integrated oil major), UC RUSAL (the world’s largest vertically integrated aluminum producer), and Warner Music Group. Peter serves on various corporate boards within Access’s investment portfolio.

Before joining Access in 2001, Peter was Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Walker Digital Corporation, the founder of Priceline.com. Previously, he served in management positions with Salomon Inc and Citigroup and was a litigation attorney with Rogers & Wells law firm in New York.

Peter also serves on the boards of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, the Center for National Policy, the US-Russia Business Council, CIBAM (at the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge), and The Connecticut Appleseed Foundation. He is a member of The Economic Club of New York and a corporate member of both the Council of Foreign Relations and Business Executives for National Security (BENS).

Peter graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Phi Beta Kappa) and has degrees from the London School of Economics and Political Science and Georgetown University Law Center. He is a member of the New York State Bar. He is married and has three children.

Colonel John "Lanier" Ward
​U.S. Army (Retired)

Lanier Ward is a proven executive of vision with a record of excellence in organizational leadership, rapid acquisitions, and policy development while directing global, complex institutions ranging from 30 to 32K employees. As a newly retired Army Colonel, Lanier possesses a broad background of organizational leadership and operational experiences.
 
He served in Macedonia and had three deployments to Iraq. During his second Iraq tour in 2003, he was wounded and spent a year recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center, later serving as part of the inspiration for ThanksUSA. His following success resulted in his selection as the Commander of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment and the Chief of Staff of 1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss (the Army’s second-largest installation).
 
In March 2016, Lanier became the Director of the U.S. Army Rapid Equipping Force (REF). His organization provided rapid material solutions for urgent combat requirements by harnessing current and emerging technologies in areas as diverse as Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS), Electronic Warfare (EW), tactical Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR), communications, and energy solutions.
 
His policy experience included assignments both in and out of the Pentagon. After recovering from his injuries, he served as a Fellow, National Defense University (2004-2006) where he supported the Joint Staff J5 and developed several strategic games adopted by the White House and CIA. He returned to Baghdad in 2010 and served as the director for operations and plans for the 1st Armored Division. In 2015, the Chief of Staff of the Army selected Lanier to serve in his Strategic Studies Group tasked to generate innovative concepts for the Army.
 
Lanier is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He received a Master of Administration from Central Michigan University and later a Master of National Strategy and Strategic Studies from the Air War College. He has multiple military awards including the Army Distinguished Service Medal and the Purple Heart. He and his daughter Allie reside in Virginia.

Emeritus Directors

Major General Jack Catton
U.S. Air Force (Retired)

Jack Catton is the Vice President for Precision Engagement Systems for Boeing. He reports to the Vice President for Air Force Programs, IDS Business Development. Jack is responsible for sustaining and improving Air Force customer relationships and shaping both DoD and Air Force decisions on Boeing Precision Engagement Systems. He leads Air Force business development efforts and strategies to keep programs sold, capture new programs, and grow IDS businesses in Precision Engagement and Advanced Systems. Jack coordinates program, congressional, and public policy interaction to ensure full funding for Air Force programs. He is also responsible for synchronization of customer engagement by field offices and senior advisors for all Air Force Precision Engagement campaigns.

Prior to joining Boeing in February 2008, Jack served over 31 years in the USAF, retiring in the rank of Major General. A command pilot and instructor, Jack logged over 2,650 flying hours in single seat fighter aircraft. He commanded at the squadron, group and wing level with tours in the CONUS, Europe and Pacific. In addition to his operational assignments, he served on the Air Staff, NATO Staff, Joint Staff, and as Inspector General of Pacific Air Forces. Jack culminated his Air Force career at Air Combat Command as the Director of Requirements, where he was responsible for the definition of operational requirements for the Combat Air Forces, and the oversight of 260 modernization programs.

Timothy H. Gillis

Timothy H. Gillis has 30 years of professional experience as a business, legal, and tax professional, serving Fortune 500 and mid-market companies in diverse industries. He joined KPMG as a partner in 1998 and has progressively worked as a client service partner, team leader, national service line leader, regional managing partner, and a global business leader. He served on the KPMG LLP Board of Directors from 2008-2013 and served as the Lead Director from 2012-2013. Tim is a 2006 graduate of the KPMG Chairman’s 25 leadership development program.

​He has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center since 2008, where he teaches a global comparative tax law class. Tim began his career as an auditor with Arthur Young & Company; and he practiced law for seven years with the law firm of Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan, LLP (now Eversheds Sutherland).

He is currently active in community organizations in the following ways:
  • Board of Trustees, George Mason University Foundation
  • Board of Directors, American Heart Association – Greater Washington Region (Chair, 2012-2013)
  • Board of Directors, Living Classrooms, National Capital Region
  • Founding Member, Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy (The .300 Club)

Tim graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Accounting from Pensacola Christian College in 1985 and magna cum laude with a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1991. At Georgetown, Tim was a member of the Order of the Coif, served on the Georgetown Law Journal, and received the Tamm Memorial Award for best student writing on the Georgetown Law Journal. He now has four adult children. On a personal level, he enjoys global travel, golf, the Atlanta Braves and Falcons, the Georgetown Hoyas basketball team, and writing poetry.  

Lieutenant General Normand G. Lezy
U.S. Air Force (Retired)

Norm Lezy is principal of Lezy Strategies, LLC, a firm focused on providing government and corporate affairs guidance. Norm retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1999, following 34 years of service, at the grade of Lieutenant General. He spent more than a dozen years in senior level assignments at the Pentagon, which gave him broad experience in defense and legislative matters in the Washington, DC arena.

Before Norm retired from active duty he was the senior military officer on Secretary of Defense William Cohen’s staff and was the principal advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness) on all personnel policies for all branches of the U.S. military. In that capacity he was responsible for policies affecting active duty and retired military personnel, veterans and their dependents. Norm developed and oversaw a wide range of Department of Defense policies and programs governing officer and enlisted accessions, compensation, professional military education, officer and enlisted force management, and the discharge review process. In connection with those policies and programs he was tasked as coordinator and arbitrator with Congress, the Office of Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the military departments, the services, and various other federal agencies.

Norm also served as the Director of the Air Force Legislative Liaison. In that position he was the point man for the Air Force on Capitol Hill. Norm worked closely with the Secretary and Under Secretary of the Air Force and the Air Force Chief of Staff serving as principal advisor on legislative matters relating to weapons systems procurement, personnel, recruiting, congressional travel, member inquiries, foreign military sales, logistics, commissaries and exchanges, and healthcare. Norm was also Director of Air Force Services, where he was responsible for developing the Moral Welfare Recreation/Services model that the Air Force uses today. In this position he had worldwide policy and oversight responsibility for over 2500 activities such as food service, recreation, child care, lodging, clubs, fitness centers, golf courses, and more. While in that position Norm was also the senior Air Force member on the Army and Air Force Exchange Service and Defense Commissary Agency Advisory Boards.

Over the course of his Air Force career, Normand held key posts overseas where he was called upon to interface with senior diplomatic and defense officials in Europe, Scandinavia, and the Pacific Rim. As a base commander in Germany, he was responsible for all support operations for a Tactical Reconnaissance Wing including air base defense, security, law enforcement, and liaison with the German military and government. Norm also commanded a special unit in Norway where he was responsible for NATO support activities involving the U.S. Embassy and the Norwegian military and government. Following retirement from the Air Force, Norm was selected to spearhead the opening of Walmart Stores’ first National Government Relations Office in D.C. He went on to serve as Walmart’s Vice-President of Corporate Affairs, retiring in 2005.

Norm received his B.A. degree in Government and AFROTC Commission from St. Michaels College and his M.A. degree in Management from Webster University. He is a graduate of the Joint Armed Forces Staff College, the Air Force Air War College, the University of New Hampshire-Whittemore School of Business Senior Executive Development Program, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology National Security Executive Development Program. He has served on the Board of Trustees for ThanksUSA, the Air Force Aid Society, and Kaplan University, is on the Hawaii State Junior Golf Association Advisory Council, and is a past independent director of the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) of America.

The Honorable Rod Paige, Ed.D.

Former United States Secretary of Education (2001-2005) Dr. Paige has assembled a team of independent, strategic advisors -- individuals with deep rooted academic and business experience and a shared passion for improving the future for children by improving the way they learn -- to co-found the Chartwell Education Group. Together they offer solutions for the 21st Century challenges faced by the public and private sector enterprises, with competency in primary, secondary and higher education, both in the United States and globally. As Secretary of Education, Dr. Paige was an unstinting advocate of student achievement, employing "best of breed" solutions to achieve results towards the Department's goal of raising national standards of educational excellence.

​He earned his reputation for seeking out and implementing innovative approaches to systemic academic improvement when he served as Dean of the College of Education at Texas Southern University. While there, he established the university's Center for Excellence in Urban Education. Dr. Paige has also shown a knack for inclusive leadership, first as a trustee and then as Superintendent of the Houston Independent School District, the nation's seventh largest district. In 2001, he was named National Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators. Dr. Paige, who served as a Public Policy Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, brings a global perspective to the Chartwell Education Group. It is his desire to export the best practices and products for education that the United States has to offer and to import those that have been successful in other countries. Dr. Paige believes that the Chartwell Education Group can have a significant impact on the future of nations with education systems undergoing transition.

"No nation, whatever the size of its armed forces or economy can sustain greatness unless it educates all, not just some, of its citizens. Students must be challenged by high standards, teachers must be armed with proper resources, parents must be empowered with information and choices."

Major General Hawthorne L. Proctor
U.S. Army (Retired)

Major General Hawthorne L. (Peet) Proctor, U.S. Army (Retired), received his Commission in 1968 as a distinguished military graduate from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University where he earned a bachelor's degree in Agricultural Economics. He received a master's degree in Public Administration from Central Michigan University in 1976. 

After entering the Army in 1969, his military schooling includes the Quartermaster Basic and Advanced Courses, the Command and General Staff College (CGSC), the Army War College, and Executive Management Development Training at the University of California at Berkeley.

During his illustrious military career, he served as a flag officer as the Director of Plans and Operations, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics at the Pentagon; 26th Commander of the Defense Personnel Support Center and the first Commander of the Defense Supply Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (DSCP) He was subsequently assigned as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics and Operations, U.S. Army Materiel Command, Alexandria, Virginia and later went on to become the 46th Quartermaster General of the Army, Fort Lee, Virginia where he was responsible for the accession, training, leader development, equipment development and professional development for the Army's largest logistics branch consisting of some 126,000 service members in the Active and Reserve Components.

MG (R) Proctor culminated his career as the J3 (Chief Operating Officer), Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), Fort Belvoir, Virginia, in December 2003. His awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal (two awards), Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (four awards), Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (four awards), Joint Services Commendation Medal and the Army Commendation Medal (three awards). He is authorized to wear the General Staff Identification Badge and the Air Assault Badge. 

MG Proctor retired from the Army in 2004 after 35 years of service. He is currently serving as the Managing Partner in Proctor & Boone LLC and also sits on the Boards of Directors of the National Industries for the Blind and a Fortune 500 company based in Michigan.

Advisory Council

  • ​RADM Richard A. Buchanan, USN (Ret)
  • Mrs. Sheila Casey, USA
  • Mrs. Eva-Marie Chandler, USAF
  • Sharon Chase
  • ​​SGT Ronald Drach, USA (Ret)
  • CCM Mike Ferraro, USAF (Ret)
  • Mrs. Dawn Goldfein, USAF
  • CPT Dawn Halfaker, USA (Ret)
  • ​SgtMaj Alford McMichael, USMC (Ret)
  • ​Lt Gen Kenneth Minihan, USAF (Ret)
  • LTG John W. Morgan III, USA (Ret)
  • ​​Lt Gen Tad Oelstrom, USAF (Ret)
  • Meg O'Grady
  • Caroline Suplizio

Congressional Advisory Board

U.S. House of Representatives

  • ​Representative Andy Barr
  • Representative Joyce Beatty
  • Representative Julia Brownley
  • Representative Mike Burgess
  • Representative Cheri Bustos
  • Representative G.K. Butterfield
  • Representative Tony Cardenas
  • Representative Judy Chu
  • Representative David Cicilline
  • Representative Yvette Clarke
  • Representative Gerry Connolly
  • ​Representative Joe Courtney
  • Representative Henry Cuellar
  • Representative Debbie Dingell
  • Representative Lloyd Doggett
  • Representative Mike Doyle
  • Representative John Garamendi
  • Representative Paul Gosar
  • Representative Raul Grijalva
  • ​Representative Jody Hice
  • Representative Jim Himes
  • Representative Bill Huizenga
  • Representative Bill Johnson
  • ​Representative Jim Jordan
  • Representative Mike Kelly
  • Representative Dan Kildee
  • Representative Ron Kind
  • Representative Adam Kinzinger
  • Representative Doug Lamborn
  • Representative Zoe Lofgren
  • Representative Barry Loudermilk
  • Representative Blaine Luetkemeyer
  • Representative Steve Lynch
  • Representative Carolyn Maloney
  • Representative Michael McCaul
  • ​​Representative Gregory Meeks
  • Representative Richie Neal
  • Representative Dan Newhouse
  • Representative Donald Norcross
  • Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton
  • Representative Steven Palazzo
  • Representative Scott Peters
  • Representative Bill Posey
  • Representative Mike Quigley
  • Representative Tom Rice
  • Representative Cedric Richmond
  • Representative Hal Rogers
  • Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard
  • Representative Dutch Ruppersberger
  • Representative Bobby Rush
  • Representative John Sarbanes
  • Representative Adam Schiff
  • Representative Austin Scott
  • ​Representative Adrian Smith
  • Representative Jackie Speier
  • Representative Chris Stewart
  • Representative Mark Takano
  • Representative Norma Torres
  • Representative Fred Upton
  • Representative Mark Veasey
  • Representative Tim Walberg
  • Representative Maxine Waters
  • Representative Randy Weber
  • Representative Dan Webster
  • Representative Joe Wilson
  • Representative Freddi Wilson
  • Representative Rob Wittman
  • Representative Steve Womack
  • Representative Don Young

U.S. Senate

  • Senator Roy Blunt
  • Senator John Boozman
  • Senator Richard Burr
  • Senator Chris Coons
  • ​Senator Mike Crapo
  • Senator Tammy Duckworth
  • Senator Lindsey Graham
  • Senator Mazie Hirono
  • Senator John Hoeven
  • ​Senator Joe Manchin
  • Senator Lisa Murkowski
  • Senator James Risch
  • Senator Brian Schatz
  • Senator Richard Shelby
  • Senator Chris Van Hollen
  • Senator Mark Warner
  • Senator Sheldon Whitehouse
  • Senator Roger Wicker​