DEFENSE ALLIANCE OF NORTH CAROLINA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Board
- Senior Vice President of Finance and Contracts for RTI International 's Social
- SVP of Finance and Contracts for SSES, RTI International
- Treasurer / RTI International
Andrew Cox is the Senior Vice President of Finance and Contracts for RTI International's Social, Statistical, and Environmental Sciences (SSES). SSES, the largest of RTI's business units with annual revenues of more than $700M and more than 3,000 staff, conducts a variety of research, development, and technical assistance projects primarily for the U.S. domestic public sector. Much of the SSES portfolio involves large-scale data collection and management with an emphasis on complex methodological, statistical, and epidemiological approaches to important public policy issues in health, environment, education, economics, public policy, and social welfare. Andrew has been a part of the RTI organization since 2015 and is responsible for leading the financial growth strategy.
Prior to RTI, Andrew served as Vice President of Merger Integration and Improvement for Duke Energy. In this role, he had responsibility for designing and implementing an enterprise continuous improvement discipline and deliver on merger commitments.
Andrew joined Progress Energy (Duke Energy subsidiary post 2012 merger) in 2001 and held various leadership roles, including Director of Power Operations Finance; Manager of Progress Ventures Business Services; and Manager of Progress Ventures Risk and Financial Analysis.
A native of Massachusetts, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and a Master of Business Administration degree in finance from North Carolina State University.
Andrew and his wife, Mary, have three sons and live in Raleigh.
BG William J. Gothard was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Infantry upon graduation from the University of Dayton with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1978 and was assigned to the 82d Airborne Division as a Rifle Platoon Leader.
BG Gothard served over 36 years in a variety of Infantry, Special Operations and command assignments, retiring in May 2014 as the Deputy Commanding General - Support, 81 st Regional Support Command, Ft. Jackson, SC. Since April of 2015, BG Gothard has served as the Science and Technology Division Chief for the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Ft. Bragg, NC.
BG Gothard's education includes the Infantry Officer's Basic and Advanced Courses, the Civil Affairs Officer Advanced Course, the Special Forces Qualification Course, the Army's Command and General Staff Officer's Course, the Defense Acquisition University Advanced Program Management Course, the U.S. Air Force Air War College and the U.S. Army War College. He also graduated from the Airborne, Ranger, Jumpmaster, and Military Freefall Schools. BG Gothard holds a Master of Arts degree in Management from Webster University, a Master of Strategic Studies degree in National Security Studies from the U.S. Army War College, and a certificate in National Security Management from Syracuse University.
BG Gothard's awards and decorations include the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, Special Forces Tab, Ranger Tab, Combat and Expert Infantry Badges, Expert Parachutist and Military Freefall Badges. BG Gothard was honored by the award of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine by the Governor of the State of North Carolina in 2014.
Mr. Herrold has 34 years of experience in Federal government contracting, business development, consulting and Washington Representative Services.
He has been a principal partner contributing to all aspects of corporate business, technical and financial development; a key contributor to the growth of a small business from less than $5 million to more than $200 million in annual revenue and its ultimate disposition by acquisition.
He has designed and implemented corporate-wide systems to ensure the highest quality performance in the developing technical products, management, and personnel development and growth in both civilian and national security environments.
He has extensive experience in tracking and responding to Federal agency budget and contracting projections; responding to and implementing changes in Federal procurement policies, laws and regulations; and developing technical analyses and white papers on a range of technology and public policy issues.
He has spent a significant portion of his career supporting the program requirements of the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense, the Department of Labor, the Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Board
- Vice President
- Vice Chair / VP of Large Business Customers, Duke Energy
Chris Edge is the Vice President - Large Business Customers for Duke Energy (www.duke-energy.com). In this role, Chris provides the vision and leadership for the team that is responsible for developing relationships with the company's largest commercial, industrial, governmental, and military customers across Duke Energy's entire franchise gas and electric footprint including Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana. His organization has the unique challenge of understanding the customers' strategic objectives and energy related needs, and then providing services and developing solutions that help these customers to achieve their respective objectives. Prior to this role, Chris has held multiple leadership positions throughout his tenure at Duke Energy and its processor companies overseeing areas that include Customer Policy & Strategy, Energy Efficiency, Demand Response, Product Management, Product Development, Marketing, Emerging Technologies, and Account Management. Outside of his career positions held at Duke Energy, Chris was a founding member and company officer of PowerSecure, Inc. (www.powersecure.com), an energy service company focused on distributed generation, utility infrastructure, and energy efficiency.
Chris has a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering, and a Master of Business Administration.
He and his wife, Heather, have three school-aged children and live in the greater Raleigh, NC area.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Board
- Rear Admiral Navy ( Ret )
Rear Admiral (Ret) Cliff Sharpe's Naval career spanned thirty years. Progressive sea duty assignments culminated in the command of three different ships, a squadron of ships, and ultimately the EISENHOWER Carrier Strike Group. Forward deployed for the entirety of Desert Shield, Desert Storm, 9/11, and repeated tours in the Central Command region, Sharpe had a front row seat for pivotal geopolitical events.
Ashore, Sharpe's duties ranged from English Instructor and Track Coach as a Junior Officer to International Negotiations/Treaty maintenance responsibilities for the Joint Staff as a Senior Officer. He developed broad and specific expertise in workforce development, training and education. In his last Navy assignment, Sharpe served as acting Commander and Chief Operating Officer for Naval Education Training Command (NETC).
Prior to Naval Service, and upon graduation from the University of North Carolina, Cliff was active in the family's North Carolina publishing business. He holds Masters degrees from the University of Rhode Island and the Naval War College.
Cliff and his wife, Brenda, "returned home" to North Carolina with retirement from the Navy and reside in Southern Pines. Cliff has been involved in consulting work, entrepreneurial ventures and civic activities. He is currently running a start up business focused on BioFouling technologies. He serves on the Board of Advisors for the Patriot Foundation, and Board of Directors for Historic Robeson, Ruth Pauley Lectures Series and Institute for the Public Trust.
COL Hayden served as both an Engineer and Judge Advocate Generals (JAG) Corps Officer in the United States Army during a 29 year active military career. Highlights include 12 years in airborne assignments at Fort Bragg, NC; engineer company commander; criminal law professor and department head at the U.S. Army JAG School; senior litigation attorney and branch chief for the U.S. Army Litigation Division; deployment to Afghanistan as the senior legal advisor to the theater commander in 2002-2003; and senior legal advisor to NORAD and the United States Northern Command. He retired in 2005 and moved to Raleigh, North Carolina. COL Hayden is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the National War College.
Upon completion of the requirements for graduation in 1968, General McNeill was awarded a Bachelor of Science and a commission as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry from North Carolina State University and the University's ROTC program. McNeill has served with Special Forces, airborne infantry, mechanized infantry and aviation units. As a general officer, McNeill has commanded the 82nd Airborne Division, XVIII Airborne Corps, U.S. Army Forces Command as well as serving as an assistant division commander, corps chief of staff, deputy corps commander and Deputy Commander/Chief of Staff FORSCOM. In addition to a myriad of assignments to posts throughout the United States, McNeill has served overseas assignments in the Republic of Vietnam, the Republic of Korea, Italy, Panama, Haiti, Saudi/Iraq and Afghanistan. In June, 2008, McNeill completed a final tour of 16 months in command of NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. McNeill retired on July 31, 2008, after completing more than 40 years of commissioned service.
David Hayden joined Smith Anderson in 2011, after serving as the general counsel and board secretary for USfalcon, Inc. David has extensive experience in government contracting, corporate investigations (internal and government) and employment law. He regularly advises companies and their directors and officers on corporate governance matters and other general corporate and business matters. He also represents a variety of defense contractors, advising on a broad range of federal contracting issues such as teaming agreements, subcontract agreements, joint ventures, the Small Business Administration 8(a) Business Development program, International Trafficking in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Corporate Ethics, and organizational conflicts of interest (OCI) compliance issues.
David previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, investigating and prosecuting federal crimes as well as supervising all military attorneys authorized to practice in federal court in eastern North Carolina. He also conducted federal procurement fraud investigations in government contracting as a member of the Department of Justice Procurement Fraud Task Force for the Southeast.
Fred Day is former president and chief executive officer of Progress Energy Carolinas, a regulated electric utility serving 1.4 million customers in North Carolina and South Carolina.
As president and CEO, Day led an organization that included seven customer service and operations departments. Those functions included four regional operations departments, a distribution engineering organization, a transmission department and a customer service organization, including three customer service centers - one in North Carolina and two in Florida.
Day spent his entire career with Progress Energy - formerly CP&L - and held several management positions within the company. He was named senior vice president of Energy Delivery in 1997, executive vice president in 2000, and promoted to president and chief executive officer in 2003. Day retired from Progress Energy during July of 2007.
Currently, Day serves on the boards of directors of the North Carolina State Engineering Foundation and Microcell Corporation. He is a past chair of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. He also is past chair and director of the North Carolina Zoological Society, Eastern North Carolina Industrial Council and Wilmington Industrial Development, Inc. He served on the boards of Advanced Energy Corporation and the North Carolina Economic Development Board.
Day received a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from Mars Hill College. He also is a graduate of Progress Energy's Management Institute at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Day served as the Foundtion's Vice Chair from 2006 to June, 2013.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Board
- USA Retired
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Founder, President & CEO of Grace Federal Solutions
Iris Phillips is the Founder, President & CEO of Grace Federal Solutions, LLC (Grace), a nationally recognized leader in healthcare and digital transformation. Ms. Phillips attended the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.; and North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC. With more than fifteen (15) years of healthcare service administration and management expertise, Ms. Phillips founded Grace as a professional healthcare services company that provides consulting, talent acquisition and information technology solutions and services to government agencies (federal and state), healthcare organizations, and universities. Ms. Phillips also has extensive experience in project management, business development, and human resources management in working with a wide range of national, commercial, state, and federal clients.
As CEO, Ms. Phillips, currently directs the activities of Grace Federal Solutions, LLC to ensure efficiency and economy of operations, on time and accurate delivery of contractual requirements, development, and execution of business strategies.
Iris Phillips is the Founder, President & CEO of Grace Federal Solutions, LLC (Grace), a nationally recognized leader in healthcare and digital transformation. Ms. Phillips attended the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.; and North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC. With more than fifteen (15) years of healthcare service administration and management expertise, Ms. Phillips founded Grace as a professional healthcare services company that provides consulting, talent acquisition and information technology solutions and services to government agencies (federal and state), healthcare organizations, and universities. Ms. Phillips also has extensive experience in project management, business development, and human resources management in working with a wide range of national, commercial, state, and federal clients.
As CEO, Ms. Phillips, currently directs the activities of Grace Federal Solutions, LLC to ensure efficiency and economy of operations, on time and accurate delivery of contractual requirements, development, and execution of business strategies.
Iris is a proud supporter of several community organizations, such as MedAssist and StepUp Durham, and she serves as a supportive mentor to others.
Job Titles:
- Interim Executive Director and Operations Manager for the Center for Defense and Homeland Security
John Bellamy is the Interim Executive Director and Operations Manager for the Center for Defense and Homeland Security (CDHS) at Fayetteville State University (FSU). The CDHS was established in December 2010 and serves as a catalyst in developing the next generation of National Security STEM professionals.
The CDHS focus areas are STEM Education, Emergency Management and National Security Partnerships. John helped establish the CDHS Cybersecurity Academy in 2014, which provides Certification Training in the fields of Information Technology (IT) and Cybersecurity. He works with military officials, business and industry leaders at all levels to help provide opportunities for FSU student internships, scholarships and job placement.
Prior to joining the FSU team, John Bellamy served as Executive Assistant for the BRAC Regional Task Force/Fort Bragg Regional Alliance, where he helped prepare an eleven county region surrounding Fort Bragg for economic growth and infrastructure development resulting from the relocation of Army Reserve Command and Army Forces Command Headquarters from Fort McPherson, GA to Fort Bragg, NC.
John is a retired Navy Veteran who served as Navy Personnel Officer at Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) Fort Bragg.
Job Titles:
- Certified Partner, Marketing Team Chair
Kelly is a partner in the TRP CPAs, PLLC Fayetteville office and is also the firm's Chief Executive Partner (CEP). In his role as CEP, Kelly is responsible for guiding the firm's overall strategy as well as its day-to-day operations. Kelly began his career with PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP in Winston-Salem, NC before joining the firm's Fayetteville office in 1982. His practice experience includes working with small businesses in a variety of areas including tax planning, financial reporting and management advisory services. Kelly's vast experience in the construction industry enables him to provide construction companies with valuable guidance in all areas of their business, from how to maximize their bonding plans to how to strengthen their internal control systems. In his work in the health care industry, Kelly has advised medical practices in areas such as benefit analysis and accounts receivable monitoring. He also has significant experience in working with government contractors in all phases of their business. Kelly has assisted government contractors in the start-up phase to successfully structure their businesses and system designs in order to comply with Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR). Kelly has been serving the Fayetteville community for over 30 years.
General Lance L. Smith served in the United States Military for 37 years and retired January 2008. Most recently he served as Commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command and NATO Supreme Allied Commander for Transformation in Norfolk, Virginia. As Commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command, he was responsible for maximizing present and future military capabilities of the United States by leading the transformation of joint forces in the areas of joint training; joint interoperability; and joint innovation and experimentation.
As Combatant Command Authority for Air Combat Command, Fleet Forces Command, U.S. Army Forces Command and Marine Forces Command, he held operational control over almost 1.19 million U.S. military forces in his role as the force provider to the other combatant commanders. As Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, General Smith led the transformation of NATO's military structures, forces, capabilities and doctrines to improve interoperability and military effectiveness of the Alliance and its partner nations. He also led individual NATO training development and, in collaboration with Supreme Allied Commander Operations, executed training programs for Coalition forces deploying to Afghanistan, Iraq and Kosovo.
A native of Virginia and a graduate of Virginia Tech, the general entered the Air Force in 1970 after completing Officer Training School. He has more than 13 years in command during war and peace. He commanded two fighter wings and led two air expeditionary force deployments to Southwest Asia: AEF III and the 4th Air Expeditionary Wing. He served as the Commander of 7th Air Force, Pacific Air Forces; Air Component Commander, ROK and U.S. Combined Forces Command Korea; and Deputy Commander U.S. Forces Korea. The general also served two tours at the Pentagon and was Commandant of the NATO School at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, Commandant of the Air War College and Commander of the Air Force Doctrine Center. Prior to his current assignment, he was Deputy Commander, U.S. Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.
Lane Kjellsen founded the company in 2003 after retiring from a 22-year career as a U.S. Army Special Operations Warfighter. During his career, he became a seasoned subject matter expert in small unit tactics, counter-terrorism and counter insurgency. His final tour placed him in a principal role as a Combat Developer focused on advancing capabilities in the areas of explosive breaching and thermobaric weapons. As such, he led scientists, technologists, and national laboratories in the development of solutions to mission critical and mission essential requirements for counter-terrorism, counter proliferation.
Throughout the past 15 years, Lane has focused K2 on providing combat development, counter IED, and security solutions to US, state, and local governmental agencies as well as to private industry throughout the nation. In so doing, has led the company from a two person operation to one with currently more than 130 employees.
In his leadership role with K2, Lane provides strategic vision to the executive leadership team and to the company as a whole. He coordinates and provides key decision making on strategic direction and company pursuits while focusing business efforts on supporting the American Warfighter and security interests both at home and abroad. His understanding and historical association with US Special Operations forces, in combination with his direct interaction with governmental laboratories, has resulted in the development, improvement, re-design and fielding of a number of military explosives, weapons, and munitions.
Lane also maintains a primary focus on the use of canines as security and force multipliers. As a successful amateur labrador retriever trainer and handler at the Field Trial level, Lane was on the cutting edge of the development and use of canines in improvised explosive device (IED) detection. At the height of the US involvement in Afghanistan, K2 provided 647 trained Labradors to the US Marine Corps for route clearance and the forward movement of the troops.
Today, Lane has expanded K2's canine focus to include: person-borne explosives detection in high threat/high vulnerability environments such as major sporting events, concerts, and amusement parks; detection of hidden explosives in air freight and air cargo; oil spill detection; stand-off explosives detection; and the training of dual and multi-purpose canines for law enforcement entities throughout the US.
Lane is also a licensed private pilot with hundreds of hours of air time.
Job Titles:
- about Major General Nick Justice
- North Carolina State University 's PowerAmerica Institute As the Executive Director
Major General Nick Justice joined North Carolina State University's PowerAmerica Institute as the Executive Director in January of 2015. As Executive Director of the Institute, General Justice heads the first National Manufacturing Institute led by a university.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Board
JB Burns is a retired Army Major General, with service in Europe, the Balkan Peninsula, the DMZ in Korea, Israel, Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and in the homeland defense of the Continental US. Since departing Army service he has been Vice President of British Aerospace overseeing development of US combat systems and guns for the Army, Navy and Marine Corps, with facilities in Europe, Africa and in the USA. He is presently owner of a consulting firm to BAE and several hi tech startups. He is married to his fitin Texas Aggie Ruth Ann with 3 daughters and the world's four best grand kids.
Ms. Allison Blango is a business professional with expertise in government contracting in the federal, state sectors. She has worked in multiple disciplines including but not limited to Facilities Management, Construction, Logistics and Information Technology Services. She currently serves as the Managing Division Director of Logistics with H&S Resources Corporation and is responsible for providing strategic planning and overall division development in the areas of bulk fuels, energy management, warehousing and disaster relief services. She has previously supported H&S as the Director of Business Development and Support Services and supported the operations, marketing and administrative divisions.
Allison has been a member of the NCDBA since 2013. Along with her corporate team she has participated and sponsored numerous events. As a member of the Membership Committee she has recruited new members and worked to retain existing memberships. She has a warm and friendly personality and enjoys the NCDBA business model of providing networking opportunities that build long lasting business relationships.
Allison attended North Carolina State University and remains an avid Wolfpack fan. She is a proud wife and mother to three ambitious young adults. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with family and friends and supporting the arts.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Board
Job Titles:
- Membership Committee Chairman of the NCDBA
- Secretary DANC Management Council / RNE Consultants
For the last 7 years Ruth Anderson has been a Group Benefits Provider For Legal Shield Services Inc. & Identity Shield. In her role she provides Legal Shield Plans and Identity Plans for individuals, large corporations including, but not limited to, health professional services, educational institutions and small businesses throughout the United States. Legal Shield, now with over 4 million users, not only provides legal services in 50 states and 4 Canadian Provinces; but also it provides an extremely comprehensive and pro-active identity theft plan which provides confidence and peace of mind for families everywhere.
Ruth has serves as the Membership Committee Chairman of the NCDBA and also has served as a Board of Director as well. Prior to providing group benefits, I have taught school and was the Vice President and General Manager of a Construction and Development Firm.
Job Titles:
- Senior Strategic Leader
- Vice President of the DANC Management Council / Applied Information Sciences
Stephen Iacovelli has been a member of the Defense Alliance of North Carolina since 2013 and has been on the management council since 2019. He is an active member of the Science & Technology and Government Relations forums and has been a guest speaker at a Government Relations forum.
A retired Arny Brigadier General Brigadier General, Stephen served for 39-years and commanded at all levels from Platoon to Division. Prior to his retirement, he served as Commanding General, 94th Training Division (Force Sustainment) and Deputy Commanding General - USAR, U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command, Ft. Lee, VA. He is currently a Senior Consultant at Applied Information Sciences (AIS) where he's served in various technical and leadership roles during his 10+ years with AIS.
Stephen is a senior strategic leader, mentor, and public speaker who excels at building cohesive and high performing teams and organizations. He holds a Master of Science in Information Systems (with honors), and a Bachelor of General Studies (with honors), from Roosevelt University, and a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S Army War College where he was a Distinguished Graduate. He is also a National Security Fellow at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.
In 2019, Tammy Everett was one of the lead executors of a merger between the North Carolina Defense Business Association (NCDBA) and the North Carolina Military Foundation (NCMF), establishing the Defense Alliance of North Carolina (DANC). Tammy was formerly the Executive Director of NCDBA and has held the position of Senior Director of DANC since the merger. In that role, she has overseen the finances, operations, membership, and event planning for the newly established DANC organization.
Tammy Everett represented Pinehurst Resort from 1998-2015 and was responsible for generating local and national group business, specifically in the areas of defense, state and federal government and military as it relates to their conference and lodging requirements.
Tammy received the status of Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) in 2010 for having met high standards of proficiency in meeting management and holds a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management with 20 years of experience in the Hospitality Industry.
She has developed and maintained professional relationships with clients such as the U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC), Pope Army Air Field, U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Womack Army Medical Center, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency(DARPA), North Carolina Military Business Center (NCMBC), Society of Government Meeting Planners (SGMP), Society of American Military Engineers (SAME), NC Veterans Business Association (NC VetBiz), Friends of Civil Affairs (FOCA), U.S. Army Chaplain Corps, Joint Special Operations Command(JSOC), Corvias Foundation, USO and many other professional organizations.
Tammy is one of the founding members of the Guardian Program of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Braxton Bragg Chapter and is a proud member of the Association Executives of North Carolina (AENC).
As a NC native, Tammy Everett moved from her home county of Chatham to Moore County in 1995 and achieved an associate degree in Hotel & Restaurant Management from Sandhills Community College. She and her family currently reside in Scotland County, with her husband Rob and their twin boys, Christopher, and Matthew.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Board
- Independent Defense Consultant
Tim Peppe has served as an Independent Defense Consultant since January 2014 when he retired after 10 years with Northrop Grumman Corporation (NGC). While with NGC, he served as the Air Force Corporate Lead Executive to Air Combat Command and in this capacity, represented all NGC sectors - Aerospace
Systems, Mission Systems and Technical Services. He also frequently worked with Air Force Global Strike Command, Air Education and Training Command, United States Air Forces in Europe/Africa, United States European Command, United States Africa Command and the Air Force ISR Agency.
Tim has extensive senior-level leadership experience directing large, complex defense organizations in challenging operational, training and joint environments. He distinguished himself during a military career spanning more than 33 years. He retired (effective January 1, 2004) from the United States Air Force as a Major General. In his last assignment, he served as special assistant to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Washington, DC for Air and Space Expeditionary matters.
In prior assignments, Tim served as the Air Force Chief of Safety. He has commanded two wings, fighter and pilot training, a support group and a Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron. He also served as the Director, Combined Air Operations Center (NATO/Bosnia) and Director, J-9, Joint Experimentation, Joint Forces Command. He was a command pilot with over 3700 hours in fighter and training aircraft. Among his awards and decorations are the Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal and the Legion of Merit.
From 2004 until 2015, he served on the Armed Services Mutual Benefit Association (ASMBA) Board of Directors/Governors. In 2008, ASMBA started the STAR Foundation which raised and distributed funds to support veteran organizations across the United States. Tim was the President of the STAR Foundation from 2008 until 2015. The STAR Foundation was renamed "Overwatch Alliance" in 2016.
When not traveling, he's spends considerable time volunteering at the Wallace Elementary School where he focuses on teaching "NC Facts" to students in the 1 st through 3 rd grade classes. Additionally, he works with over 40 teachers to ensure they have adequate support and supplies. He also volunteers at the Wallace Presbyterian Church's Food Pantry where he receives and organizes food shipments from various local stores.
He holds a bachelor's degree from North Carolina State University and a master's degree from Webster University. He is also a graduate of the Armed Forces Staff College and the Air War College.
Job Titles:
- President of Richard Childress Racing
Torrey Galida serves as President of Richard Childress Racing overseeing day-to-day operations, corporate strategy, finances, marketing, business development and competition. Galida was promoted to his current position in July 2014, becoming the first person other than team owner Richard Childress to carry that title for the corporation. He is also a member of the board of directors for RCR, a position he was appointed to in July 2014.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Board
- Vice Chair / Lockheed Martin
General William F. "Buck" Kernan served for 34 years in the United States military and retired December 2002. In his last assignment, Kernan served as Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic and Commander in Chief, U.S. Joint Forces Command. He has commanded at many levels of the military - starting at the Platoon level and going up through Combatant Command level. He has commanded two Airborne Companies, two Ranger Companies, an Airborne Infantry Battalion, a Ranger Battalion, and the 75th Ranger Regiment. For two years he was an exchange officer to England as a rifle company commander in the 3rd Battalion, the British Parachute Regiment.
He was the assistant division commander (Maneuver) of the 7th Infantry Division, followed by an assignment as the director of Director Plans Policy and Assessments, J5, United States Special Operations Command. He commanded the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) for two years and the XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg for 30 months.
Kernan's combat tours have included Vietnam, Grenada and Panama. During Operation JUST CAUSE, he led the 75th Ranger Regiment in its combat parachute assault onto Rio Hato.
Awards that General Kernan has received include: the Defense Distinguished Service Medal (with oak leaf cluster); Distinguished Service Medal (with oak leaf cluster); Legion of Merit (with three oak leaf clusters); Bronze Star Medal with "V" device; Bronze Star Medal (with oak leaf cluster); Purple Heart; Meritorious Service Medal (with three oak leaf clusters); Air Medal; Army Commendation Medal (with four oak leaf clusters); Army Achievement Medal; Combat Infantryman Badge; Master Parachutist Badge (with combat star); Air Assault Badge; and Ranger Tab.
General Kernan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and a Master of Arts degree in personnel administration. His military education includes the Infantry Advanced Course, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and the U.S. Army War College.
General Kernan served as the Foundation's chair from December, 2006 to November, 2010.
Job Titles:
- President DANC Management Council / the Gothard Group, LLC