The foundation’s board is composed of military officers and experts who work in the business and public-service sectors.
President
Christopher J. Flynn is president of the foundation. He has worked in the financial sector for over thirty five years and at Pentagon Federal Credit Union as executive vice president for the last ten years. Prior to joining PenFed, Mr. Flynn was president and chief executive officer of Primary Bank in Peterborough, New Hampshire and previously served as senior vice president at Shawmut Bank in Boston. Mr. Flynn also has extensive experience in the nonprofit sector, serving as chairman of the board of Franklin Pierce University from 1998 to 2005 and as a trustee for fifteen years, and also as co-founder of Monadnock Business Ventures, a nonprofit economic development corporation in New Hampshire. Additionally, Mr. Flynn served as a board chair at Monadnock Community Hospital in New Hampshire for three years.
Chief Operating Officer
Kate Kohler is chief operating officer at the Pentagon Federal Credit Union Foundation. Ms. Kohler is a U.S. Army veteran, having served seven years in the U.S. Army as a Military Police Officer in the Republic of Korea, Fort Hood, Texas, Bosnia, and Kuwait. Before joining the foundation, Ms. Kohler was responsible for developing relationships within the financial services industry. Ms. Kohler graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point where she was a four-year member of the varsity swim team and three-year member of the triathlon team. She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School. Ms. Kohler serves on the Finance and Operations Committee and the Thayer Award Committee for the West Point Association of Graduates. She is the vice-president of the board for the West Point Society of New York. Ms. Kohler has represented Morgan Stanley to the Council on Foreign Relations’ Corporate Leaders Program. She is a competitive age-group runner, triathlete, and an Ironman finisher. Ms. Kohler is a native of Towanda, Pennsylvania.
Manager, Office of Development
Pauline Poh joined the foundation in April of 2008 as manager for the Office of Development. Ms. Poh has seven years of nonprofit management experience in the areas of fundraising, special events planning, office operations, outreach, and organizational finance for legal aid and multicultural human service organizations. Her corporate experience included administrative positions at PNC Bank and Mylan Pharmaceuticals. Ms. Poh received her undergraduate degree in Business Administration from West Virginia University and her master’s degree in Economics & Social Development from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at University of Pittsburgh.
Development Specialist
Jenna Rathe started at the foundation as the development assistant in April of 2010. Before joining the foundation, Ms. Rathe worked as a marketing associate at Institutional Investor Magazine in New York, where she designed email campaigns and analyzed their progress in addition to negotiating ad placement at investment conferences. Ms. Rathe is a graduate of the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, where she majored in Marketing and minored in Management Information Systems, and was a member of the Mu Iota Sigma Honor Society. In her senior year at the University of Delaware, Ms. Rathe participated in a study abroad program to Peru with a focus on corporate social responsibility. In her free time, Ms. Rathe enjoys snowboarding and yoga. In the next year, Ms. Rathe would like to become a better runner, swimmer and bicyclist so that she can compete against Ms. Kohler at triathlons.
Program Specialist
Dan Schenk joined the foundation as the program specialist in July of 2010. Mr. Schenk is responsible for leading and growing the foundation’s three programs, ARK, Dream Makers and the Military Heroes Fund. Prior to working at the foundation, Mr. Schenk was a development associate at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund raising funds and awareness in support of the Fund’s annual programs to honor Vietnam Veterans. As Program Manager for The Wall That Heals, he oversaw the operations and expansion of a traveling museum and replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Mr. Schenk graduated from Penn State University with a degree in History and a minor in Education Policy Studies. As an intercollegiate athlete, Mr. Schenk was a member of the crew team and winner of eight medals at major regattas in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, and also served as captain and president of the team. Mr. Schenk continues his involvement in rowing as the Men’s Novice Coach at American University. He is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and an avid fan of all the city’s sports teams.
COL (Ret) Robert Siegert is Chairman of the Board of Directors. He is an Assistant Vice President and Senior Program Manager at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). He served 30 years on active duty in the US Army, most recently on the staff of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy. In that assignment he was a US delegate to START III negotiations and served as a special advisor to the Secretary of Defense on arms control and strategic forces matters. He is a distinguished military graduate of Texas A&M University where he received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics.
COL Siegert is also a graduate of the U.S. Army War College. He has served as Chief of the Nuclear Division in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans, Department of the Army, as Battalion Commander for the Minneapolis Recruiting Battalion, and as Executive Officer to the Military Deputy to the Deputy Undersecretary of the Army for International Affairs. In the 1990-1991 timeframe, for operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, COL Siegert served as the 210th Field Artillery Brigade Operations Officer. His awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit and Bronze Star.
COL Siegert has been a member of the Pentagon Federal Credit Union Board since 1999 and is Chairman of the credit union's Employee Benefits Committee. He previously served on the Pentagon Federal Financial Services board as a member and Chair. COL Siegert is married to Faye and is the proud father of two daughters, Jennifer and Courtney.
COL (Ret) Lonnie Stith is Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors. He graduated from Hampton University, in Hampton, Virginia, and entered the Army as a Second Lieutenant Distinguished Military Graduate of the Reserve Officer’s Training Corps Program. Colonel Stith was an Army paratrooper and holds numerous other military medals and awards.
Colonel Stith is a graduate of 21st Century Leadership—John F. Kennedy School of Government and the CIA’s Intelligence Community Officer’s Course. He is a Certified Defense Financial Manager and is a career Financial Manager. Colonel Stith’s last Army assignment was as Deputy Director, Resource Integration Directorate, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G2, the Pentagon. Immediately prior to that assignment, Colonel Stith served as a Professor of Political Science and Deputy Chair of the Political Science Department, Industrial College of the Armed Forces (ICAF) at the National Defense University (NDU) in Washington, DC. While on the faculty of NDU, Colonel Stith was selected as an International Relation’s Fellow as a member of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for International Studies Seminar XXI Program.
Colonel Stith received his Juris Doctorate from the George Washington University School of Law in Washington, DC. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Resource Management from Pepperdine University, a Master of Public Administration from Auburn University, and a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from the National Defense University. Currently, Colonel Stith works for the Department of Homeland Security , US Citizenship & Immigration Services and was recently certified for the Senior Executive Service (SES) there.
Mr. Fred Caprio is a Senior Vice President with Allied Solutions, a member of the Securian Financial Group. He has been actively serving the Credit Union industry with Allied Solutions, Securian Financial and the Minnesota Mutual family of companies since 1985.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Philosophy from The College of William and Mary. He has been confirmed as a Chartered Life Underwriter and Certified Life Planner by the American College. Mr. Caprio is recognized by the Commonwealth of Virginia’s State Corporation Commission, Bureau of Insurance, as a licensed resident agent for Life and Health, and Property and Casualty insurance.
Mr. Caprio serves on the Steering Committee for the Pentagon Federal Credit Union Foundation’s Annual Military Heroes Golf Classic. Mr. Caprio also serves as a Board Director for the Maryland and DC Credit Union Foundation to promote financial literacy. In addition, Mr. Caprio serves on the Advisory Board for Burns-Fazzi Brock, and executive benefits firm.
He and his wife Rebecca, along with their children Fred and Eliza, are residents of Leesburg, Virginia.
Ed Dauksz is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and a retired Marine Corps officer having served two tours in the Republic of Vietnam with the 3rd Marine Amphibious Force in Danang and the DMZ. Ed recently retired from a 23-year career with ITT Industries having served as the Director of Army/Marine Corps programs and congressional liaison. He led the George Washington Chapter of the Association of the United States Army as President for many years and now serves as the Chairman of its Board of Advisors. He is a member of the Advisory Board for the SEGS4Vets which donates Segways for the Wounded Warrior amputees and seriously combat injured. He is also a member of the Joint Leadership Council of the Department of Veteran Services for the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Ed Dauksz is the recipient of the Association of the United States Army’s 2007 Biddle Medal. He is also the recipient of The Pentagon Federal Credit Union’s 2007 American Hero Award. He has been a member of the PenFed Foundation’s Advisory Board for more than six years.
The Honorable Frederick F.Y. Pang served as Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness; Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs; and Professional Staff Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Prior to serving in those positions, he served for 27 years in the Air Force and retired at the grade of colonel. He is currently a Managing Partner of a private investment company and a Senior Consultant in the private sector to companies serving Government clients. Fred has been a member of the Pentagon Federal Credit Union Board since 2001. He is a member of the Planning Committee, Employee Benefits Committee, and Nominating Committee.
Ms. Sandra "Sam" Patricola is the Comptroller for the Air Force Audit Agency (AFAA). In this position, she manages their $85 million budget and advises senior AFAA leaders on all financial related issues. Her previous positions with AFAA include Audit Manager, Team Chief, and base-level Auditor. She has over 23 years of federal government service.
Ms. Patricola serves on the Board of Directors of Pentagon Federal Credit Union as board Secretary. She began her credit union work at the Northern Tier Federal Credit Union in Minot, ND where she served three years on the Board, including holding the position of board Secretary. In addition, she served five years on the Supervisory Committee at MAX Federal Credit Union in Montgomery, AL. During that time, she served as Secretary and Chairman of the Supervisory Committee.
Ms. Patricola received a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Minot State University where she graduated Summa Cum Laude, and a Master’s of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University. She is also a Certified Public Accountant.
Lt Col John Rolando (USAF, ret) has served on the Pentagon Federal CU Board of Directors since May 2002. During his twenty-three year military career, John was an Air Force Minuteman Missileer, F-111 bomber navigator with over 1000 flying hours, research analyst at Headquarters Air Force (Pentagon), National Defense Fellow at the Brookings Institute in Washington D.C., and Strategic Systems Analyst in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. His military awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, and the Air Force Commendation Medal. After the Air Force, John was a Systems Engineer with SAIC supporting the Joint Staff, for twelve years. Currently he is an analyst in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information Integration, responsible for Senior Leadership Command Capabilities.
He holds a Master of Science in Systems Engineering, George Washington University, Washington D.C.; Master of Business Administration, Marymount University, Arlington; Master of Arts in Public Administration, University of Northern Colorado; and a bachelors degree in Economics, LeMoyne College, Syracuse. He is a 2003 graduate of the Directors Leadership Institute from the London School of Business. John also has previous employment experience as a National Bank Examiner with the Comptroller of the Currency, U.S. Department of the Treasury.
David Schaeffer has over 30 years of experience working in the insurance and banking industries. Currently he is Managing Director of COOL-LTC, part of American Independent Marketing and GoldenCare USA the largest distributors of long-term care insurance (LTCi) in the country.
He co-founded Origin Group, a venture development company specializing in connecting large companies with new ventures and has been involved in creating a number of first generation businesses, products and services for clients such as SunTrust, Charles Schwab, Motorola, Nike, Compaq and HP.
Before starting Origin Group, he was a founder of Financial Institution Advisory Group which was formed as a provider of first generation customer-centric marketing programs, strategy consulting and research solutions for major clients in the financial services industry. The company evolved into a holding company when it began acquiring interests in various service providers, and formed Bank Insurance Network (BIN) of which he became CEO.
Prior to FIA Group, Mr. Schaeffer served as the Director of North American business for insurance broker RHR. While based in London he established relationships with the company’s worldwide operations and underwriters at Lloyd’s of London. Mr. Schaeffer created three new financial guarantee/enhancement products and marketing plans in conjunction with the company’s Political Risk department and International Credit Risk facility. Upon his return to the U.S. he was responsible for business development from the firm’s 38 offices and to identify emerging North American opportunities to take to the overseas markets.
Mr. Schaeffer is a graduate of Colorado College and lives in Carmel, California.
CW4 (Ret) Robert Scott is a member of the Board of Directors. He retired from the United States Army in 1978 after active duty in a variety of worldwide locations, including assignments to Korea and Vietnam. He was a senior staff member, serving as a lead technical advisor on large-scale government acquisitions as well as in operations of automated electronic systems and as a service school instructor.
After his military retirement, Mr. Scott spent 21 years in Federal Civil Service. He began as a Senior Technical Advisor in Telecommunications Service for the General Services Administration. He then served as Chief, Office of Automation for the Small Business Administration until 1989. He retired as Director of Plans and Operations, Personnel Information Systems Command (PERSINSCOM) in 1998.
Mr. Scott received his Bachelor's Degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and his Master's in Management and Supervision from the University of Central Michigan. He is a Senior Executive Fellow of the JFK School of Government at Harvard. Mr. Scott has also completed the Executive Development Program at the Federal Executive Institute and the Advanced Management Program/Information Resources Management College at National Defense University. He has completed the Volunteer Achievement and Volunteer Leadership programs from Credit Union National Association, the National Credit Union Foundation’s Credit Union Development Educator (CUDE) program, the Australian Credit Union Foundation’s Credit Union Development Educator (DUDE) program and is a Certified Credit Union Director through Northwestern University.
Mr. Scott is the Past National President of the United States Army Warrant Officers Association (USAWOA) and currently serves as President Emeritus He is one of the founders of the USAWOA Scholarship Foundation and currently serves as its Chairman of the Board, President and Executive Director He has also served as the Chairman of the Directors Educational Forum Advisory Committee for the Credit Union Executives Society and as a member of the Military Affairs Task Force for the Defense Credit Union Council.
Mr. Scott has been on the Pentagon Federal Credit Union Board of Directors since 1986 and is chairman of the credit union's Strategic Planning Committee, as well as Vice Chairman of the credit union board. He also served on the board of the Pentagon Federal Insurance Services Corporation and as Vice Chairman of the Board of Financial Technologies Inc. both of which were Pentagon Federal Credit Union’s Credit Union Service Organizations (CUSOs).
He and his wife Rose Marie have four children living in Virginia, Colorado and Florida, 10 grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
Dr. Doug Webster served a 21 year career as a US Air Force officer, after which he entered management consulting providing advisory services to federal agencies. In 2004 he temporarily reentered the federal government to serve with the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad, Iraq, as the Principal Finance Advisor to the Iraqi Ministry of Transportation. In this capacity, he functioned as the de facto CFO for a ministry of nearly 40,000 persons. In 2007, Doug was appointed by President Bush and confirmed by the US Senate to serve as the Chief Financial Officer of the US Department of Labor. In this capacity, he provided financial leadership to a department with a budget exceeding $54 billion. After leaving the Department of Labor with the past administration, he served as the Deputy Director of the DoD Business Transformation Agency. He currently serves as a Partner in CSC’s Federal Consulting Practice, where he provides services to federal agencies in the areas of financial management, Enterprise Risk Management, cost management, and change management.
Dr. Webster also founded the Federal Enterprise Risk Management Steering Group, a group that led to the creation of the annual Federal ERM Summits beginning in 2008, and serves on the Board of Directors of Pentagon Federal Credit Union, a $15B financial services organization with over 1 million members. He has a BS in Engineering, a MS in Systems Management, and a Doctorate in Business Administration. He is a co-author of the books Activity Based Costing and Performance (AMS, 1994) and Chasing Change: Building Organizational Capacity in a Turbulent Environment (Wiley and Sons, 2009). He was elected to the Pentagon Federal Credit Union Board in 2004 and is a member of the Planning Committee and Real Estate Committee.
Ms. Deborah Lee James is the Executive Vice President of Communications and Government Affairs at SAIC. She has served in senior homeland and national security management, policy and program positions in government and the private sector for more than 25 years. Prior to assuming this position in August 2010, Ms. James was a business unit general manager for a team of 2,900 employees specializing in command, control, communications and computers as well as aviation support services for the U.S. military.
Immediately prior to joining SAIC, Ms. James was the executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Business Executives for National Security — a non-profit organization composed of CEOs who focus on advocacy for homeland security programs, and on bringing best practices to national security agencies. Earlier in her career, Ms. James was the vice president, international operations and marketing, at United Technologies Corporation.
Ms. James is an expert on the operations of the U.S. Congress, having worked for a decade as a professional staff member on the House Armed Services Committee. She specialized in military personnel and NATO issues. Following her service in the U.S. House of Representatives, she was nominated by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as assistant secretary of defense for Reserve Affairs. She served in this capacity for more than five years, overseeing budgets in excess of $10 billion, supervising a 100-plus-person staff and serving as the senior advisor to the secretary of defense on all matters pertaining to the 1.8 million National Guard and Reserve Forces.
She has a bachelor’s degree in comparative studies from Duke University and a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University.
Cheryl Cox is the owner and founder of Epic Real Estate Solutions, Inc., a national real estate services vendor management company. Prior to founding the company in 2009, Ms. Cox was a real estate mortgage lending services professional for over 25 years. She is a graduate of Cleveland State University and lives in Austin, Texas. Prior to joining the advisory board, she was a proud supporter of the PenFed Foundation for over 10 years and is passionate about the causes they serve.
Army Staff Sergeant (Ret) Jason L. Letterman, originally from Marshfield, Missouri, lost both of his legs, suffered Traumatic Brain Injuries and fractured his shoulder and pelvis from an IED explosion in Farasiyah, Iraq in May 2008. Jason was part of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, conducting a mounted patrol that was initially told by local town leaders that there were no "bad people" or weapons in the village. Upon interviewing local residents, the patrol was led to an area in question. Finding a cache of weapons, ammunition, bombs, and materials for homemade explosives, they waited for more than four hours for the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team to arrive and destroy the cache.
Staff Sergeant Letterman was injured when the gun truck in which he was riding in rolled over a pressure wire while returning to his base, causing an explosion that threw the vehicle 20 feet into the air. All of the soldiers inside the vehicle received serious injuries; the driver dying as a result of his mortal wounds. Airlifted to Landstuhl, Germany, Jason eventually arrived at Walter Reed Army Medical Center undergoing therapies and treatments for his injuries. In 2009, PenFed Foundation through the Military Heroes Fund paid for the childcare expenses for his son, Alexander, while he was undergoing treatment and rehabilitation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Jason and his son Alexander were profiled in the Foundation’s 2009 video featured at the Night of Heroes Gala.
Staff Sergeant Letterman and his wife, Elena, live in Savannah, Georgia, with their three sons. Jason enjoys hand-cycling, hunting and fishing. He would like to further his education by going to college and eventually would like to work for the Veterans Affairs Office. His primary goal is to improve his ability to walk with his prosthetics and focus his energies on being the best husband and father he can be.
Jim McCall began his Army career in 1956. He was promoted to Lieutenant General and confirmed as Comptroller of the Army in 1988. Upon his retirement from active duty, he became and Executive Director of the American Society of Military Comptrollers from which he retired in 2005. He serves on the Boards of Baker Hughes, Inc., Enterprise BanCorp, and the American Refugee Committee.
MG (Ret) Gale S. Pollock is currently an Advanced Leadership Fellow in Harvard University’s Advanced Leadership Initiative. Before retiring from the Army she served as Commander, US Army Medical Command and Acting Surgeon General of the Army in 2007.
She is an adjunct clinical professor of Yonsei University Graduate School of Nursing, a consultant with CornerStone Associates and owner of Pollock Associates, LLC. Pollock was the founding Executive Director of the Louis J. Fox Center for Vision Restoration and associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and School of Nursing.
During her Army career, MG Pollock's military assignments include Acting Surgeon General and Commander of the Army Medical Department; 22nd Chief of the Army Nurse Corps; Deputy Surgeon General for Force Management; Commander, Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, HI; Command Surgeon, US Army Pacific Command; Special Assistant to the Surgeon General for Information Management and Health Policy; Commander, Martin Army Community Hospital, Fort Benning, Ga.; Commander, U.S. Army Medical Activity, Fort Drum, N.Y.; Staff Officer, Strategic Initiatives Command Group for the Army Surgeon General; Department of Defense Healthcare Advisor to the Congressional Commission on Service Members and Veterans Transition Assistance; Health Fitness Advisor at the National Defense University; Senior Policy Analyst in Health Affairs, DOD; and Chief, Anesthesia Nursing Service at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C.
MG Pollock's awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal (with 2 oak leaf clusters), Legion of Merit (with 2 oak leaf clusters), and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (with 4 oak leaf clusters), the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Army Achievement Medal. She received the Army Staff Identification Badge for her work at the Pentagon and earned the German Armed Forces Military Efficiency Badge "Leistungsabzeichen" in gold. She earned the coveted Expert Field Medical Badge, and is proud to wear the Parachutist Badge.
MG Pollock received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Maryland. She attended the U.S. Army Nurse Anesthesia Program and is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). She received her Master of Business Administration from Boston University; a Master's in Healthcare Administration from Baylor University, a Master's in National Security and Strategy from the National Defense University, and an honorary Doctorate of Public Service from the University of Maryland. She is also a Fellow in The American College of Healthcare.
Darrell Smith is Chief Executive Officer of Highmark Companies. He led an investment group in the acquisition of HCS Systems in 2005. He has 25 years experience in the government professional services marketplace coupled with technology experience in the commercial sector. He previously served as Chief Executive Officer and founder of Milestone Group. Under his leadership, Milestone Group grew from a start-up operation in 1998 to a leading, diversified information technology and professional services company with a staff of over 150 professionals. Milestone Group was acquired by Anteon Corporation in 2005 and later became part of General Dynamics.
Prior to Milestone Group, Mr. Smith served as Vice President and General Manager at ARIST Corporation, where he expanded the company's service offerings and grew the company from a staff of 12 to over 225. His prior positions include Program Director at Resource Consultants, Inc., Senior Vice President at Environmental Products Corporation, and Software Developer at Presearch, Inc.
Mr. Smith holds both Masters and Bachelors degrees in Mathematics from George Mason University.
Jane Watrel is a general assignment reporter for News4, the NBC affiliate in Washington, D.C. She started reporting for News4 in 1999 as a national correspondent. While she continues to file stories focusing on the federal government, she also reports on local issues. Ms. Watrel has covered many big stories including the U.S. occupation of Haiti, the Washington area sniper attacks and trials, the rescue of the Pennsylvania coal miners, and the shootings at Virginia Tech. She also files regular reports on the wounded at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Many of these stories, as well as her reports on the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were broadcast on NBC stations nationwide.
Johnnie Wilson is the former Commander, U.S. Army Materiel Command. He was Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Department of Army, where he was responsible for worldwide logistics. He entered the Army in 1961 as an enlisted soldier. He is currently President and Chief Operating Officer of Dimensions International, Inc. (DI), an information technology company.
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