MFRI’s Advisory Council includes military and veteran representatives, community and industry leaders, researchers, academic professionals, Purdue alumni, practitioners and policymakers.
All members share a passion for supporting military and veteran families. They provide feedback, offer resources and help advance our mission.
Members
Charlene D. Austin, MS
Military Family Consultant and Advocate
Capt. William Baas, EdD (U.S. Navy Retired)
Vice President, Human Resources
Comcast NBCUniversal
Maj. Gen. Daryl L. Bohac (Retired, U.S. Air Force)
Director
Nebraska State Historical Society
Angela Cody-Rouget
Founder
Major Mom Organizers®
Lee Ann De Reus, PhD
Founder and President
Badass University
Jonathan Douglas
Head, Requirements Analysis Branch
United States Department of the Navy
Rear Adm. Karen Flaherty-Oxler (Retired, U.S. Navy)
Executive Director
Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center
Michael Heard
Chief Operating Officer
Davies Life & Health
Marcy Karin, JD
Professor of Law
Jack & Lovell Olender Director, Legislation/Civil Rights Clinic
David A. Clarke School of Law
University of the District of Columbia
Peggy Wolf Kearns
Medical Center Director/CEO (Retired)
VA Medical Center, VA Southern Nevada Health Care System
Dave Lapan
Senior Advisor, Enterprise Communication
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Patricia Lester, MD
Jane and Marc Nathanson Family Professor of Psychiatry, David Geffen School of Medicine
Director, Nathanson Family Resilience Center
UCLA
The Honorable Rory Martin, MSW
Partner
Cicero Group
Letha McDowell
Managing Member, Attorney
McDowell Law Group
Maya Nix, MSW
Social Worker
PACE of Southwest Michigan
Meg O’Grady
Senior Vice President, Military and Government Programs
National University System
Trooper Sanders
Founder
Wise Whisper
Nora Spinks
CEO
Work-Life Harmony Enterprises
Barbara Thompson
Former Director
Office of Military Family Readiness Policy
Major General R. Martin Umbarger (Retired, U.S. National Guard)
Senior Policy Advisor
Bose Public Affairs Group
Melissa Washington
Co-Founder and Publisher, Women Veterans Magazine
CEO and Founder, Women Veterans Alliance
Joyce Wessel Raezer
Military family advocate and policy expert
Alexandria, Virginia
Col. Randy Whitecotton
Commander, 2nd Mission Support Group
Barksdale Air Force Base
Steve Wilson, PhD
Professor, Department of Communication
University of South Florida
Cliff Wojtalewicz
Operations Manager
Oklahoma Aerospace & Defense Innovation Institute (OADII)
University of Oklahoma