Green Beret GLOBAL Family

SFCT STAFF

JODI BURNS - Chief Executive Officer

Jodi has more than a decade of experience in developing and directing a large-scale resilience program for elite, high-performing military personnel and their families here in the U.S. and abroad. While serving as Director of Field Operations for a government contractor, Jodi was the liaison for the program, working in collaboration with military leadership to develop effective, meaningful content in support of SOF Families. Most recently, Burns was SFCT's Director of Programs where she excelled in implementing what is now the SFCT's signature program, Mettle & Moxie. As a SOF Spouse of over 20 years, while raising two children, she knows intimately the challenges Special Forces Soldiers and their Families face through multiple deployments.

CAMERON DAVIS - Chief Programs Officer

Cameron was born and raised in Virginia Beach, Virginia and currently resides in Southern Pines, North Carolina. Life in New York City and Richmond, Virginia earned her a Bachelor of Fine Art and a love of experiencing city living. Cameron’s creativity, artistic ability, and attention to detail led her to the Event Industry. Her organizational skills, love of travel, and varied life experiences enabled her to execute events both in the states and abroad. She has been closely involved with the SFCT’s signature program, Mettle & Moxie since its inception in 2015. Cameron is a true professional with a kind and lighthearted spirit that shines through her work. She truly is most happy when she is helping and able to give back.

HB GILLIAM - Outreach Director

Brigadier General (R) Harrison B. Gilliam was commissioned as a second lieutenant in June 1991 following attendance at Officer Candidate School. He completed the Special Forces Qualification Course in 1993 and served in a variety of positions within the Special Forces community over the last 30 years.

BRITTANY McFALLS - Operations Director

Brittany is originally from Florida and now lives in Southern Pines North Carolina. Her grandfather, Clyde L. Goodbread, was a retired U.S. Army Command Sergeant Major, Green Beret. Brittany studied Business Administration and Accounting at Sandhills Community College. She has held many management positions prior to entering the nonprofit world.

REBECCA HOULIHAN - Impact Manager

With a background deeply rooted in the military lifestyle, Rebecca's journey spans two decades as a military spouse, she has been afforded unique insights and personal understanding of the challenges faced by service members and their loved ones. Her firsthand experiences navigating the intricacies of military life have equipped her with invaluable skills in communication, empathy, and strategic problem-solving.

At SFCT, Rebecca plays a pivotal role on the Program’s Team coordinating support requests, facilitating vital resources, and ensuring that Special Forces families receive the assistance they require to thrive beyond the battlefield. Her steadfast dedication, coupled with her deep-rooted passion for serving those who have sacrificed for their country, underscores her unwavering commitment to making a lasting impact in the veteran community.

BRE KINGSBURY - Donor Relations Manager

Bre has made a significant impact in the non-profit sector, particularly in corporate fundraising. She has played a crucial role in raising funds for esteemed organizations such as, Navy League of Hampton Roads, SEAL Family Foundation, and Wreaths Across America. Her dedication and commitment to these causes have earned her opportunities to appear on Fox News, where she advocates for the welfare of Gold Star Families, active-duty military, and the veteran community. Currently residing in Virginia Beach, VA, Bre devotes her time to volunteering with various community organizations and non-profits that support military-related causes. 

INEZ NICHOLSON - Senior Event Manager

As a seasoned events professional with more than five years of experience in a variety of industries—from hospitality to tourism to professional sports, Inez has a keen understanding and deep passion for executing a wide range of successful events. She is a graduate of NC State University and currently lives in Raleigh, North Carolina. She is excited to play a role in supporting the Special Forces community.  

KYLEE SMITH - Marketing & Communications Manager

Born and raised in Tampa, Florida, Kylee moved to Starkville, Mississippi after high school to attend Mississippi State University where she earned a bachelor's degree in Arts and Sciences with a concentration in Communications and Public Relations. Coming from a generational military-connected family, being a military-connected child, and with experience in marketing, her professional journey brought her to the Special Forces Charitable Trust (SFCT). As the Marketing and Communications Manager, Kylee oversees all marketing, media, and communication efforts for the organization. She collaborates closely with the Development and Program & Media teams to ensure effective promotion and support of SFCT’s mission and events, helping to advance the trust’s initiatives in supporting Special Forces families.

KAITLYN CHAVIS - Event Coordinator

Kaitlyn was born and raised in Houston, Texas and currently resides in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Kaitlyn obtained a bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston in Sport Administration and a minor in Business Administration. Her previous experience includes working in the professional golf events industry and the nonprofit sector. She is passionate about bringing events to life that align with the mission of the Trust.

MEGAN SCHEIMAN - Operations Coordinator

Megan is a dynamic operations coordinator with a comprehensive background in business operations and accounting. Holding a Bachelor's degree from Liberty University, she combines academic knowledge with practical skills to excel in her role. With a strong desire to support the Special Forces Community, Megan is dedicated to making a positive impact through her work. Her commitment to excellence, coupled with her passion for serving others, positions her as a valuable asset in any organization striving to make a difference in the community.

SFCT BOARD MEMBERS

Darsie Rogers - President

LTG(R) Darsie D. Rogers, Jr. served in our Nation’s Army for over 34 years leading adaptable and high-performing teams in solving challenging problems in uncertain environments. As a Special Forces Soldier, Darsie served in the Pentagon and around the world, rising to the rank of three-star general.  Darsie’s military service saw combat through the dynamic and ambiguous environments of the Gulf War, Iraqi Freedom/New Dawn and numerous contingency operations. Later he was responsible for leading US Special Operations in the Middle East where he routinely engaged with US Ambassadors, Government Agencies, regional partner nations, and senior foreign government dignitaries and officials to protect US national interest.  He culminated his career at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency tasked with countering threats posed by weapons of mass destruction and improvised devices.  He has a BA from Auburn University, a MA from Louisiana State University and a MS from the United States Air War College.  Darsie retired from active duty in August of 2020 and joined the University of Maryland faculty as a professor of practice as part of its University Assisted Research Center.  He also advises a number of non-profit and private-sector organizations.

Chad Faulkner - Vice President

Chad is the Chairman, CEO, and Founder of Sports Academy (formerly Mamba Sports Academy). Sports Academy is a full-circle human performance eco-system designed to lead the way men, women, and youth approach athletic and personal development.  Sports Academy creates and manages a multi-platform environment with a team of experts that activate, educate and provide the programming and competition environments to unlock full human potential. 

Chad is a Founder, Director, and former President/COO of CURO, Inc. (NYSE: CURO) an international specialty finance company serving customers in the United States and Canada.  

A long track record of entrepreneurial experience has led to involvement in many other companies as an investor, director, advisor, and/or executive mentor including, private equity, venture/angel capital, medical/performance software development, performance apparel, block chain/NFT, intellectual property rights management, consumer products and education technology.

Chad and his family support a wide range of non-profit organizations with the primary commitment to serve and support Special Forces Charitable Trust and Sports Academy Foundation. 

Ed Petkovich - Treasurer

Ed is currently the CEO at Walsingham Group based in Fayetteville, NC and is a former Green Beret. Walsingham Group, Inc was founded in 2008 by defense, engineering, and operations professionals who were executives at the nation’s largest defense contracting groups. The founding management team has spent 50+ combined years managing elaborate global operational and support initiatives.  

Kevin Crawford - Secretary

Kevin has been one of the top real estate brokers in South Texas since 2008, specializing in the sale of luxury and ranch properties. While he never personally served, his family has a long history of proudly serving in our U.S. Armed Forces. In 2010, Kevin co-founded the Delta Kilo Foundation in San Antonio, which has helped to raise almost $500,000 for our Special Forces men and their families through local, unique fundraising events. He has also served on the Board of Directors for Respite Care of San Antonio and the San Antonio Board of Realtors. Kevin lives in San Antonio with his wife, Kristi, and their two children, Bauer and Leila.

Vaughan “Chip” S. Grundy, III - Board Member

Chip is the President & CEO of IEW Construction Group. IEW Construction Group was founded in 1925 by Vaughan S. Grundy and continues to be led by a third-generation family member, Vaughan S. Grundy III. Since 1992, the company has grown ten-fold under his leadership.

Much of the company’s early work has become a part of New Jersey’s landmarks, including projects such as the New Jersey War Memorial, the State House Annex, the State Museum, Rockefeller Institute in Princeton, Princeton High School, Trenton Central High School, Lawrenceville School, and the Trenton Makes Bridge

Chip has been a long time SFCT family member.  He has attended every TGAS since inception and co-hosted Hudson Farms – Spartan Clays.  He is an active supporter and believes in our mission. 

Timo Hixon - Board Member

Timo Hixon is a businessman, rancher, and philanthropist who has put conservation ethic into many parts of his life and work. Timo has been both a major financial contributor and has hosted hunts for Special Forces soldiers over the years for a program initially called Words with Warriors and is now rebranded to Side by Side Synergy. Timo has supported various events hosted by the SFCT and continues to give to the organization by introducing the mission and vision to others in his circle.  

Anton graduated from Loyola University with a degree in finance. His passion has evolved into creating environments where people achieve results and have fun while doing so. In his spare time, he recharges by enjoying golf in Pebble Beach at MPCC and spending time with his fiancé, Anastasiia, and his three children, Mia (19), Anton D. (17), and Gianluca (14).

Anton and his family support a range of nonprofit organizations with a primary commitment to serving and supporting special forces operators and their families.

Ronnie McCan - Board Member

Co-founder of the Trust, Ronnie joined the Army as a draftee and retired 30 years later as a Command Sergeant Major. Along the way, Ronnie served at every level of command from a radio operator on an ODA to team sergeant to CSM of various Special Forces units/organizations. His last active duty assignment was as CSM of the JFK Special Warfare School. After retiring, Ronnie served as President of the Special Forces Association, a fraternal organization with over 10,000 members. In recognition of his outstanding contribution to SF Ronnie received the honor of “Distinguished Member of the Regiment”.  He was employed as the Lead Training Specialist at United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School before retiring from civil service to become the SFCT Program Director for many years.  Ronnie has now retired from the SFCT staff to serve on the SFCT Board.

Nic Perkin - Board Member

In 2005, at the age of 24, Nic Perkin launched Perkin Management which has grown into a multimillion-dollar company with a diverse portfolio of clients. Nic Perkin is now the Chairman and CEO of Perkin Industries, LLC. Formerly, he was the co-founder and co-CEO of Spear Point Buyout Group. Prior he was co-founder and president of The Receivables Exchange, the first and largest electronic marketplace for the trading of commercial receivables. Nic and the Perkin Family Fund have been instrumental in the launching of Beyond the Battlefield, a major contributor to TGAS, and continue to attend multiple events hosted by the SFCT.  

Dan Robitaille - Board Member

Dan has spent most of his adult life in uniform, serving in the US Army at Ft Benning, Georgia. From there, his career transitioned into law enforcement. Dan served as a Deputy Sheriff in Colorado for five years and went on the serve as United States Capitol Police where he served through 9/11, the anthrax attack, and the DC sniper incidents. Afterwards, Dan went to work for the Department of Homeland Security in Atlanta.  

Mark Stiles - Board Member

Mark Stiles is a real estate investor with decades of US and international experience to include global capital markets, private equity, fund management and development. Prior to his real estate career Mark served in the United States Marine Corps. He is an alumnus of the University of Georgia (BBA) and Harvard University Graduate School of Design (AMDP) and has connections to the SF Community as his father was a Green Beret. 

Andrew Swank - Board Member

Andrew is currently an owner of Swank Construction in New Kensington, PA. Swank Construction was founded in 1930 by the Swank family and in 2011, Andrew and his father embarked on a new journey to pave the way for breaking out of highway maintenance and construction. Swank Construction serves the East Coast and into the Midwest, with divisions located in Boston and Virginia Beach.

Paul Theofanous - Board Member

Paul is the Founder and President of Theofanous Management International LLC, representing premier international athletes and organizations in the fields of tennis, ice hockey, track and field and winter sports for over 25 years. First earning a Green Beret in 1984, Paul has served on three separate enlistments with Special Forces. Besides serving with 10th Group in the 80’s, he returned to active duty twice after 9/11, deploying to Afghanistan. A graduate of the University of Denver with a B.A.B.S. in finance and marketing, Paul also attended Harvard University’s Russian Research Center for Soviet Studies, becoming fluent in the Russian language.

Phil Vottiero - Board Member

Phil is currently a Managing Partner and founding member of High Plains Advisors, LLC, an executive business advisory practice. Prior to High Plains Advisors, he was the SVP-Finance for Oppenheimer Funds while serving as the Head of Capital Allocation and Profitability Analytics. Prior to joining OppenheimerFunds, Phil was a partner and Chief Financial Officer for The Sovlink Group, a boutique investment bank focused on the development of trade finance, capital market and asset management opportunities in Russia and other of the Newly Independent States. Preceding that role, Phil held various financial reporting and analyst positions with General Electric Credit Corporation, CS First Boston Asset Management, Phibro Energy, and KPMG. Phil earned a BS in Accounting and Computer Information Systems from Manhattan College and is a Certified Public Accountant. He served as Trustee for OFI Global Trust Company as well as a member of the OFI Global Retirement Savings Plan Investment, Denver Leadership, Real Estate, and Philanthropy Committees. He just completed a six-year term as Trustee for the Regis Jesuit High School Board of Directors and Endowment Investment Committee chair and was recently elected to the founding Board of Directors for the Slammers Foundation.

sfct advisory board

Dr. Alicia Gill Rossiter DNP, APRN, FNP, PPCNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN

Dr. Alicia Gill Rossiter is an Associate Professor at the University of South Florida College of Nursing where she currently serves as Chief Officer of Military and Veteran Affairs. Dr. Rossiter served in the United States Army Nurse Corps on active duty for four years which included two deployments—a combat deployment to Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm and a humanitarian mission to Honduras, Central America. She transferred into the United States Air Force Reserves in 1995 and served as an Individual Mobilization Augmentee until she retired in June 2015. Her military experience has the been the impetus behind her research and scholarly work which includes women veterans and military sexual trauma, the effects of parental military service on military connected children, and transitioning needs of medics and corpsmen into the professional role of nursing. She recently co-authored her first book, Caring for Veterans and their Families: A Guide for Nurses and other Healthcare Professionals. Dr. Rossiter is also an active contributor to SFCT’s Program Committee and an advisor on their suicide prevention platform, “Beyond the Battlefield”.

Dr. Catherine Ling

Dr. Catherine Ling is a nurse scientist, practicing Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), and certified nurse educator focusing on improving access to quality, primary care.  She works to improve culturally competent care for military families and is actively involved in community focused interventions to improve wellness and resilience.  She is also creating innovative, engaging strategies to prepare DNP students for advanced practice. She received her BSN from the University of Tennessee Knoxville, her MN from Emory University and her PhD from the Medical University of South Carolina. 

Dr. Ling is a Fellow in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and the American Academy of Nursing. She is currently an Associate Professor, the FNP track coordinator, Service & Outreach Coordinator of the COMPASS Center and Global Practicum Co-Coordinator at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. Dr. Ling is also an active contributor to SFCT’s Program Committee and an advisor on their suicide prevention platform, “Beyond the Battlefield”.

Mike Mika

Mike is a retired U.S. Army Sergeant Major with over ten years of service in the U.S. Army Special Forces. He holds a BS from the University of Maryland in Business Management and an MA from Pepperdine University in Human Resource Management. Mike is a seasoned, experienced, and fully competent personnel management administrator with over 20 years of direct hands-on work in both public and private sector employment. He also performs various volunteer duties for other local charitable organizations. He is currently working with the Richland One School District in Columbia, South Carolina teaching the “Green Beret Leadership and Teambuilding Course” developed for high school students. This program is in its 5th year and is now an elective credit course that students can use for qualifying graduation credits from high school. Mike holds a number of positions within the Special Forces Community. He is President of the South Carolina Special Forces Foundation; President of Chapter XXXIV, Special Forces Association; he is also an active participant with the Special Forces Association National Headquarters located in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Wade Owens

Wade served  in the U. S. Army and the 1st Special Forces Regiment for 26 years.  During his career, he performed a variety of duties from Commander of an Operational Detachment-Alpha in the 7th Special Forces Group to Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of the 1st Special Forces Command.  As a member of the SFCT Board of Directors, Wade will now use the knowledge and experience gained during his career to benefit the Soldiers and Families of the Regiment. Wade holds a BA from Iowa State University, as well as a Masters in National Security Studies from the Army War College, and a Masters in Strategic Studies from the College of Naval  Command and Staff.  Wade has received numerous military awards and decorations, including the Bronze Star and Legion of Merit.

Lisa-Marie Riggins

Lisa Marie Riggins is an Army brat born in Bremerhaven, Germany, and has made her way back to her family roots as President and Chief Executive Officer of the USO of Metropolitan Washington-Baltimore. Her career path spans that of an actress in New York City; a criminal defense attorney, a state prosecutor, a personal injury attorney, and founding President of the non-profit Fairness for Athletes In Retirement (FAIR). She is now serving her unsung heroes in the military community. Working to bring support and dignity to those who perform great things in quiet ways, is what motivates her.

Lisa Marie started FAIR to advocate for better pensions for over 4,000 former NFL players who retired before 1993 and had been left behind and mistreated. FAIR was the public voice for these forgotten players – coordinating a national PR campaign and presenting the NFL and the NFLPA with a six-figure actuarial solution to the crippled pension plan. In March 2020, the NFL and NFLPA voted to commit over $1 Billion to raise the pension for the retirees, giving pre 93 players a 53% increase, the largest they’ve ever received.

She received her B.A. in History and Literature from American University, an Associate’s degree from American Academy of Dramatic Arts NYC, and her Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law. She is admitted to the Virginia, Maryland and Washington D.C. bar. Lisa Marie’s best friend is her husband John, and her favorite people are her two daughters, Hannah and Coco.

Richard Steiner

Rick is the Executive Vice President for Air Comm Corporation, a Colorado based aerospace company, with additional engineering and manufacturing facilities in Texas. A West Point graduate, Rick spent his entire military career in SF. He served with distinction at both the 3rd and 10th SF Groups in Iraq and many parts of Africa and the Caribbean. His last assignment was as Deputy Commander of 10th Special Forces Group, giving him great insight into the needs of the Soldiers and their Families. Rick is an avid outdoorsman and life member of several hunting and conservation nonprofits.

SFCT FINANCIALS

Financial Transparency

The SFCT is dedicated to absolute financial transparency. We are very proud of the great work that we do, thanks to our donors, to support the Special Forces Community and their Families!

Tax ID # 27-4209721