Dynamic industry leaders build momentum in advance of Veterans Day

NEW YORK (October 23, 2015) – As Veterans Day 2015 approaches, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) announced nine new members to serve on the organization’s Board of Directors. IAVA welcomes: Bonnie Carroll, President and Founder, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS); Adam Clampitt, President, The District Communications Group; Steve Costalas, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Vencore, Inc.; Eli Elefant, CEO, PBC USA Investments; Ryan Manion Borek, President of the Travis Manion Foundation; Bruce E. Mosler, Chairman of Global Brokerage of Cushman & Wakefield Inc.; General (Ret) David H. Petraeus, Member, Chairman, KKR Global Institute; Wayne Smith, veterans advocate; and Dan Streetman, Sr. Vice President, Alliance and Channels, Salesforce.

“IAVA is incredibly thankful and proud to welcome these dynamic veterans advocates to our board. Their support will fuel IAVA’s exceptional growth and development far into the years ahead,” said IAVA CEO and Founder Paul Rieckhoff. “Although the country may only focus on veterans one day a year, IAVA’s incredible leaders are working every day to support and empower our nation’s next greatest generation of veterans to make every day Veterans Day. These outstanding leaders represent exceptional diversity in industry, geography and experience, and will help take IAVA to the next level as the premiere Veteran Empowerment Organization. Their deep personal and professional commitment to our organization and to the country’s nearly three million post-9/11 veterans will benefit America for decades to come.”

Bonnie Carroll, President and Founder, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS)
Washington, D.C.
Following the death of her husband, Brigadier General Tom Carroll, in an Army C-12 plane crash in 1992, Bonnie Carroll founded the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) to provide peer based emotional support, grief and trauma resources and information, casualty casework assistance and crisis intervention for all those affected by the death of a loved one serving in, or in support of, the armed forces. Carroll currently serves on the Defense Health Board and the Military Spouse Employment Partnership, and has served on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Advisory Committee on Disability Compensation, the Board of Directors of the Association of Death Education and Counseling, the Department of Defense (DOD) Military Family Readiness Council and, recently, she co-chaired the DOD Task Force on the Prevention of Suicide in the Armed Forces. She retired as a Major in the Air Force Reserve where she has served as Chief, Casualty Operations, HQ USAF. Prior to joining the USAFR, Major Carroll served 16 years in the Air National Guard as a Transportation Officer, Logistics Officer and Executive Officer. She is a trained Critical Incident Stress Debriefer and member of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies and the American Association for Death Education and Counseling. Carroll is the leading voice on issues impacting families of the fallen. TAPS has been one of IAVA’s closest allies and the two organizations have partnered on programs and efforts over the past decade that have already impacted countless lives.

“Bonnie is a true legend in the veteran and military community and we are honored to have her on our board of directors,” said Rieckhoff.

Adam Clampitt, President, The District Communications Group
Miami, Fla.
Adam Clampitt is a founder and president of the District Communications Group (The DC Group), a boutique public relations firm that serves federal contracts with the United States Departments of Veterans Affairs, Defense, Housing and Urban Development, Education, State, and U.S. Coast Guard and Small Business Administration. Prior to founding The DC Group, Clampitt was a recalled Navy Reserve officer serving in Afghanistan, where he worked for Gen. Stanley McChrystal as the director of public affairs planning and social media for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. Clampitt is a commissioned reserve Public Affairs officer in the United States Navy. He is an IAVA member and has been a dedicated supporter for a number of years.

“Adam is an incredibly dynamic and dedicated business leader. He is an example of what our generation of veterans is capable of,” said Rieckhoff.

Steve Costalas, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Vencore, Inc.
Philadelphia, Pa.
In his role at Vencore, Steve Costalas leads the company’s legal and ethics and contracts, pricing, procurement and property management (CP3) functions to ensure Vencore remains an ethical business leader. Vencore has more than 40 years of proven experience providing information solutions, engineering and analysis to the U.S. intelligence community, Department of Defense and civilian agencies. Prior to joining Vencore, Costalas was Counsel at Dechert LLP, an international law firm, where he led teams structuring corporate acquisitions and dispositions, equity investments, complex collaborations and other arrangements. He also represented boards of directors on public company disclosure issues and fiduciary duty matters. Previously, he served as general counsel and head of corporate development of Pharmacopeia, Inc., a public biopharmaceutical company. Costalas and his family are extremely dedicated to supporting our military and the veterans community.

“Steve has always led from the front in his professional life and we are thrilled to have his leadership brought to bear with IAVA. His energy, passion and experience are outstanding additions to IAVA’s board and will help propel our programs to amazing new heights,” said Rieckhoff.

Eli Elefant, CEO, PBC USA Investments
New York, N.Y.
Eli Elefant is the CEO of PBC USA Investments, a global real estate investment firm based in New York City. He is a seasoned real estate investment executive focused on entrepreneurial, corporate and asset based investment opportunities. Elefant holds executive advisory positions at a number of companies where he advises on investment strategy and real estate transactions. He holds a B.A. from The Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel, and an M.B.A. from Kellogg School of Management. He formerly served as a Captain in the Israeli Defense Forces and is an active board member on a number of non-profit organizations. Eli is a longtime IAVA donor and strategic advisor and has graciously hosted veterans on overseas goodwill trips with allied veterans from other nations.

“Eli is a brilliant leader in his field, a combat veteran himself and a dedicated veterans advocate. He will bring tremendous strategic vision and execution experience to IAVA’s board as we scale our programs in the next decade,” said Rieckhoff.

Ryan Manion Borek, President, Travis Manion Foundation
Doylestown, Pa.
Ryan Manion Borek has dedicated her life to supporting our nation’s military, veterans and families of fallen heroes. She is inspired by the leadership and sacrifice of her brother 1st Lt. Travis Manion, USMC, who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Al Anbar province of Iraq while drawing fire away from his wounded comrades on April 29, 2007. Serving as the President of the Travis Manion Foundation since 2012, Manion Borek leads a national movement focused on assisting veterans and families of the fallen. As a highly regarded advocate for the military community, she is a nationally recognized speaker appearing on major media outlets and speaking to students across the country on leadership. Manion Borek was recognized in 2015 with the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Volunteer Service. She also serves as a board member for the National Association of Veteran-Serving Organizations, was the recipient of the 2014 Joseph D. Helton, Jr. Award for Leadership, the 2013 Hillier (Ignite) Warrior for Warriors Award, and the 2011 Commodore John Barry Distinguished Citizen Award, among other honors. Manion Borek has been a trusted advisor to IAVA on issues related to military families and leadership development.

“Ryan is a true national leader for our community and an American hero. Through her personal experience as a gold star family member and the daughter of a Marine, she is well known as a driven advocate on one of the issues our community cares about most. We’re thrilled to have her deep connection and extensive program experience added to the IAVA board,” said Rieckhoff.

Bruce E. Mosler, Chairman of Global Brokerage, Cushman & Wakefield Inc.
New York, N.Y.
Bruce E. Mosler is Chairman of Global Brokerage of Cushman & Wakefield Inc., the world’s largest independent real estate services firm. As CEO from 2005-2010, he secured IFIL Investments, S.p.A. (now EXOR) as the firm’s new majority shareholder. As Chairman, Mosler advises major tenants and investors on strategic real estate matters, taking a senior role in managing and developing key client relationships on behalf of Cushman & Wakefield on a global basis. He continues to advise Brookfield Properties, Vornado, JP Morgan Chase, NYU University Hospital (The Langone Center), Citigroup, Madison Square Garden, the Brooklyn NETS and MetLife, amongst others. Mosler is a leading advocate for veterans in New York City.

“Few Americans have done more to support our military and veterans than Bruce Mosler. His visionary leadership has inspired countless companies and philanthropists to join our cause. We are thrilled to have Bruce join our board to guide IAVA’s future and lasting legacy,” said Rieckhoff.

General (Ret) David H. Petraeus, Member, Chairman, KKR Global Institute
New York, N.Y.
General (Ret) David H. Petraeus is a partner in the global investment firm KKR and chairman of the KKR Global Institute. He is also a visiting professor of public policy at CUNY’s Macaulay Honors College, a Judge Widney Professor at the University of Southern California, a Senior Fellow at Harvard University’s Belfer Center, and a member of the advisory boards of a number of veterans organizations. Gen. Petraeus previously served more than 37 years in the U.S. military, culminating his career with six straight commands, five of which were in combat, including command of coalition forces during the Surge in Iraq, command of U.S. Central Command, and command of coalition forces in Afghanistan. Following his service in the military, Gen. Petraeus served as the Director of the CIA. Gen. Petraeus graduated with distinction from the U.S. Military Academy and subsequently earned M.P.A. and Ph.D. degrees in international relations from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Gen. Petraeus has received numerous U.S. military, State Department, NATO, and United Nations medals and awards, and he has been decorated by 13 foreign countries. Petraeus was an IAVA 2012 Veteran Leadership Award honoree and has been a valued supporter of the organization.

“General Petraeus is an iconic leader for our generation of warriors. His dedicated leadership guided us through much of the last decade-and-a-half of war. We have followed him in battle and are humbled to stand by his side for the many defining fights ahead,” said Rieckhoff.

Wayne Smith, Veterans Advocate
Providence, R.I.
Wayne Smith is an accomplished veterans advocate who has worked with war veterans for nearly four decades. A native of Providence, Rhode Island, he was an altar boy and choirboy. After serving nearly 18 months in Vietnam as a combat medic, Smith overcame his own wartime trauma before becoming a nationally recognized mental health therapist and advocate for war veterans. Smith has led educational programs about veterans and the causes and consequences of war, and helped raise more than $2 million for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. In 1998, Smith returned to Vietnam with 20 American veterans to promote peace and reconciliation. Together with 20 Vietnamese soldiers, these former enemies rode bicycles 1,200 miles, from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, to help heal some of the wounds of that war. Smith is one of the veterans featured in the Emmy Award winning documentary about the experience. Smith has been an IAVA advisor and mentor since 2004. He has coached and supported hundreds of IAVA members and personally participated in Storm the Hill, IAVA’s hallmark advocacy initiative in Washington, D.C.

“Wayne Smith is a true visionary in the veterans community. His lifetime of service is a model for our members nationwide. Few leaders can communicate the complexity and opportunity of returning from war better than Wayne. He will bravely guide us in the essential years ahead and ensure that we also remain deeply connected and focused on Vietnam veterans and all generations of veterans who proceeded us,” said Rieckhoff.

Dan Streetman, Sr. Vice President, Alliance and Channels, Salesforce
San Francisco, Calif.
In his role, Dan Streetman is responsible for leading the go-to-market strategy and sales efforts with Salesforce consulting, systems integration and independent software partners. In addition to working with thought-leaders across the value chain to transform the way businesses connect with their customers, partners, employees and products, Streetman leads the Salesforce VetForce program, enhancing the lives of veterans by providing them training, certification and employment in the Salesforce ecosystem. Prior to Salesforce, Streetman was the vice president of strategy and business development at C3, the leading provider of cloud-based energy analytics. Previously he was chief operating officer of the financial services firm Hanson McClain, vice president of sales at CRM solutions provider Amdocs and was a director at Siebel Systems, where he led teams responsible for alliances and product development. Streetman’s experience includes military service as an Army Ranger-qualified paratrooper, an infantry company commander, and as the strategist for the Multi-National Commander during operation Iraqi Freedom. Streetman was awarded the Bronze Star for his Iraq service and was previously selected by the Army Chief of Staff to receive the General MacArthur Leadership Award. Streetman is a dedicated IAVA advisor and has been especially vital given IAVA’s innovative and extensive use of technology. As one of IAVA’s most generous strategic partners, Salesforce, led by Streetman, has propelled the program to new heights.

“Dan is a respected and trusted leader in the technology space that has led Silicon Valley’s significant increased focus on veterans. As a veteran himself, he shows what our generation of leaders is capable of in the private sector. His entrepreneurial spirit and selfless leadership will add tremendous depth and dynamism to IAVA’s Board of Directors,” said Rieckhoff.

The new members join the existing IAVA board, lead by Chairman Jim Hirschmann, which also includes Craig Newmark, Bill Cowher, Rosanne Haggerty and Patrick Kennedy. The full list can be found at iava.org/board.

Note to media: Email press@iava.org or call 212-982-9699 to speak with IAVA CEO and Founder Paul Rieckhoff or IAVA leadership.