Board of Directors & Advisors
Healing the Hidden Wounds
Operation Warrior Shield, Board Of Directors 2016
Chairman/President: Chief Master Sergeant (ret) Ed Schloeman, USMC, NYANG
Treasurer: John Walsh, President/CEO SightSpan Security Inc.
Secretary: Tracy McCormick, Founder/Principal, Lightfinder Public Relations
Board Member: Dr. Robert Cancro M.D. Med.D.Sc. Lucius N. Littauer Professor, Chairman Emeritus of Psychiatry at the New York University Medical
Board Member: Abe Shainberg
Board Member: Fabio Schiattarella
Board Member: Vijay Chhatpar
Board Member: Dennis Herrera
Board Member: Dr. Jerome Greenberg
Operation Warrior Shield, Board of Advisors 2016
Captain (ret) Jerry Yellin, Army Air Corp, Award-Winning Author
Jim Belilove, President; Creative Edge Master Shop
Catherina Watters, Sports Attorney, Guardian Ad Litem
Jeff Bosley, Actor, US Army Green Beret (ret)
Dr. Lois Lee, Founder/President, Children Of The Night
Rita Cosby, Radio/TV Reporter, Multi Emmy Award Recipient
Major General (ret) James L. Williams, USMC, Commanding General, 4th Marine Division
Colonel (ret) Eric Mitchell, MD, MA, FACPE, CPE
Bonnie Haynes
Robert Davi
Ed Schloeman
Chairman/President
Mr. Schloeman is a retired Chief Master Sergeant (E-9) from the NY Air National Guard (1973-1995) and a Marine Vietnam Disabled Veteran (Sgt) serving from 1960 to 1966.
Ed’s career has been with companies such as NYNEX (Verizon), Telco Systems and other telecommunication companies before starting his own business in 2008. He received many business awards for his sales leadership skills and accomplishments, including being crowned “King of Kings County-Brooklyn CY2013 and received a Life Time of Service Award from the Brooklyn Rotary Club. He was presented with two “Proclamations” from the Brooklyn Borough President, as well as, two Congressional Recognition Awards for his accomplishments within the Veteran community.
CMS (ret) Schloeman holds Life Memberships in; Enlisted Association of The New York National Guard, Enlisted Association of the United States, and The Marine Corps League, Vietnam Veterans of America, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce and membership in The Iwo Jima Association and The National Veteran Small Business Coalition. Ed is an active spokesperson for supporting Veterans’ initiatives, emphasis on veteran homeless issues, and he is well recognized within that community and government appointees.
Some of his military decorations include; Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal, National Defense Medal, Air Reserve Meritorious Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, and Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Ribbon and NY State Military Commendation Medal
Ed is married for 53 years to Judith Ann whose children are Catherine Syslo (CPA and homemaker), Lt.Col (Ret) Edward Schloeman Jr, USAF (F-15/C-5/C-17 Pilot) and NYPD Lt. Robert Schloeman
Duties: The President shall be the chief executive officer of the foundation; he shall preside at all meetings of the members and of the board; he shall have the general management of the affairs of the foundation and shall see that all orders and resolutions of the board are carried into effect.
John Walsh
Treasurer
Mr. John Walsh is President and CEO of Sightspan Inc. which specializes in Risk Management, Corporate Governance, Security and Overall Business Process Improvement.
John has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, with direct responsibility for Management, Security and Anti-Laundering, Combat Terrorist Financing and Corporate Security matters for the majority of his professional career. He has established and trained members of the Financial Investigations Units and Federal Crime Specialists for global and personal work in high risk areas designing methods to detect and reduce global criminal activities for both private and public organizations.
John is a Certified Compliance Officer, an active member of the Association of Anti-Money Laundering Professionals, a member of the Arab American Bankers Association and Certified Examiners Association, Global Association of Risk Professionals and several Security Groups. John is active with many military and veteran groups and is a Committee Member of the North Carolina Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve
Duties: The Treasurer shall have the care and the custody of all the funds and securities of the foundation and shall deposit said funds in the name of the foundation in such bank or trust company as the directors may elect. At the endo of each calendar year, he shall have an audit of the accounts of the foundation made by the committee appointed by the president, at which time he shall present an annual report setting forth in full the financial conditions of the corporation.
Ms. Tracy McCormick
Secretary
Tracy McCormick is a seasoned Entertainment Industry professional. She is a veteran in radio on both sides of the microphone. Always wearing a business development and production hat, she founded Lightfinder PR, a public relations firm, and the Creative Edge Film Festival. Tracy consciously creates on all levels. She spearheaded the PR campaign for actor Jim Carrey’s 2014 commencement speech at Maharishi University of Management. She also consulted with the David Lynch MFA in Film Program. After opting to move on from music management, Tracy chose to work with Spectra Music Group as an A&R executive, and will always keep her heartbeat in the music industry.
Ms. McCormick brings a diverse skill-set in building any brand; a team player, good with people, can read between the lines and is fluent in current digital marketing trends. Tracy has led public relations campaigns for Fortune 500 companies. She can lead a conference team, write, produce, execute events, develop, implement, and generate leads that others may not. Her work with U.S. Veterans is a passion. She represents WWII Veteran Captain Jerry (ret) Yellin and is on the Board of Directors for Operation Warrior Shield. She is also a member of Board of Advisors for Valley Of The Sun (Desert Foothills) YMCA. Aside from years in the trenches creating opportunities, Ms. McCormick is as well, a delight as a person, and brings a warmth and sensibility to any situation. “She can go from the roadhouse to The White House with a smile on her face!”
Tracy lives from one place in her belief that ‘Only with the Heart, can you touch the Sky.’
Dennis Herrera
Board Member
Dennis Herrera is a venture capitalist with over 15 years of experience in the financial industry. His primary focus is providing instrumental financing for late stage biotech and life-science companies. Mr. Herrera has an established reputation for building specialized sales teams of financial experts who work diligently to meet the needs of their investors and maintain successful track records. Mr. Herrera currently holds his Series 7 and Series 63 licenses.
Mr. Herrera is an active member of various nonprofit organizations, including the World Council of Peoples for the United Nations (WCPUN), Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and is on the Board of Directors for Operation Warrior Shield. He has been featured on Bravo’s hit show “Million Dollar Listing New York” and recognized by the NY Post and Toro magazine. Mr. Herrera is an avid cyclist and frequently rides for charity events and community fundraisers.
Dr. Robert Cancro
Board Advisor
Robert Cancro, M.D. Med.D.Sc. is a Lucius N. Littauer Professor
and Chairman Emeritus of Psychiatry at the New York University Medical Center—one of the largest psychiatry faculties in the United States, boasting a wealth of experts that are always on hand, specializing in such refined areas as neuropsychiatry, psychoanalysis, psychopharmacology, behavioral therapy, positron emission tomography and epidemiology.
Dr. Cancro is an expert on psychosis who teaches residents, develops research programs for traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder, and maintains a clinical practice. He meets with patients and lectures to practicing psychiatrists, offering insight into the world of psychiatry as it applies to the classification of psychiatric diseases and the cataloging of biological-psychological disorders.
Dr. Cancro has amassed a vast range of experience in the area of psychiatry. He has spent more than half a century sharpening a skill set that has garnered for him a reputation in the field of psychiatry, and he continues to strive for excellence in his endeavors. Dr. Cancro earned an MD from the SUNY Downstate Medical Center, and he fulfilled medical internship requirements and a residency in psychiatry at the Kings County Hospital Center. Dr. Cancro also received a Doctor of Medical Sciences at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center, and earned a board certification in psychiatry.
For his demonstration of a long-standing interest in psychiatry and advancements made in the field, to date, Dr. Cancro received a Progress in Psychiatry Award.
Board of Advisors, Operation Warrior Shield
Captain (ret) Jerry Yellin
Board Advisor
Captain (ret) Jerry Yellin is an Army Air Corps veteran who served in WWII between 1941 and 1945.
Jerry enlisted two months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor on his 18th Birthday. After graduating from Luke Air Field as a fighter pilot in August of 1943, he spent the remainder of the war flying P-40, P- 47 and P-51 combat missions in the Pacific with the 78th Fighter Squadron.
He participated in the first land based fighter mission over Japan on April 7, 1945, and served on Iwo Jima during that horrific battle. He also has the unique distinction of having flown the final combat mission of World War II on August 14, 1945 – the day the war ended. On that mission, his wing-man (Phillip Schlamberg) was the last man killed in a combat mission in WWII.
After the war ended, Jerry struggled with severe undiagnosed PTSD. He always wondered why he survived, while so many of his comrades died during the war. Because of these experiences, Jerry has dedicated his life speaking on the horrors of “the hidden wounds of war-PTSD”.
Jerry is the award-winning author of four books, including Of War and Weddings, The Blackened Canteen, The Resilient Warrior, and The Letter. He is the official spokesperson for The Spirit of “45. .
Jerry is traveling the world sharing his story and helping to bring healing and hope to a new generation of veterans who are battling post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).He aims to help heal the wounds of war while dissolve the barriers and misunderstandings that bring us to the point of destroying ourselves. He delivers an insightful glimpse into the life of a warrior from the perspective of a humble humanitarian.
Jerry’s military decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross. He married Helene Shulman in October 1949, is the father of 4 sons and grandfather to 6 grandchildren. Helene passed away in June 2015 after 65 years of marriage.
Mr. James Belilove
Board Advisor
Jim Belilove, a native of Berkeley California, and has resided in Fairfield, Iowa for the past 30 years.
He has been owner and CEO of Creative Edge Master Shop since 1988. This company applies innovative waterjet technology to the fabrication of architectural materials such as metals, stone, ceramic and floor coverings for such applications as religious buildings, memorials, casinos, schools and luxury residences.
Jim is also a real estate developer, involved with financing, owning and operating senior living facilities in Iowa as well as residential projects in Colorado.
Jim is a graduate of UCSB and Harvard Graduate School of Business. A practitioner of Transcendental Meditation for more than 40 years, Jim understands the value of the technique for enlivening and empowering veterans to gain stability, joy and ability to integrate into society.
Catherina Watters
Board Advisor
Catherina Watters is a sports attorney who advises NFL players on legal issues on and off the field and provides counsel during their transition to life after football. She has helped hundreds of players navigate the world of disability benefits, pursue second careers, take advantage of their resources and maximize their brand value. Her unique understanding of the football culture is a direct result of her experience as an NFL wife, as one of only a few female NFL agents, and an injury attorney. She has gained the trust and confidence of her clients because of her commitment to helping players and their families find stability.
In addition, Catherina has a long history of working with non-profit organizations and serving as a court appointed Guardian Ad Litem which reflects her passion for advocating for and mentoring at risk and foster youth.
She obtained her B.S. in Political Science from Santa Clara University and J.D. from New York Law School where she received the coveted New York City Bar Association’s Minority Fellowship Award, earning a position in a Manhattan firm. Her interest in trial advocacy led to a stint in the Public Defender’s Office prior to focusing on sports law and civil litigation. She credits her diverse background living in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, France and the Czech Republic for her love of all people and cultures. She is a member of both California and Florida State Bar Associations.
After being introduced to Transcendental Meditation by Capt. Jerry Yellin, she recognized the value of teaching this discipline to military veterans who are suffering from PTSD, as well as many of her football clients who are living with the after effects of repetitive brain trauma and seeking comfort from the noise.
Jeff Bosley, Actor, US Army Green Beret (ret)
Board Advisor
Jeff was born in Colorado, raised around the U.S. and spent most of his later grade school years in Idaho. He grew up playing goalkeeper in soccer, a position he so excelled at that he was able to take advantage of a great opportunity and play for a MVP team in Holland. Jeff loves sports and tried just about everything: martial arts, SCUBA diving, rodeo/steer wresting and football. Jeff attended college in Washington state and in Idaho.
His focus was primarily on medicine and health, but he finally began to chase an acting class here and there. As college continued, his love of acting grew, and he turned his focus and studies towards acting and performed in years worth of theatre productions. But then came 9/11 and it was on his mind the next several years. Before he aged too much and regretted not trying, he decided to join the United States Army and become a Special Forces Green Beret. And not just a Green Beret, but a rarer Green Beret medic. Despite staggering odds against success, he did exactly as he determined he would do. When Jeff is involved with acting, he’s like a kid in a candy store, always on his phone or computer, seeking auditions.
He has acted in USC student films, independent projects, fully funded projects and everything in between. Jeff is acting and producing several movies between Denver and Los Angeles. As with everything in his life, he sees this as another great unending adventure, not work. Jeff’s acting life, work ethic and obsession with perfection can be summed up from a recent interview. He was asked what he did for fun. Jeff’s response: work.
Major (ret) Brian Lynch
Board Advisor
Mr. Brian Lynch is a writer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and Marine retired Major. He has worked in the staffing business with KForce and Manpower in regional management roles and digital media winning multi-million contracts for entertainments suites for video on demand at United Airlines.
As the SVP of Engage Play technologies, he help build and create affinity networks for rewards programs, casual-skill based game platforms for Sprit Airlines, Aero Mexico and others.
Brian works with several organizations supporting our troops and their families. He has been a member of the Red Cross Community Blueprint, supports South Florida Adventures, and serves on the Advisor Board for Shake A Leg Miami. His charity work extends throughout South Florida with former board seats at Children’s Harbor, Kaise4 College and The Ronald McDonald House.
Brian served in the enlisted and field grade ranks of The Marine Corps for 15 years with vast experience in large scale reconnaissance, light armor and infantry operations in Special Operations Capable units. He also wrote “Thorn in My Pride”, a novel of the L.A. riots of 1992, where he served as a Lieutenant, leading Marines during the riot. His second novel, Landay Echo, is due out in late 2016.
Brian has a BS in Communications from Norwich University and a MA in International Relations from The Marine Corps Command & Staff College.
Brian lives in Miami and has two sons on active service, one in The Navy and the other in The Marine Corps.
Duties: The Secretary shall keep the minutes of the Board of Directors and also the minutes of the members. He shall have the custody of the Seal and shall affix and attest the same to documents when duly authorized by the board of directors. He shall attend to the giving and serving pf notices and shall have charge of such books and papers as the board may direct.
Dr. Lois Lee
Board Advisor
Dr. Lois Lee is a pioneer and trailblazer in rescuing America’s sex trafficked children right here in the United States. She is the founder & president of Children of the Night and has rescued over 10,000 children from prostitution — that is more children than all of the other sex trafficking organizations combined. Since 1979 she has raised more than $40 million in private donations to support her groundbreaking programs.
Diplomats come from all over the world to observe Lee’s ground-breaking work at the Children of the Night home
Dr. Lee has received countless awards for her humanitarian work, most notably the prestigious President’s Volunteer Action Award, presented to her by President Ronald Reagan at the White House in 1984.
A permanent memorial portrait at the Frederick Douglas Museum honors her 1994 National Caring Award.
Her life story was portrayed in a CBS Movie of the Week “Children of the Night” in 1985 and she was profiled on CBS “60 Minutes” in 1987.
Dr. Lee was lauded by singer/songwriter Richard Marx in his song “Children of the Night,” which appeared on his 1989 Repeat Offender album.
Rita Cosby
Board Advisor
Rita Cosby is a renowned TV host, radio host, bestselling author and veteran correspondent, who anchored highly-rated primetime shows on Fox News Channel and MSNBC. She is currently a Special Correspondent for the CBS syndicated program Inside Edition specializing in interviewing newsmakers and political figures. Honors for the three-time Emmy winner include the Matrix Award and the Jack Anderson Award.
She was also selected by Cosmopolitan Magazine as a “Fun and Fearless Female.” A recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and the Lech Walesa Freedom Award, she hosts the National Memorial Day Parade broadcast to all US military installations around the world. October 11, 2010, was declared “Rita Cosby Day” in the State of New York for her “extraordinary journalism and exemplary service on behalf of her community.”
Major General James L. Williams, USMC (Ret)
Board Advisor
Major General James L. Williams, USMC (Ret) recently retired as the Commanding General of the 4th Marine Division, the largest infantry division in the U.S. military, consisting of nearly 22,000 Marines, Sailors, and civilians. Previously, he was Assistant Division Commander, 2nd Marine Division (2006-2007), and Deputy Commanding General (Mobilization), Marine Corps Combat Development Command (2005-2006). As the Assistant Division Commander, 2d Marine Division at Camp Blue Diamond, Ar-Ramadi, Iraq, Major General Williams directed combat operations and was directly responsible for the sensitive negotiations with insurgents and terrorist groups to get them to stop fighting and cooperate with the building of Iraq.
In the civilian business and corporate world, Major General Williams held positions as Chief Operating Officer in Kentucky and Texas with Humana, EPIC Healthcare, and HealthTrust; assisted Ross Perot in starting operations in development of corporate information systems for healthcare organizations at Perot Systems as a Principle Associate; was the Chief Information Officer for EmCare, the largest emergency physician management company in the U.S., and Chief Information Officer and Chief Technology Officer for software company Emergisoft; and was President, Strategic Alliances for software security company bTrade, Inc.
In addition, Major General Williams has been responsible for international engineering development for classified systems for various defense contractors and has worked in international global trade consulting roles for numerous multi-national corporations doing business with China, Vietnam, the Western Pacific region, the Middle East, Africa, and Central and South America. He is deeply involved in local, national, and global political issues as well. He is a member of a number of professional associations in academics, technology, military affairs, world trade, and global business forums.
Colonel (ret) Eric Mitchell, MD, MA, FACPE, CPE
Board Advisor
Doctor Mitchell is a 30 year member of the Urban League and a member of the Quarter-Century Club. Was honored with The Exemplary Citizen Award by the local NAACP in 1997. Have served as board member of Easter Seal Society, Chapel of Four Chaplains and Saint Joseph’s University.
In addition, maintained a 27 year private practice in Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, with a specialization in Arthroscopic Surgery. He also has a 10 year history as team physician for four US Olympic Teams. Dr. Mitchell has travel and lectured nationally and internationally on many subject matters.
Dr. Mitchell has served God and Country: His military career spanned 23 years which began with a direct commission to the Pennsylvania National Guard and moved from Captain to the highest field grade position of Colonel in the United States Army Reserve. Col Mitchell had two 0-6 commands and also served at a Deputy Inspector General at the Pentagon as his last tour of duty.
Col Mitchell was also called to active-duty three times during his military career and served during the middle-east wars.