David L. Albright, PhD, MSW, holds the Hill Crest Foundation Endowed Chair in Mental Health Research at the University of Alabama. He is a military veteran and former research fellow with both the Department of Veterans Affairs and the RAND Corporation’s Center for Military Health Policy Research. Learn more at davidlalbright.com.
Kate Hendricks Thomas, PhD, MS, ERYT-200, is a behavioral health researcher focused on mental health promotion for service members and military veterans. She served as a Marine Corps officer and is now an assistant professor of health sciences at Charleston Southern University and director of the Public Health program. Thomas is the author of Brave, Strong, True: The Modern Warrior’s Battle for Balance and is a speaker who teaches resilient leadership, mental fitness, and spiritual development. Learn more at drkatethomas.com.
Rev. Elizabeth A. Alders, MDiv, MS, is a member of the Association of Professional Chaplains. Her research focuses on developing spiritual distress assessments for trauma patients. A graduate of Vanderbilt Divinity School and Virginia Commonwealth University, she is committed to integrating research into the chaplaincy profession.
Nicholas J. Armstrong, PhD, MPA, is the senior director for research and evaluation at the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) and adjunct professor of public administration and international affairs at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. He is an Army veteran who served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Bosnia.
Katharine Bloeser, PhD, MSW, is currently an assistant professor at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, City University of New York. Bloeser has worked with veterans as a clinical social worker at the Washington, DC, VA Medical Center and the War Related Illness and Injury Study Center.
Gillian S. Cantor, MPA, is on the Research and Evaluation team at the Institute for Veterans and Military Families. In her role as program evaluation manager, she oversees the evaluation and continuous improvement of the AmericaServes initiative.
Robin Carnes, MBA, C-IAYT, is a leader in bringing evidence-based yoga and meditation practice into mainstream settings such as the Department of Defense, VA, and universities. From 2006 to 2012, Carnes was yoga and meditation instructor for a DoD acute PTSD program at Walter Reed Medical Center. She cofounded Warriors at Ease, which has trained 600+ yoga teachers to teach safely and effectively in military communities. Her work has been featured in the Washington Post, Woman’s Day Magazine, Huffington Post, and Army Magazine, as well as the award-winning documentary, Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue America’s Healthcare. In 2013, she was honored by the Smithsonian Institution for her pioneering work in bringing yoga to military communities.
Rev. John Edgar Caterson, DMin, M.Div., serves at Joint Special Operations University (JSOU) as codirector of Special Operations Chaplains Graduate Certificate Program and instructor of record for the Spiritual Readiness course. He has served as JSOU’s codirector of the Religious Support Team Orientation course, senior advisor to the U.S. military chief of chaplains, and subject matter expert at the Eisenhower Leadership Center at West Point and continues to serve as a senior advisor to Gallup Faith. He has authored a dozen books.
Bonnie Chapman, RN, MPH, is the director of evaluation and innovation at the Institute for Veterans and Military Families. Chapman was previously the director of quality for the SUNY Upstate Cancer Center.
Kathleen G. Charters, PhD, RN, CPHIMS, is a nurse informatician who teams with health care providers and chaplains to create and evaluate programs and services integrating physical, psychological, and spiritual care. Charters currently works for the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine at the Consortium for Health and Military Performance in support of the Spiritual Performance Program. She spent 25 years as a nurse in the U.S. Navy, 6 years as senior consultant to the Veterans Health Agency, and 6 years as a nurse consultant to the Defense Health Agency.
Howard A. Crosby Jr., MBA, has served in the Army Chaplain Corps as a reserve chaplain assistant for the past 19 years. He served for 9 years in Florida, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, and Afghanistan while assigned to Central Command and several years at the Pentagon with the Army Chief of Chaplains Office.
Joseph M. Currier, PhD, is an assistant professor and director of Clinical Training in the Combined Clinical & Counseling Psychology Doctoral Program at the University of South Alabama. His research focuses broadly on enhancing the efficacy and availability of mental health services for military veterans and their families.
Lydia Davey is a communications strategist and global content marketing manager at Apple Inc. A Marine Corps veterans, Davey codeveloped Women Warriors: A Course on Post-traumatic Growth at the University of California in San Francisco and served as a course instructor there. She is a Defense Council member at the Truman National Security Project.
Lori L. Davis, MD, is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Alabama’s School of Medicine and associate chief of staff for Research and Development at the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center.
Kent D. Drescher, PhD, is a clinical psychologist at the National Center for PTSD, Dissemination and Training Division, part of the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. His current work involves education activities in the areas of trauma and spirituality and moral injury among veterans.
Sanela Dursun, PhD, is a research psychologist and the director of the Personnel and Family Support Research section at Defence Research and Development Canada. She is responsible for managing and delivering research, analysis, and expert advice on strategies to improve the well-being of serving members, veterans, and their families.
Jacob K. Farnsworth, PhD, is a clinical psychologist with the Veteran Affairs Eastern Colorado Health Care System. His clinical services focus primarily on evidence-based treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder and substance use.
Charles R. Figley, PhD, is a former Marine who served in the Vietnam War and went on to become a pioneering researcher in the field of Vietnam veterans and posttraumatic stress disorder. Professor Figley received the VVA Excellence in the Sciences Award at the 2016 National Leadership in Tucson. Figley served in Vietnam as a corporal, voluntarily working with Vietnamese children during his free time. In 1977, he established the Family Research Institute and in 1978 wrote Stress Disorders among Vietnam Veterans, which helped recognize PTSD as a psychological condition for the first time. Figley cofounded the Society for Traumatic Stress Studies and the online journal Traumatology. In 2004, Professor Figley was awarded a senior Fulbright Research Fellowship to conduct research in Kuwait. He is now the Paul Henry Kurzweg Distinguished Chair and director of the Tulane Traumatology Institute at Tulane University, New Orleans.
Kari L. Fletcher, PhD, MSW, is an associate professor and the coordinator of Area of Emphasis in Military Practice in the St. Catherine University–University of St. Thomas School of Social Work. Her experience working with military/veteran-connected populations across age cohorts within direct practice contexts spans 18 years and includes affiliations with the VA (as a clinical social worker, 2000–2010), Vet Center (as an external consultant, 2014– present), and Military OneSource (as a psychotherapist, 2015–present).
Cate Florenz, MA, is a communication planner, analyst, and veteran Marine Corps officer. Since leaving active duty in 2008, she has worked supporting the Department of Defense and other federal departments in areas of communication, technology, and digital media.
Christine Isana Garcia, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist who specializes in the treatment and understanding of trauma and resiliency. She is the associate and clinical director at the Young Adult and Family Center at the University of California at San Francisco.
Kate Germano was an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps for 20 years, retiring in July 2016. A combat veteran during the war in Iraq, she filled a variety of challenging and high-profile positions, including Marine aid de camp to the Secretary of the Navy, commanding officer of a recruiting station, and commanding officer of Fourth Recruit Training Battalion, the only all-female unit in the Department of Defense. While assigned to the training battalion, she uncovered systemic failures in how women were recruited and trained. After retirement, she served as the chief operating officer of the Service Women’s Action Network, the nation’s only nonprofit solely focused on supporting and advocating for women in the military and veteran communities. She is the author of Fight Like a Girl: The Truth behind How Female Marines Are Trained.
Kelli Godfrey, LMSW, is a doctoral student at the University of Alabama’s School of Social Work. Godfrey has worked for the U.S. Army, providing services to Army soldiers and their families and as a victim advocate for survivors of military sexual assault.
Matthew J. M. Hendricks, MS, is a retired Marine Corps infantry officer and Purple Heart recipient. He lives in Virginia, where he teaches high school English. His combat experiences in Ramadi, Iraq, and subsequent medical procedures at Bethesda Naval Hospital, helped instill a “Carpe Diem” sense of urgency in all aspects of his life. His mission and purpose are guided by his firm faith in God, which has enabled him to strive to implement the maxim of one of his favorite historical figures, General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson: “Let the Institute be heard from today.”
Kyleanne Hunter, PhD, is a research fellow at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver. Prior to becoming an academic, she spent over a decade as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. She flew the AH-1W “Super Cobra” attack helicopter, with multiple combat tours. She is a contributor for gender and foreign affairs to the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, Al-Jazeera, NPR, Fox News, and Huffington Post.
Aurora Hutchinson, MA, is a certified meditation teacher and wellness educator at the Mindfulness Center in Bethesda, Maryland, where she teaches group classes; conducts corporate seminars; and works with private clients seeking to learn meditation for stress management, improved health, and career and family support. She is a PhD candidate in psychology with training in neuroscience and pharmacology.
Kamilah A. Jones, PhD, LCSW, is a senior social worker at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Atlanta. Her clinical training fellowships were completed at Yale University and Emory University.
Stephen Kaplan, PhD, is a professor of Indian and Comparative Religions and director of Veteran Success Programs at Manhattan College, Bronx, New York. He is the author of two books and numerous articles focusing on Hinduism, Buddhism, and the neurosciences. For the past two years, he has been working with the Sivananda Ashram, Warriors at Ease, and Manhattan College, providing stress reduction programs for incoming Manhattan College veteran-students.
Ben King, MA, is a teacher, public speaker, veteran Army psychological operations sergeant, and a community organizer. In 2011, he founded Armor Down to help veterans thrive as civilians and started Mindful Memorial Day at Arlington Cemetery to help visitors mindfully honor the sacrifice of the fallen. He consults for the Women in Military Service for America Memorial.
Kelsey L. Larsen, MPP, MA, is a PhD candidate at Georgetown University, where she researches political decision-making effects of combat-related nervous system dysregulation in military populations and how specific mindfulness-based trainings might yield health and decision-making benefits in such populations. She works for the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, providing teaching and research support for the Department of Medicine at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Jennifer E. C. Lee, PhD, is a researcher within the Canadian Department of National Defence, where she leads a team of health psychologists and epidemiologists. She chairs the Technical Cooperation Program Human Resources and Performance Group (TTCP HUM) Action Group on Resilience.
Charles R. McAdams III, EdD, holds the positions of professor and chair in the School Psychology and Counselor Education department at The College of William & Mary, where he also co-directs the university-based New Horizons Family Counseling Center. Dr. McAdams’s interest in addressing the needs of military families stems from his physical location in the Peninsula and Tidewater regions of Virginia, which are home to multiple military installations as well as from his own previous active duty experience with Naval Special Warfare. He is a licensed Professional Counselor and Marriage & Family Therapist, and his research and clinical practice have focused on the promotion of family stability and support to enhance individual well-being in both military and civilian populations.
Wesley H. McCormick, MDiv, MS, is a combined-integrated clinical and counseling psychology doctoral student at the University of South Alabama. A graduate of Asbury Theological Seminary and Huntingdon College, his research examines veteran mental health, trauma, and religious/spiritual struggles.
Justin T. McDaniel, PhD, is an assistant professor of Public Health at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Using spatial epidemiological methodologies, he studies the geographic distribution of mental health issues among military veterans. He is also the cofounder of an international nonprofit organization, the International Center for Community Health Promotion and Education.
James D. McDonough Jr., USA (Ret. Colonel), MA, is the managing director of programs and services at the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) and oversees the AmericaServes initiative. Before joining the IVMF, McDonough served as senior fellow for veterans affairs at the New York State Health Foundation; president and CEO of the Rochester, New York-based Veterans Outreach Center Inc.; and director of the New York State Division of Veterans’ Affairs. He is a 26-year veteran of the U.S. Army, including service in Germany, Korea, and Kuwait in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Deborah Norris, PhD, ERYT-500, C-IAYT, is the founder of the Mindfulness Center based in Washington, DC, and professor and director of the Psychobiology of Healing Program at American University. She has been a psychologist and research scientist at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center is Washington, DC, studying the role of mind-body interventions for the treatment of pain, stress, and neurological disorders.
Sarah Plummer Taylor, MSW, ERYT-500, CHC, is an established leader in the field of resilience-building, holistic health coaching, and yoga for veterans. She is an adjunct professor of health sciences at Charleston Southern University and a city impact manager for The Mission Continues. Plummer Taylor is a former Marine Corps intelligence officer. She is the author of Just Roll with It: 7 Battle Tested Truths for Building a Resilient Life.
Heliana Ramirez, PhD, LISW, is a senior social worker at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, where she serves as the facility’s lead LGBT veteran care coordinator. Her work with LGBT veterans includes founding the VAPAHCS LGBT Veteran Support Group; producing the documentary film The Camouflage Closet regarding trauma and recovery among LGBT veterans; and providing LGBT veteran clinical care and cultural competence trainings to VA staff, universities, and mental health leadership of the California National Guard. In 2012, she founded the VAPAHCS LGBT Staff and Allies Special Emphasis Program and has led VAPAHCS in achieving the designation as a leader in LGBT Healthcare Equality from the Human Rights Campaign’s Healthcare Equality Index.
Mariah Rooney O’Brien, MSW, LCSW, RYT, is a postgraduate social work fellow at the Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute and is a project Coordinator for the Center for Treatment of Developmental Trauma Disorders in Boston, MA. As a yoga teacher she has worked with veterans through the Department of Veterans Affairs, Warriors at Ease, and Wounded Warrior Project. In her clinical work, she has served veterans at the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Change Step program Domestic Abuse Project in Minneapolis, MN.
Margaret M. Shields, PhD, MS,is a health researcher focused on stress reduction and self-efficacy as they relate to mental health. She is an assistant professor of Public Health at Charleston Southern University.
Rev. Sarah A. Shirley, MDiv, MAS,is a priest of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington and spiritual director. For the past 25 years, she has served as a community, health care, and military chaplain in Nevada, Texas, Florida, Maryland, Oman, and Afghanistan.
Elizabeth A. Stanley, PhD, MBA, is an associate professor of security studies at Georgetown University. A former U.S. Army intelligence officer, she created Mindfulness-based Mind Fitness Training (MMFT), a resilience training tested through four DoD-funded neuroscience research studies. She has taught MMFT to thousands in military and civilian high-stress environments. She is also a certified practitioner of somatic experiencing, a body- based trauma therapy.
Richard Toscano, MEd, is a national subject matter expert on evidence-based supported employment, called Individual Placement and Support (IPS) and Customized Employment (CE), a highly individualized, career planning process promoted by the Department of Labor/Office of Disability Employment Policy. At the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center, Toscano is the expert IPS trainer, supervisor, and fidelity monitor on projects to advance the recovery of veterans with posttraumatic stress.
Laura Westley, MBA, is a West Point graduate, former Army Captain and Iraq War veteran. She is also an author, speaker, playwright, veterans’ mental health advocate, and technology consultant. Her memoir and musical comedy show, both titled War Virgin, have been featured in numerous publications, including NPR, The Boston Globe, Playboy, and Broadway World. Her writing has been published in Washington Post, Hill, Foreign Policy, Military Times, and Huffington Post.
Jessica Wilkes is the Veteran & Military Student Services program coordinator for the College of Charleston. She is a 12-year Air Force veteran and former combat camera videographer. She deployed to Iraq twice and earned the Bronze Star. She is now a liaison and advocate for veteran and military students during their transition from combat to campus.