A proud member of the 2010 class of Tillman Scholars, Elizabeth O’Herrin serves as Director of Programs and Scholarships–overseeing scholarship selection, engagement, and opportunities. She served with the Wisconsin Air National Guard from 2001-2008, assembling and transporting conventional weapons for F-16 fighter jets. She received her BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her MA from the Johns Hopkins University, where her research focused on the federal government and veteran reintegration.
She has worked on a wide range of issues facing Iraq and Afghanistan veterans for nearly a decade. She co-founded the Student Veterans of America and fought with a dedicated team of veteran advocates to successfully pass the Post-9/11 GI Bill in 2008.
She is passionate about learning people’s stories, promoting all things Wisconsin, her faith, and coffee.
http://veteranpodcast.com/042
Daniela Petrilli was born and raised in Springfield, NJ. In 2002, she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Arts with minors in Marketing and Psychology from Caldwell University. After working in publishing, television and public relations, she decided to pursue graduate school.
In 2007, she received her Master of Arts degree in Communication Studies and Leadership from Kean University. In 2008, she became certified in Human Resources Studies by Cornell University. After completing her education, Daniela relocated to Washington, DC where she currently works in human resources.
Daniela is extremely passionate about and believes it is vitally important to give back to the community. In her spare time, her volunteer work includes animal and United States military causes. Her other interests include: travel, attending concerts, reading, and spending time with friends and her adopted cat, Sweetie.
Every personal and professional decision Emily Cherniack has ever made has come from a place that honors service and leadership. From her service in AmeriCorps and employment with City Year AmeriCorps, to being part of the founding team of Be the Change -- where she led a coalition of over 200 organizations, engaging 250,000 people for a Day of Action which resulted in the passage of Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act of 2009, a $6B piece of federal legislation -- Emily has worked tirelessly to serve her nation. Driven by service and servant leadership, Emily also chose to avoid politics until, in 2009, Alan Khazei decided to run for the U.S Senate. Khazei asked Emily to become his Deputy Campaign Manager and, although he was defeated, Emily learned a great deal from his campaign and the power of politicians who chose to serve country before self.
It took one campaign for Emily to see why our political system is broken; it is exclusive and has significant barriers that prevent transformational leaders from successfully running for office. It also took one campaign for Emily to resolve to find the leadership necessary to help our country solve the most pressing challenges of the 21st Century. Her experience led Emily to found New Politics, an organization that disrupts the candidate pipeline and ecosystem to bring a new generation of servant leaders into politics. New Politics recruits and runs leaders who will put the country first and who will work together to get things.
Show Notes: http://veteranpodcast.com/040
Jim Estes, a former PGA Tour Player, and childhood friend Jamie Winslow co-founded the Salute Military Golf Association in late 2006. They both saw first-hand the positive force the game of golf could play in the recovery process for our nation’s wounded warriors. SMGA began with the purpose of creating a therapeutic outlet for post-9/11 veterans undergoing prolonged medical treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland.
Jim’s and SMGA’s efforts have been recognized by numerous media outlets. Jim was awarded the prestigious (2010) PGA Patriot Award for his contributions to the recovery of wounded warriors. Articles from ESPN.com tell how several trips from Walter Reed Army Medical Center to Olney Golf Park, where Jim Estes is a PGA Teaching Professional, eventually evolved into a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation aimed at supporting post-9/11 wounded warriors.