
Campaign for Inclusion
Blue Star Families’ Campaign for Inclusion reflects values of welcome and belonging at the heart of our work. Using our theory of change (listen, share, partner, & act), we empower stakeholders to implement best practices that help all military families feel welcomed and included on their journey.
LEADERSHIP
To root the Campaign for Inclusion in strong leadership, Blue Star Families enlisted the support of an extraordinary group of leaders and trusted advisors—men and women who have experienced life in a military family and who have important perspectives to share.
The following committee of established leaders, composed of high-ranking military leaders from all branches, wounded warriors, caregivers, and military spouses, helps inform strategies, programs, and outcomes of the Campaign for Inclusion, as well as provide thought leadership on racial equity and inclusion to the entire military and Veteran family support sector.
Campaign for Inclusion Committee

Carlandra “CT” Moss
Director of the Campaign Inclusion & DEI Senior Advisor to the CEO

Staff Sergeant Charles Eggleston, U.S. Army (Ret.), Co-Chair
President & CEO, Three Seven Consulting

Lt. General Thomas P. Bostick, U.S. Army (Ret.), (Co-Chair)
53rd Chief of Engineers of the United States Army, Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Major General Juan G. Ayala, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.)
Director, Office of Military and Veteran Affairs, City of San Antonio

Brigadier General Carol Eggert (Ret).
Comcast NBCUniversal, Senior VP Military and Veterans Affairs

Colonel Robert Gordon, U.S. Army (Ret.)
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy

Rear Admiral Sinclair Harris, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
Former Vice Director for Operations to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Vice Admiral Mary M. Jackson, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
Former Commander, Naval Installations Command

Koby Langley
Senior Vice President, American Red Cross

Val Nicholas
Senior Vice President Creative Director at SummitMediaCorp

Patricia Ochan, Ph.D.
Senior Consultant Cyber Policy and Military Spouse

Sergeant Major James K. Sims, U.S. Army (Ret.)
Former Army Materiel Command, Command Sergeant Major

Staff Sergeant Fernando Snowden-Lorence, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.)
Vice President and Regional Director, Corporate Responsibility at JP Morgan Chase

General Larry Spencer, U.S. Air Force (Ret.)
Former Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force

Major General Antonio Taguba, U.S. Army (Ret.)
President, TDLS Consulting, LLC

Major General Suzanne P. Vares-Lum, U.S. Army (Ret.)
President, East-West Center

Master Sergeant Rob Wilkins, U.S. Air Force (Ret.)
Military Evangelist/Community Outreach at MilitaryTimes

Karla Ballard Williams
CEO & Co-Founder, YING, Inc.

Captain Anthony Woods
Iraq War Veteran, Army Reservist

Brigadier General Irene M. Zoppi (Rodríguez), Ph.D., U.S. Army Reserve (Ret.)
Former U.S. Army South, Deputy Commanding General & Director, U.S. Army Reserve Engagement Cell for Mobilization

Sergeant Sonya Tetnowski, U.S Army
CEO of Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley

Rear Admiral Joanna M. Nunan
Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard (Ret.)

Major General Tammy S. Smith, U.S. Army (Ret.)
Major General (Ret.)

Lieutenant General Lee Quintas
U.S. Army (Ret.)

Dr. William D. Rowe, Jr.
Community volunteer and leader

Michelle Brito
Financial Specialist, Military Family Program Advisor, and Army Spouse

Kathy Roth-Douquet
CEO & Founder, Blue Star Families

Sheila Casey
Former CFIC Member & Executive Director, Joining Forces

Carlandra “CT” Moss
Director of the Campaign Inclusion & DEI Senior Advisor to the CEO

Staff Sergeant Charles Eggleston, U.S. Army (Ret.), Co-Chair
President & CEO, Three Seven Consulting

Lt. General Thomas P. Bostick, U.S. Army (Ret.), (Co-Chair)
53rd Chief of Engineers of the United States Army, Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Major General Juan G. Ayala, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.)
Director, Office of Military and Veteran Affairs, City of San Antonio

Brigadier General Carol Eggert (Ret).
Comcast NBCUniversal, Senior VP Military and Veterans Affairs

Colonel Robert Gordon, U.S. Army (Ret.)
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy

Rear Admiral Sinclair Harris, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
Former Vice Director for Operations to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Sinclair Harris serves as LMI’s director of business development for the Department of the Navy. He retired as a rear admiral after a 34-year career in the U.S. Navy. His service culminated as the vice director for operations to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. During his distinguished career, he led joint, combined, multinational, and interagency organizations both at sea and ashore across all aspects of defense, including full spectrum operations, program management, strategic planning, and execution. He was also commander of the U.S. Fourth Fleet, leading U.S. Naval forces assigned to U.S. Southern Command.
Mr. Harris has been published in numerous journals on the topics of surface warfare, combat logistics, irregular warfare, and leadership. He earned a BS in economics from James Madison University, an MS in operations research from the Naval Postgraduate School, and an MS in defense and strategic studies from the University of Madras, India.
Mr. Harris voluntarily serves as president of the National Naval Officers Association, national vice president of the Navy League of the United States, past chairman of the National Defense Industrial Association Expeditionary Warfare Division, member of the board of directors for the Surface Navy Association, and member of the Northern Virginia Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association.

Vice Admiral Mary M. Jackson, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
Former Commander, Naval Installations Command

Koby Langley
Senior Vice President, American Red Cross
Koby Langley serves as a Senior Vice President at the American Red Cross, overseeing worldwide operations of Services to the Armed Forces. He previously served as the Director of Wounded Warrior, Veteran and Military Family Engagement at the White House and the Senior Advisor for Wounded Warrior, Veteran and Military Family Initiatives for CNCS, leading their largest expansion of services to veterans and military families.
In 2010 he was appointed to the Senior Executive Service at DoD, where he worked as Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary and Senior Advisor for the Office of Wounded Warrior Care and Transition Policy. In 2009, Langley worked as a Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Department of Veteran Affairs, leading strategic communication and strategic planning portfolios for offices reporting directly to the Secretary.

Val Nicholas
Senior Vice President Creative Director at SummitMediaCorp
From his start in local television to his two decades at NBC Entertainment and NBC News, Val Nicholas has extensive experience in all aspects of media and marketing, with a unique talent for creative innovation designed to fit the audience, the product, the time and the place.
Nicholas is known in the industry for his vision and craft and his use of various media to attract attention in unique ways. He has produced a wide range of programming including news, talk shows, news magazines, syndicated programs, sporting events and live primetime specials for television on both the local and national level.

Patricia Ochan, Ph.D.
Senior Consultant Cyber Policy and Military Spouse

Sergeant Major James K. Sims, U.S. Army (Ret.)
Former Army Materiel Command, Command Sergeant Major
James K. Sims retired as a Command Sergeant Major in the United States Army. Under his tutelage, he has accumulated over 33 years of active military service, which included more than 5 combat deployments. During his position as Command Sergeant Major, James never shied away from his duties and in fact, ensured that they were executed on every level. This included culminating as the former Senior Enlisted Advisor for the Commanding General of the Army Materiel Command, a multi-billion dollar enterprise, and the Army’s Senior Enlisted Logistician.
His extensive strategic leadership and logistics experience afforded him the ability to align personnel and resources with organizational initiatives. These initiatives delivered top-notch supply chain management and distribution solutions to improve standards in productivity, efficiency, and quality. James is the first Command Sergeant Major in the history of the Quartermaster Corps to rise from private E-1 to E-9 at the four-star level. His notable assignments ranged from 3rd U.S. Infantry “Old Guard”, 82nd Airborne Division, and 7th Special Forces Group.

Staff Sergeant Fernando Snowden-Lorence, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.)
Vice President and Regional Director, Corporate Responsibility at JP Morgan Chase

General Larry Spencer, U.S. Air Force (Ret.)
Former Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force

Major General Antonio Taguba, U.S. Army (Ret.)
President, TDLS Consulting, LLC
Major General Antonio (Tony) Taguba retired on January 1, 2007 having served 34 years on Active Duty.
He is President, TDLS Consulting, LLC which provides business consulting services to corporate and nonprofit organizations. He is Chairman, Pan Pacific American Leaders and Mentors (PPALM), a 501(c)(3) tax exempt nonprofit national, all volunteer, charitable, educational organization committed to mentoring and leadership development of military and civilian leaders. He also serves as Chairman, Filipino Veterans Education and Recognition Project, 501(c)(3) tax exempt nonprofit, national, education, charitable group advocating for and supporting the Filipino and American Veterans of World War II.
He also serves as an AARP Community Ambassador for Military and Family Caregiving.
He was a former Vice President, Army Services, SERCOInc., a global services company based in North America and Great Britain.
Born in Manila, Philippines on October 31, 1950, Major General Taguba was commissioned as an Armor Officer and distinguished military graduate from Idaho State University in May 1972. He has served in numerous command and staff positions from infantry platoon to General officer level. His service tours included assignments in the United States, South Korea, Germany, and Kuwait.
During Operation Iraqi Freedom, he served as Deputy Commanding General for Support, Coalition Forces Land Component Command/Army Central Command/Third U.S. Army, forward deployed to Kuwait and Iraq. He was responsible for logistical support services to U.S. and Coalition Forces totaling over 150,000 troops conducting combat operations. His duty included support of U.S. troops and coordination of host nation support from the Government of Kuwait, and security/training support in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, and Qatar. Prior to his deployment, he served as Acting Director of Army Staff, Department of the Army, Pentagon.
Upon his redeployment, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Pentagon. He later served as Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Army Reserve Command on his last assignment on active duty.
His military awards and decorations include the Army Distinguished Service Medal (2 awards), Legion of Merit (4 awards), Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (6 awards), Office of Secretary of Defense Identification Badge, and Army Staff Identification Badge.
He received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of San Francisco on May 17, 2008. Major General Taguba graduated from Idaho State University with a BA degree in History; Webster University with a MA degree in Public Administration; Salve Regina University with a MA degree in International Relations; and U.S. College of Naval Command and Staff with MA degree in National Security and Strategic Studies. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and U.S. Army War College.
He and wife of 40 years, Debra, have 2 adult children –Lindsay T. Keys and Major Sean T. Taguba, US Army. They have 3 granddaughters.

Major General Suzanne P. Vares-Lum, U.S. Army (Ret.)
President, East-West Center

Master Sergeant Rob Wilkins, U.S. Air Force (Ret.)
Military Evangelist/Community Outreach at MilitaryTimes
The Honorable Rob Wilkins, appointed by President Donald J. Trump to the President's Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition (PCSFN) is a retired US Air Force Master Sergeant and a fitness expert. A native of Linden, New Jersey, Wilkins serves as the Military Evangelist at Sightline Media Group, the leading news organization covering military, defense, public sector, federal technology, C4ISR and cyber defense. Some of his key military assignments included serving on the staff of The Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) and Legislative Liaison Office, Secretary of the Air Force, where he was responsible for organizing, coordinating, and escorting Congressional delegations worldwide.
An avid advocate for military veterans, Wilkins is a lifetime Air Force Association member, lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), lifetime member of the American Legion and serves on military focused boards to include the American Veterans Center, Boulder Crest (retreat for military veterans) and Blue Star Families. In addition, he is the President of Rolling Thunder Washington, DC and President of the RedCon1 Foundation, focused on assisting military families in need of financial assistance.

Karla Ballard Williams
CEO & Co-Founder, YING, Inc.

Captain Anthony Woods
Iraq War Veteran, Army Reservist

Brigadier General Irene M. Zoppi (Rodríguez), Ph.D., U.S. Army Reserve (Ret.)
Former U.S. Army South, Deputy Commanding General & Director, U.S. Army Reserve Engagement Cell for Mobilization

Sergeant Sonya Tetnowski, U.S Army
CEO of Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley

Rear Admiral Joanna M. Nunan
Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard (Ret.)
Rear Admiral Joanna Nunan served 35 years on active duty in the U. S. Coast Guard from 1987 to 2022. Her final assignment was as the Deputy Commandant for Mission Support organization’s Deputy for Personnel Readiness (DCMS-DPR) at Coast Guard Headquarters, Washington, DC. In this capacity, she was responsible for optimizing the contributions of Human Resources, force readiness training, and the U. S. Coast Guard Academy in providing a mission ready workforce. She also chaired the Academy’s Board of Trustees and was the Commanding Officer of Coast Guard Headquarters.A Bridgeport, Connecticut native, Rear Admiral Nunan graduated from the Coast Guard Academy in 1987. Her early sea duty was in the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and the Western Pacific before she became the last commanding officer of the WWII era USCGC IRONWOOD in Kodiak, Alaska, and subsequently the first commanding officer of its state of the art replacement, the 225-foot SPAR.Ashore, she has held senior positions in two different Cabinet offices: Military Advisor to the Secretary of Homeland Security and Military Assistant to the Secretary of Transportation. She commanded the Coast Guard’s Ninth District, which encompasses the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence Seaways Region and has been Chief of Staff at the Force Readiness Command, Sector Commander in Honolulu, Hawaii, and Deputy Sector Commander in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
During her recent tenure as Assistant Commandant for Human Resources, RADM Nunan presided over the most far reaching Diversity and Inclusion initiatives in the Service’s history, as well as the enormous policy overhaul necessary to face the COVID-19 crisis.
Her professional studies range from a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to a Master Merchant Mariner license and fellowship at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a non-partisan think tank in Washington, DC. She has attended a number of courses on national and international security at Harvard University and the Naval Post Graduate School.

Major General Tammy S. Smith, U.S. Army (Ret.)
Major General (Ret.)
Tammy Smith is a retired Army Major General. At the conclusion of her 35 year career she served at the Pentagon as the Military Advisor to the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs), responsible for the Army Quality of Life and Military Family policy. Her numerous assignments include overseas duty in Panama, Afghanistan and South Korea.
Upon her promotion to Brigadier General in 2012, mere months after the repeal of Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell (DADT), then BG Smith gained unexpected visibility as the US military’s first openly LGBT General/Flag officer. Rather than downplaying the significance of this unanticipated status MG Smith chose to be a visible role model for an inclusive military that is representative of the nation’s all-volunteer force, contributing to a culture of trust and understanding in a post-DADT military. MG Smith was awarded the Secretary of the Army Diversity in Leadership award for her contributions to Army inclusion efforts.
Tammy recently joined the Toyota Motors North America (TMNA) Diversity Advisory Board. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for the VetVoice Foundation and volunteers as an Ambassador for Out and Equal Workplace Advocates.

Lieutenant General Lee Quintas
U.S. Army (Ret.)

Dr. William D. Rowe, Jr.
Community volunteer and leader

Michelle Brito
Financial Specialist, Military Family Program Advisor, and Army Spouse

Kathy Roth-Douquet
CEO & Founder, Blue Star Families

Sheila Casey
Former CFIC Member & Executive Director, Joining Forces
HEAR FROM OUR CAMPAIGN FOR INCLUSION COMMITTEE
"It is a readiness issue for our service members. I couldn’t have been the ready soldier I was for 38 years unless I knew my family was taken care of.” ~ Lieutenant General Gwen Bingham U.S. Army (Ret.), CFIC Co-Chair

LEARN MORE
“After a career of breaking barriers in the Army, this retired General is now fighting for military families of color. CNN's Brianna Keilar, whose husband is an Army Special Forces Officer, introduces us to Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Gwen Bingham, co-chair of Blue Star Families' Racial Equity and Inclusion Initiative that strives to support military families of color.” Source: CNN
Watch the video about our Racial Equity and Inclusion Committee that was featured during our 2022 Blue Star Families on Racial Inclusion: Understanding Experiences of Military Families of Color event.