Meet Our Team
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Blue Star Families Leadership Team
Kathy Roth-Douquet
CEO and Board President, Marine Corps (Ret.) Spouse
CEO and Board President, Marine Corps (Ret.) Spouse
Kathy Roth-Douquet
CEO and Board President, Marine Corps (Ret.) Spouse
Kathy Roth-Douquet is a non-profit executive, author, commentator, strategist, and attorney.
As co-founder and CEO of Blue Star Families, Kathy is a national spokesperson for military-connected families, actively addressing the issues facing military families, including socioeconomic challenges, access to mental health care, and the toll of frequent relocations—such as child care and high unemployment rates among military spouses. She regularly appears on the Today Show, Fox and Friends, NPR, CNN, and other media outlets. She is frequently traveling across the country talking about how to bridge the military-civilian divide. She is an invited speaker at universities, policy forums, military audiences, and civic groups. She is the co-author of two books, including AWOL: The Unexcused Absence of America’s Upper Classes from Military Service and How It Hurts Our Country (HarperCollins, 2006), with Frank Schaeffer.
Kathy has served in the White House and the Department of Defense, where, as Acting Principal Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, she received the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service for her work on defense reform. She is also a recipient of the Secretary of the Navy Award for Civilian Service, the Chief of Staff of the Army Outstanding Civilian Service Award, President George H. W. Bush’s Daily Point of Light Award, and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. She was inducted into the Ford Hall of Heroes at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
She serves on a number of boards and commissions, including Princeton University’s Board of Trustees, the Reserve Forces Policy Board at the Department of Defense reporting to the Secretary of Defense, the Commission to select the Under Secretary of Benefits for the Department of Veterans Affairs, reporting to the Secretary of the VA, and an advisory board to the Export-Import Bank of America, and America250.
As a military spouse and mother of two, she managed four combat deployments and nine moves over 16 years. She lives with her now-veteran husband in northern Virginia.
Noeleen Tillman
Chief Operating Officer
Chief Operating Officer
Noeleen Tillman
Chief Operating Officer
Noeleen Tillman is COO of Blue Star Families (BSF), a not-for-profit organization that supports and serves military families. Ms. Tillman leads and oversees BSF’s operations as the nation’s largest military family support organization.
Prior to joining BSF in 2010, Ms. Tillman was Executive Vice President of the Global Environment & Technology Foundation (GETF), a non-profit devoted to promoting sustainable approaches for government and businesses. While at GETF, Ms. Tillman managed a portfolio in excess of $30M and founded the International Institute for Sustainable Seaports (I2S2), a non-profit that provides technical support to the global maritime industry. Additionally, Ms. Tillman was a principal at TEC, Inc. responsible for leading the company's seaport environmental sustainability/engineering practice. Early in her career, Ms. Tillman served as Chief of Environmental Compliance for the 21st Space Wing; US Space Command where she managed civilian and military personnel responsible for environmental engineering activities at 32 geographically separated units located around the world.
Brian Whiting
Chief External Affairs Officer
Chief External Affairs Officer
Brian Whiting
Chief External Affairs Officer
Brian Whiting joins Blue Star Families as the Chief External Affairs Officer. He was previously the Chief Executive Officer of the Mediflix Veterans Channel, an online platform designed to be the single source for trusted information to address an expanding array of Veterans health and wellness issues.
Brian served by the side of our military and their families for 16 years, as Chief Executive Officer of the USO of Metropolitan New York, Inc. (USO). Prior to USO, he has held leadership positions in the U.S. and abroad with PricewaterhouseCoopers and a national trade association.
Brian is a passionate supporter of our military and their families, and he continues his service by volunteering with several military support organizations including serving on the board of Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Plaza. Brian was recognized with the US Coast Guard Public Service Commendation and is a recipient of the U.S. Army Freedom Salute Commendation. Brian has been a highly visible spokesperson for important military and Veterans issues, appearing in forums ranging from NBC’s Today, CBS’s This Morning, and Fox & Friends.
Vin Duncan
Chief Financial Officer
Chief Financial Officer
Vin Duncan
Chief Financial Officer
Vin Duncan serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Blue Star Families. Previously, Duncan led the finance organization for Frito-Lay’s Foodservice Division.
He has over 30 years of experience in various financial leadership roles, including financial planning and analysis and transformation projects, serving at PepsiCo/Frito-Lay. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington and holds an MBA from Southern Methodist University. While at PepsiCo/Frito-Lay, Duncan founded the PepsiCo Valor Employee Resource Group, focusing on supporting PepsiCo Veterans and their families. He received two PepsiCo Chairman’s Awards for his commitment to supporting Veterans.
Duncan’s background and experience in finance will support Blue Star Families’ commitment to nonprofit excellence and financial stewardship. Duncan is also a retired U.S. Army Reservist, serving for 30 years, with his last role as Brigade Commander of the 333rd Military Police in New York.
Lindsay Knight
Chief Impact Officer
Chief Impact Officer
Lindsay Knight, PhD
Chief Impact Officer
Lindsay is an applied social impact geek and leader with over ten years of on-the-ground expertise in strategic planning and implementation; youth and community engagement; applied research; pilot program design, scaling, and evaluation—and spends most days figuring out how to design and embed equity practices within organizational structures. Her niche area of expertise is creating ways for public, non-profit, philanthropic, and private sector stakeholders to discover and achieve collective ends. She comes to Blue Star Families most recently from the private sector where she was responsible for designing and leading a Global Equity Strategy at a multinational firm.
She has a PhD in Political Science from the University of Chicago, with an area focus on civic responsibility and duty, institutional change, and research methodologies. Lindsay is a mentor in the Institute of Politics’ Women in Public Service program, and serves on advisory boards for SXSWedu, People for Bikes, and Future Founders. Her work has been recognized with awards and fellowships from the Mellon Foundation, the Marguerite Casey Foundation, and the United Nations Association - Chicago for achievements in “Innovation, Industry, and Infrastructure” in social development. Though a midwesterner at heart, Lindsay lives in Santa Cruz Mountains near Woodside, CA. with her husband, David—where they ride and race bicycles... a lot.
Ryan Callahan
Executive Vice President, Digital Marketing & Innovation
Executive Vice President, Digital Marketing & Innovation
Ryan Callahan
Executive Vice President, Digital Marketing & Innovation
Ryan is the Executive Vice President of Digital Marketing & Innovation at Blue Star Families (BSF), where he leads efforts to connect military and veteran families with resources that enable them to thrive in their communities. A passionate social impact leader, Ryan has dedicated his career to supporting military communities. Before joining BSF, Ryan served as Vice President of Marketing at RallyPoint, the world's largest online military social network.
Ryan holds a Master of Science in Advertising from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts in New Media from Fairfield University. He is also a 2022 graduate of the George W. Bush Institute’s Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program, where he focused his work on helping veterans access VA health care, benefits, and services. Ryan’s contributions to public service were recently recognized with an Emmy win in the Public Service Announcement – Campaign Category for his work on the Combat the Silence Campaign.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, Ryan is a mentor and board advisor for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts, where he was honored as Massachusetts Big Brother of the Year in 2020. He is also a recipient of the Patriot Award from the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve. Ryan also serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for Kids in Tech.
Ryan is the son of a USMC Veteran. He lives in the North Shore of Massachusetts with his wife and two children.
Meredith Terrian
Executive Vice President, Chapter Impact
Executive Vice President, Chapter Impact
Meredith Terrian
Executive Vice President, Chapter Impact
Meredith Terrian is the Executive Vice President of Chapter Impact at Blue Star Families. She has worked exclusively in the nonprofit industry for 14 years as a front-line fundraiser and consultant guiding strategic planning, capital campaigns, and leadership development. Meredith is an Instructor at National University’s Fundraising Academy and host of “The Nonprofit Show” podcast. She founded a consulting firm in 2018 called The Allied Group and has worked almost exclusively with military and Veteran nonprofit organizations, including the Naval Postgraduate School Foundation, Naval War College Foundation, Marine Corps University Foundation, and Space Force Association, among others.
Meredith was a USMC spouse for the past 13 years, has three children, and lives in Tampa, FL. She loves traveling, the beach, exercise, and public speaking. Meredith is also a self-proclaimed “cat lady” and animal lover.
Ashley Saville
Senior Vice President, Development
Senior Vice President, Development
Ashley Saville
Senior Vice President, Development
Ashley joins Blue Star Families after serving in fundraising and sales roles for the past 15 years. She has led development, event, and gift planning departments, where she coordinated and directed initiatives for principal-level partnerships with individuals, corporations, and organizations to advance philanthropic endeavors.
As the daughter of two senior master sergeants in the Air Force, Ashley was led to serve upon graduating from Kennesaw State University, commissioning as a second lieutenant in 2009. While on active duty, Ashley was a platoon commander in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, leading convoy operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Her last duty station was Marine Barracks Washington. She is pursuing her MBA at the Marshall School of Business at USC.
Ashley resides in San Clemente, California, with her husband and two sons.
Adriene Engstrom
Chief of Staff
Chief of Staff
Adriene Engstrom
Chief of Staff
Adriene Engstrom is Blue Star Families' Chief of Staff. As an active-duty Army spouse and former Air Force dependent, she hopes to integrate BSF survey findings and REI initiatives to better assist military families of color in her area. Further, she works to build bridges between existing community services and those families.
Adriene Engstrom earned her Bachelor of Arts in Speech; Communications from Kansas Wesleyan University and her Masters of Science in Conflict Management from Kennesaw State University. She has served on several corporate boards including Employee Engagement and Inclusion and LGBT Business Resource Groups. Likewise, she has enjoyed volunteering for the military community since her youth. She is active in the West Point Spouses Club and is the mother of two girls.
Jennifer Akin
Vice President, Strategic Alliances and White Oak Collaborative
Vice President, Strategic Alliances and White Oak Collaborative
Jennifer Akin, MPA
Vice President, Strategic Alliances and White Oak Collaborative
Jennifer Akin is a national leader, prolific writer, and Gold Star spouse who has dedicated her career to building a stronger nation by understanding core problems facing military, Veteran, and survivor communities, and working to develop innovative solutions to solve them. She believes in the power of strong coalitions and today leads Blue Star Families’ critical cross-sector collaborations, creating trust-based, resilient networks capable of supporting military- and Veteran-connected families now and into the future.
Jenny has a Bachelor of Arts in Peace, War, and Defense (and History) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from North Carolina State University. She is the surviving spouse of Army Special Forces Veteran, Cooper Akin, who died in 2023 of cancer likely caused by environmental toxins he was exposed to during his military service. Jenny and her two children reside in Davidson, NC.
Penny Bolden
Vice President, Brand Partnerships
Vice President, Brand Partnerships
Penny Bolden
Vice President, Brand Partnerships
Combining a career in business development, strategic marketing and entrepreneurship, Penny is currently Blue Star Families Vice President, Brand Partnerships. An experienced and adaptive leader she brings an entrepreneurial flair to her role in soliciting support for military families from the private sector.
A graduate of the University of New South Wales, Australia, Penny managed strategic marketing efforts for Otis Elevator in Australia/New Zealand and later for their regional headquarters in Singapore. Her proven business acumen led her to a partnership with Sunchi Capital Corporation, an international consulting firm assisting US international expansion.
After marrying a US Marine she settled into a more “domestic” role stateside, as director of economic development for a non-profit organization, the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation. Later she accepted a business development director position with PRA International, a clinical research organization, where she closed more than $30 million in new business.
While stationed with her family in Madrid, Spain, Penny established a new business venture in leadership consulting and motivational speaking. She also founded and managed an international distribution business in the sporting goods industry.
An 18-year Marine Corps spouse, Penny seeks unique opportunities to contribute to her community. She has served on committees for the San Diego World Trade Center, the MIT Enterprise Forum, and the Marine Corps Key Volunteer program. She was a founding board member of non-profit GetGear.org, and is currently the Yearbook Committee Chair at Haycock Elementary School. As an officer’s spouse she has served alongside her husband in his command roles and is a member of the Marine Aviation Spouses Club, Washington DC.
Penny resides in McLean, VA with her husband, Col Ché Bolden (USMC) and their three daughters.
Michael Kang
Vice President, Technology and Analytics
Vice President, Technology and Analytics
Michael Kang
Vice President, Technology and Analytics
Michael Kang is the Vice President, Technology and Analytics at Blue Star Families. Prior to BSF, Michael worked in the corporate sector for almost two decades in various roles such as technology implementations, project management, finance, process improvement, strategy, and analytics. Some of the companies he has worked for include IBM, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Thomson Reuters, and Live Nation.
Michael received his bachelor’s degree in Economics with a Minor in Computer Science from UC Irvine and an MBA in Finance from the University of Southern California (USC). Michael lives in Los Angeles with his wife and son.
Susan Messina
Vice President, Development
Vice President, Development
Susan Messina
Vice President, Development
Susan Messina is a fundraising professional with a long career in health and human services. She joins Blue Star Families after 10 years in aging services. Prior to her work in aging services, Susan worked at the National Hospice and Palliative Care Association and the American Association of Health Plans and also spent eight years as a freelance grant writer.
A committed volunteer, Susan serves on the executive board of the Bryn Mawr Alumnae Association. Susan graduated from Bryn Mawr College, holds two master’s degrees from the Bryn Mawr School of Social Work & Social Research, and earned a master’s in library and information science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Vicky Perkins
Vice President, Programs
Vice President, Programs
Vicky Perkins
Vice President, Programs
Vicky is the Vice President of Programs at Blue Star Families, where she has served for 9 years. She oversees a diverse portfolio of programs, including Caregiver, Veteran, and Suicide-Prevention Support Circles; Outdoors; Campaign for Inclusion, Careers; Museums; and Books. Vicky has extensive experience in pilot program development, evaluation, and scaling innovative solutions at the national level and in partnership with Blue Star Families Chapter locations. She excels in stakeholder management, leading collaboration with federal and nonprofit partners, and oversees fiscal management of large-scale federal and private funds. In addition, she leads a growing internal team, ensuring the successful execution and expansion of high-impact programs.
Vicky holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary Education from Notre Dame of Maryland University and previously taught third grade for two years at William Tyler Page Elementary School in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Vicky is a Naval Aviator spouse, currently based in Jacksonville, Florida, where she and her husband Chris have raised three children. Vicky's favorite hobbies are getting outside to walk her dog, exercising in the fresh air, and spending time at the beach with her family.
Tom Porter
Vice President, Government Affairs
Vice President, Government Affairs
Tom Porter
Vice President, Government Affairs
Tom Porter is Vice President, Government Affairs at Blue Star Families in Washington, DC. He leads the organization’s national advocacy to empower and improve the lives of military and veteran families.
Porter comes to BSF with nearly three decades of Washington, DC experience as Congressional staff and as a government relations leader. Focusing first on national energy, water supply, and natural resources policy, he has spent the last nine years exclusively representing the interests of veterans and military families, primarily for the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
Porter played a lead role in passing significant legislation benefitting veterans and servicemembers, including the Honoring Our PACT Act to establish unprecedented new benefits for those who suffered military toxic exposures and their families, the Deborah Sampson Act which was the most comprehensive women veterans legislation in history, and reforms to the military justice system to protect victims of sexual assault and other serious crimes. He also was instrumental in defending the Post-9/11 GI Bill from cuts and abuse, among other accomplishments.
In addition to being a longtime Washington advocate on Capitol Hill and in front of federal agency leaders, Porter has also communicated on behalf of the military and veteran community through national, regional, and local media, including CNN, Fox News, NBC, ABC, Washington Post, NPR, and many others. He has testified numerous times before House and Senate veterans and armed services committees.
Porter is also a US Navy Captain (Ret.) with 27 years of reserve and active service around the world as a public affairs officer for US and Coalition forces, including during deployments to Afghanistan and the Middle East.
He is married to Northern Virginia attorney Jennifer Porter and has three teenage daughters.
John Barr
Vice President, Accounting and Finance
Vice President, Accounting and Finance
John Barr
Vice President, Accounting and Finance
Assisting organizations’ expansion in their Accounting & Operational functions John utilizes his past experiences in professional services to implement processes improvements, controls and financial data sharing systems.
John currently provides consulting services to Non-Profits and Government Contractors with areas of proficiency in Accounting System design-procedures & workflows, Applications integration (Accounting ERP, Payroll-T&A, purchasing, banking, etc.), Operations and HR tie-ins, financial analysis-reporting, budgeting & proposals, grants and Government contracting, Net Assets, compliance and Tax & Audit management.
John has collaborated with all levels of organizational staff in strengthening Finance & Accounting operations during his career, from the C-Suite and Board to the Summer Intern.
Sheila Stevens
Vice President, Chapter Impact and Outposts
Vice President, Chapter Impact and Outposts
Sheila Stevens
Vice President, Chapter Impact and Outposts
Sheila Stevens joined the Blue Star Families (BSF) team in 2010 as a chapter director and volunteer in Jacksonville, Fla. She now serves as Vice President, Chapter Impact and Outposts. Sheila is an experienced executive in military family affairs.
Sheila grew up in a military family; her father is a retired U.S. Navy officer. Years of deployments and moves helped her transition from Navy daughter to Navy spouse and now Navy mom. She is a strong leader with a history of successful planning and executing military family events. She continues to work with nonprofit organizations developing and managing programs for military members and their families, as is evident in her volunteer role as vice president of family matters for the Maritime Patrol Association, for which she developed and oversees the scholarship program for military dependents. She is passionate about military family readiness during times of war, constant deployments, and defense budget cuts. She has volunteered as an ombudsman and has supported several other VSOs and MSOs. She and her husband, U.S. Navy Captain Mark Stevens, live in the DC Metropolitan area. She is the mother of naval aviator Madeline Stevens stationed in Jacksonville, FL, and University of Arizona junior Zachary Stevens.
Blue Star Families Staff
- All
- External Affairs
- Finance
- Impact
- Operations
- Chapters & Outposts
Jennifer Akin, MPA
Alexandra Bitonti
Brooke Blaalid
Penny Bolden
Michele Bradfield
Joslynn Broun
Jenna Buck
Monique Ekundayo
Alan Goodin
Lindsey Grady
Tom Hausman
Daniela Hines
Karly Howell
Liz Jones
Alisha Lindstrom
Leah Love
Susan Messina
Angela Nicholas
Dara Picard
Tom Porter
Veronica Praeger
Sheila Rupp
Ashley Saville
Briana Smith