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Released 20 February 2012
ALEXANDRIA,
VA (February 16, 2012) -- The Salvation Army's National Commander
William
A. Roberts announced the installation of nine new members to The Salvation
Army's National Advisory Board (NAB), a group of national civic, philanthropic
and business leaders who assist the organization in matters ranging from
strategic planning to public outreach. Each new member has been selected for
their community involvement and engagement with The Salvation Army in their
local
communities and with other nonprofit and relief organizations across the United
States
and internationally.
"We are honored that each of these civic and
community leaders have accepted the mantel of national voluntary leadership
with The Salvation Army," said Commissioner Roberts. "Each is
accomplished in business and
community change and we are honored that they will apply their knowledgeable
insight to help guide The Salvation Army."
As of January 1, 2012, each member began serving a
three-year term on the NAB. They join an august group led by the National Board
Chair, Charlotte Jones Anderson, Executive Vice President Brand Management /
President of Charities for the Dallas Cowboys.
"We are thrilled to be growing the size and scope
of The Salvation Army's National Advisory Board," said National Board Chair,
Mrs. Charlotte Jones Anderson. "The Board has now grown to 44 members and the
combined wealth of experience, talent and dedication of these new leaders will
bring a wonderful set of fresh ideas to our goal of helping others."
New members include Mrs. Pamela Abdalla; Mr. Gary
Brown; Mr. Bill Burke; Mr. Michael Ducker; Mr. Michael Flaherty; Mr. Eric Holm;
Ms. Marcia Larson; Mr. Joel Manby and Ambassador Gaddi H. Vasquez.
Additional information on each of the new NAB
members includes:
Mrs. Pamela Abdalla is currently chairman of The
Salvation Army's Middle East Advisory Board and has helped launch the first
Salvation Army outpost in the United
Arab Emirates. She moved to the UAE in 2008
when her husband's work as a partner in the Reed Smith law firm took them to
that region. Prior to her move, Mrs. Abdalla worked as an attorney and most
recently served 12 years as a hearing officer in Allegheny County's
family court system. She has also served as a member of The Salvation Army's
Greater Pittsburgh Regional Advisory Board since 2004, and was the recipient of
the Catherine Booth Award in 2006. Mrs. Abdalla also volunteers with The
Salvation Army's Family
Crisis Center, launching
the annual fundraiser, the Garbage Bag Gala.
Mr. Gary Brown is the Chief Executive Officer of
Mount West Investments, a private equity and real estate investment
organization. Previously, Mr. Brown was the President of Iron City Sash and
Door Co. from 1991-2005. Mr. Brown serves as a member of the Greater Pittsburgh
Advisory Board of The Salvation Army, and served as Vice Chairmen from
2006-2010. Mr. Brown is currently the Chairman of the Program Committee, which
includes Emergency Disaster Services, Family Caring
Center and Social
Services. Mr. Brown was also the 2008 recipient of the William Booth Award and
volunteered his services at Ground Zero following the 9-11 terrorist attacks.
Mr. Brown's father, Mr. J. Duncan Brown, was a charter member of the first
National Advisory Board Council Conference in 1976, which became the National
Advisory Board. He was Chairman of the NAB from 1986-1991. Mr. Gary Brown also
serves on the Board of Trustees for Westminster
College in New
Wilmington, PA
Mr. William (Bill) Burke is Senior Vice President
of Nationwide Financial (NF) Marketing in Ohio. Mr. Burke is responsible for
all of NF
Marketing including Individual Investments, Individual Protection and
Solutions, Retirement Plans, Investment Management - Advertising, Campaigns
Management
and Channel Marketing. Mr. Burke has extensive experience in marketing and
business strategy, product development and innovation, advertising and
communication, and relationship management.
Mr. Michael L. Ducker currently serves as Chief
Operating Officer for FedEx Express and President of its International
divisions. In this role, Mr. Ducker leads the customer-facing aspects of the
company's Express operations and sets the strategic direction for the company's
global pickup and delivery functions for both parcels and freight spanning more
than 220 countries and territories across North America, Latin America &
Caribbean, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India. He also
oversees the company's freight forwarding functions and once of the
largest-volume
customs clearance operations in North America.
Based at the FedEx Express global headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee,
Mr. Ducker has lead the company's unprecedented international expansion over
the past decade. In addition, he serves as Chairman of the U.S. Coalition of
Service Industries and the International Policy Committee of the U.S. Chamber
of Commerce.
Mr. Michael Flaherty is the President of Walden
Media, a company he co-founded in his apartment in 1999. Since that time,
Walden has gone on to produce over 30 films including The Chronicles of Narnia,
Charlotte's
Web, Holes, Bridge to Terabithia, and Amazing Grace. Its publishing division
has published a number of award-winning books, including the Newberry Award
winner Savvy. As a writer, Mr. Flaherty has been published in a number of
newspapers and magazines including the Wall Street Journal. A graduate of Tufts
University,
Mr. Flaherty lives in Lexington,
Massachusetts where he helps his
wife Kelly home school their three children.
Mr. Eric Holm is the owner of Metro Corral
Partners, a 28-unit Golden Corral franchisee with operations in Florida and
Georgia. As president, he actively
manages the daily operation of Metro Corral, which is the largest Golden Corral
franchisee in the country. Mr. Holm has been in the restaurant industry for
over 30 years and has substantial experience in restaurant operations,
marketing and development. In addition to his involvement with The Salvation
Army in Orlando, Fla., Mr. Holm and his wife, Diane founded Helpings from
the Heart Thanksgiving
Feast in 1992. In 2011, on Thanksgiving Day, more than 24,000 free meals were
served throughout Central Florida.
Ms. Marcia Larson is Manager of HR Content &
Communities at Dow Jones / Wall Street
Journal, a subsidiary of News Corporation in New York City. Ms. Larson's
current work for
Dow Jones and News Corp. incorporates recruitment, blogging, tweeting and other
uses of social media marketing as well as training others at News Corp. on how
to leverage social media. In addition, Ms. Larson participates in international
relief work annually, most recently in Tanzania with the Micah Global
Foundation, an international outreach service organization.
Mr. Joel Manby is the President and Chief Executive
Officer of Herschend Family Entertainment (HFE), the largest family owned theme
park corporation in the U.S., that owns and operates 26 properties across ten
states, including Stone Mountain Park, Dollywood and Silver Dollar City. Mr.
Manby and his company were featured on the hit CBS show Undercover Boss and
received worldwide acclaim for portraying a compassionate business culture.
Prior to joining HFE, Mr. Manby was a part of the start-up team for Saturn
Corporation and was instrumental in launching Saturn's innovative marking and
distribution strategy. After his successful tenure at Saturn, Mr. Manby was
promoted to CEO of Saab Automobile USA.
Ambassador Gaddi H. Vasquez is currently the Senior
Vice President of Public Affairs for the Southern California Edison Company, one
of the nation's largest investor owned utilities. Prior to this position,
Ambassador Vasquez served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
Organizations in Rome, Italy. AMB Vasquez also served as
Director of the United States Peace Corps and became the third longest serving
Director in the Peace Corps' 50-year history. During this tenure, the Peace
Corps established the Peace Corps Global AIDS Program, which has resulted in
the development of new country programs with a focus on the President's
Emergency
Plan for AIDS Relief.
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About The Salvation Army
The
Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church
established in London in 1865, has been
supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for more than 130
years
in the United States.
Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each
year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing
food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled,
outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and
opportunities for underprivileged children. 82 cents of every dollar The
Salvation Army spends is used to support those services in 5,000 communities
nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.