Our Leadership

Board of Directors

The Foundation’s Board is composed of military officers and experts in the business and public-service communities.

Staff

President

James R. Schenck is President of the Foundation. His previous positions at Pentagon Federal Credit Union include Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer from 2006 to 2008 and Chief Administrative Officer from 2001 to 2006. Prior to joining Pentagon Federal, James was a U.S. Army aviation officer flying UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopters. He served in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army for Operations and Plans before his selection to the Secretary of the Army's staff as the integrator of all recruiting initiatives. In September 2004, James was appointed to a two-year term as the Commonwealth of Virginia's civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army. He received the Legion of Merit for overseeing the creation of the $453 million Army University Access Online educational initiative. James graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, earned an MBA from Harvard Business School, and taught economics and corporate finance at West Point.

Senior Vice President

Brett M. Decker, the Foundation’s Senior Vice President, is the chief operating officer responsible for managing programs and organizational growth. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President of Communications at the Export-Import Bank of the United States, lived in Hong Kong as an editor and writer for The Wall Street Journal, and worked in the Majority Whip’s office of the U.S. House of Representatives, and as a reporter and television producer for Evans & Novak Inside Report. An adjunct professor of government at Johns Hopkins University, Mr. Decker has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Albion College, a master’s in government from Johns Hopkins, and a master’s in national security and strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College.

Vice President

Mary Lynn Stevens, the Foundation’s Vice President, served many years as Vice President of Marketing for Pentagon Federal Credit Union. She is a member of the Board of Governors of the National Military Family Association and has a background in marketing research, public relations, social work and volunteering. Ms. Stevens has a Bachelor of Arts from Wichita State University and is the recipient of numerous national marketing awards.

Manager, Office of Development

Pauline Poh joined the foundation in April of 2008. She has over six years of fundraising experience, including managing office operations, organizational finance and communications projects. Ms. Poh received her undergraduate degree in Business Administration from West Virginia University and her graduate degree in Economics & Social Development from University of Pittsburgh.



National Advisory Board

Honorary Congressional Advisory Board

  • United States Senator Jim Bunning, Republican, Kentucky
  • United States Senator Jack Reed, Democrat, Rhode Island
  • United States Representative John Carter, Democrat, Texas
  • Pentagon Federal Credit Union covers all the Foundation's administrative expenses.
  • 100% of your contributions go to our programs.
  • Support comes from the Military Heroes Golf Classic, the Night of Heroes gala, from corporations, foundations, military associations and thousands of individual donors worldwide.
  • The Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) organization; donations are tax deductible.
Donate Volunteer

Back to Top
Normal Font Size Larger Font Size