COMMITTEE CHAIRS
RECRUITING
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Daniel P. Woodward
Brigadier General, US Air Force (Ret)
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Mark A. Montjar
Brigadier General, US Army (Ret)
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Tom Countryman
Ambassador, (Ret)
COMMUNICATIONS
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Linda Jackson
Strategic Communications | Flag Spouse
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Dave Petri
Commander, US Navy (Ret)
FINANCE
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Bud Pettigrew
Former Chair, Nebraska Democratic Party
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Charles Adams
Former Ambassaor to Finland
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Jeff Bleich
Former Ambassador of Australia
STATE OUTREACH
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Todd Squire
Rear Admiral, US Navy (Ret)
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Scott Deitchman
Rear Admiral, US Public Health Service (Ret)
Former Assistant Surgeon General
PARTNERSHIPS
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Bob Riley
Ambassador, (Ret)
Committee Chairs’ Bios
Brigadier General Daniel P. Woodward, USAF (Ret)
Brigadier General Daniel P. Woodward retired from the Air Force following more than 28 years of service. He is a command pilot with more than 3,000 military flight hours and is married to his college sweetheart, retired Air Force Major General Maggie Woodward. He is the Executive Director of Arnold Air Society and Silver Wings, a nationwide collegiate nonprofit that builds young military and civilian servant leaders through the lessons found in community service. He is also a presidentially appointed commissioner with the American Battle Monuments Commission.
Brigadier General Mark A. Montjar, USA (Ret)
Brigadier General Mark A. Montjar retired from the Army in 2007 after completing 35 years of service, both active and reserve. He last served as the Deputy Commanding General of the US Army Cadet Command at Ft. Monroe, Virginia. Mark also retired from General Motors Corporation in 2002 after 25 years of service where he managed a team of international buyers responsible for the global procurement of engine and transmission components.
Ambassador Thomas Countryman
Thomas Countryman, with 35 years in the Senior Foreign Service, boasts extensive national security expertise. Holding key roles like acting Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security and Assistant Secretary for International Security and Nonproliferation, he spearheaded efforts to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction. With a career spanning various global hotspots and key U.S. institutions, including the State Department, Pentagon, and White House, Countryman brings a wealth of experience to his current role as Chairman of the Board of the Arms Control Association, where he continues to advise on critical global security matters.
Linda Jackson
Linda retired from her career in public relations and advertising after 30 years of supporting public health and public safety initiatives. She served as Senior Vice President at Ogilvy Washington, leading efforts for HHS, CDC, NIH, DHS, and FEMA among many others. Prior to that, she was director of health communications at the American Institutes for Research and Vice President of communications at Prospect Associates. She is also the spouse of RADM Larry Jackson, retired, USN, and has supported several military family programs with communications and strategic planning expertise. Linda holds a B.S. in nutritional biochemistry from Cornell University and completed her dietetic internship at Brigham and Women’s hospital, a Harvard Medical School teaching affiliate.
Commander Dave Petri, USN, (Ret)
Dave is a retired Navy Commander and the founder and principal marketing consultant at Cynosura Consulting, offering decades of leadership, project management, and marketing experience to clients. While in the Navy, Dave was a Nuclear Engineer, Surface Warfare Officer, and Engineering Duty Officer. In addition to serving in the Navy, Dave held senior management positions in a variety of industries, including the defense and energy sectors where he was employed by Raytheon and Siemens. Dave’s education includes a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Pennsylvania State University, a master’s in engineering management from Southern Methodist University, and an MBA from Wake Forest University.
Bud Pettigrew
Bud Pettigrew is a former U.S. Marine, serving from 1982-1985, and a teacher. He is the former Chair of Chairs of the Nebraska Democratic Party from 2009-2022 and was the only person to ever be reelected to the position. He is a three-time Morrison-Exon Award winner for the Nebraska Democratic Party, was a 2012 Nebraska national delegate for President Obama, and a 2020 Nebraska national delegate and whip captain for President Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign as well as a senior aide to Senator Bob Kerrey. Pettigrew holds a bachelor’s degree in History and Social Science Education from Hastings College and did graduate work in History at Wayne State College. He and his wife Angela have two sons, Arthur and Evan.
Charles Adams
Charles C. Adams, Jr. served as the US Ambassador to Finland from 2015-2017 and is now a leading figure in international arbitration as Global Co-Head of Orrick’s International Arbitration Practice Group in Geneva. With over four decades of experience, Charles has participated in over 300 arbitral proceedings worldwide, often in key roles such as lead counsel or tribunal chair. He was a trustee of the Dubai International Arbitration Centre for over a decade and is involved with organizations combating human trafficking. Charles is also a frequent commentator on political, economic, and cultural issues on Francophone television channels.
Jeff Bleich
Jeff Bleich is a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University and Chair of the Jeff Bleich Centre on Democracy and Disruptive Technologies at Flinders University. He has over three decades of experience in resolving complex domestic and international disputes. He served as the U.S. Ambassador to Australia (2009-2013) and as Special Counsel to President Obama, as well as Chair of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, and law clerk to Chief Justice William Rehnquist of the U.S. Supreme Court. Recognized for his federal service, he's been honored with the Sue Cobb Medal, the State Department's highest award for a non-career ambassador, and the Distinguished Public Service Medal from Senior Advisor to the Director of National Intelligence.
Rear Admiral Scott Deitchman, USPHS (Ret)
Scott Deitchman is a medical doctor and a retired US Public Health Service Rear Admiral and Assistant Surgeon General of the United States. In 30 years of active duty, primarily at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, his assignments included leading public health emergency responses to chemical, radiological, and natural disasters. Scott served in the White House as the Vice-President’s Medical Advisor for Homeland Security Affairs. He is a Principal at Gordon & Rosenblatt, LLC, a consulting firm for control of waterborne diseases, and serves in several volunteer organizations.
Rear Admiral Todd Squire, USN (Ret)
Todd Squire is a retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral. He served the first half of his career as a pilot in carrier aviation and finished the second half as a Foreign Area Officer in various foreign policy positions. After retirement, Todd completed a Master of Arts with research focus on preparing core content teachers to reach English Language Learners effectively. He has worked for Boys Hope Girls Hope of Colorado which helps academically motivated students from disadvantaged backgrounds succeed in completing High School and College. He currently teaches English and Citizenship classes with the Asian Pacific Development Center and is a Fellow with the American College of National Security Leaders.
Ambassador Bob Riley
Retired Ambassador Bob Riley is a career member of the Foreign Service and class of Minister-Counselor. He served as the US Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia from 2016 to 2020. From August 2020 through April 2023, Bob was the Chief Operating Officer at the East-West Center in Honolulu. Bob's 40 years overseas include 12 years as a Peace Corps Volunteer and staff member and 27 years as a Foreign Service Officer, in a wide variety of assignments in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Central and Southeast Asia, and the Pacific. He graduated from Yale University.