OUR TEAM
BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Robert Irvine
Founder & Chairman
World-class chef and entrepreneur, and a tireless philanthropic supporter of our nation’s military.

Gail Kim
Board of Directors
A legend in professional wrestling, she is a retired star of TNA Wrestling.

Justin Leonard
Board of Directors
Justin currently serves as Chief Operating Officer for Chef Robert Irvine.

Dave Jeffries
Board of Directors
Dave has been practicing business law for 30 years, and working with Robert for the last 10.

Scott Sonnemaker
Board of Directors
Scott Sonnemaker served our nation in the US Navy. He was on Active Duty from 1985-1990.
Throughout his successful business career, Scott’s desire to support our veterans and their loved ones has become a true passion.

Pam Swan
Board of Directors
The Sr. Director of Military Relations & Business Development for Veterans United Home Loans.
ADVISORY COUNCIL

Ryan D. McCarthy
Advisory Council
Ryan D. McCarthy was confirmed by unanimous consent of the U.S. Senate and sworn in as the 24th secretary of the Army and served in the role from September 2019 until January 20th, 2021. In August 2017, he was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate and appointed as the 33rd Undersecretary of the Army. McCarthy currently serves on the Board of Directors of CACI International, OneWeb Technologies, Tomahawk Robotics incorporated, and is a Special Advisor and Venture Partner at Scout Ventures. He is the Dean’s Scholar in residence at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University and is on the Board of Advisors of the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business. McCarthy is an honorary graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point Class of 1996 and is a member of the US Army Ranger Hall of Fame class of 2019.

John F. Campbell
Advisory Council
General (Retired) John F. Campbell retired from the U.S. Army in May 2016 after 37 years of active duty service. He was most recently the Commander of the U.S. and NATO Forces in Afghanistan from August 2014 to March 2016. He also served as the 34th Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army; the second highest ranking officer in the 1.1 million US Army. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Military Academy and master’s degree in Public Administration from Golden Gate University and an honorary MS in National Security Strategy from the Army War College. During his military service, General Campbell earned a number of individuals, campaigns, and foreign decorations including the Defense Distinguished Service medal, three Distinguished Service Medals, the Defense Superior Service Medal, three Legions of Merit, three Bronze Star Medals, the Combat Infantry Badge, Combat Action Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, and the Ranger and Special Forces Tabs. In 2018 he was inducted into the inaugural class of the 82d Airborne Division’s Hall of Fame. In 2022 he was awarded the Distinguished Graduate Award by the Association of Graduates of the United States Military Academy at West Point and is the recipient of the 2022 Doughboy Award presented by the National Infantry Association. He serves on several corporate level boards but his passion continues to be serving our men and women in uniform, and he also serves on several non-profit veteran boards, he is the Chairman for Army Emergency Relief (AER), Chairman for NS2 Serves (Boots to Suits), and a member of the board for Homes For Our Troops.
General Campbell has deployed multiple times to both Iraq and Afghanistan and has over 54 months in combat.

Ellyn Dunford
Advisory Council
Growing up in the Boston area, Mrs. Dunford graduated from Simmons College with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy and moved to northern Virginia, where she met her husband, Joe Dunford. They have been married for 38 years, through 20 homes, six states, three children, and numerous deployments in peacetime and war. Mrs. Dunford enjoys running and exercising, reading and volunteering, and most importantly, being Nana. Her volunteer efforts included various spouse clubs, advising military family service organizations, and Family Readiness Programs. While General Dunford has retired from Active Duty service they both continue to support the efforts of various non-governmental organizations to serve and advocate for military families.

Sean Perseo
Advisory Council
Sean Perso served in the United States Marine Corps from 1990-1994. During his service, he was deployed overseas on multiple occasions, including Operation Desert Storm in Iraq and Operation Restore Hope in Somalia. The highlight of his military career was having dinner at the captain’s table with U.S. Army General Colin Powell, who was then the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, while deployed to Somalia. Sean has worked at Sunbelt Rentals since 2003 and currently serves as the Ambassador of Outreach Programs.
In his current role with Sunbelt and through his work with the Foundation, Sean is dedicated to advancing Sunbelt’s commitment to supporting the veteran community, enhancing the partnership by raising awareness, and guiding fundraising efforts that serve and honor our nation’s heroes and their families.

Peter Clarke
Advisory Council
Peter Clarke is a Senior Director at Roberts & Ryan, focusing on Equity, Debt Capital Markets, and Corporate Development. Mr. Clarke has over 20 years of experience in financial services. He has previously held positions at DLJ, Credit Suisse First Boston, and Fidelity & Trust. Mr. Clarke holds SIE, FINRA Series 7, and 63 licenses. Mr. Clarke is proud to currently work at a business that is run by veterans and supports veterans. He was instrumental in creating a partnership between Roberts & Ryan and Robert Irvine Foundation. He believes whole-heartedly in the Robert Irvine Foundation’s mission and looks forward to helping expand their efforts through fundraising.
EXECUTIVE STAFF

Judith Otter
President
Judith Otter brings with her decades of experience establishing and developing new organizations.

David Reid
VP, Director of Military, Veteran, and First Responder Outreach
As a boy, David dreamed of one day serving his country and enlisted in the Army in 2008.

Donna M Cobb
VP, Corporate Development & Stewardship
Donna spent her career in the communications industry and is an accomplished marketing and business executive.

Rachel Brown
VP, Director of Marketing & Communications
Rachel spent a decade of her career working with non-profits in development and marketing.

Caroline Ketzler Hunter
VP, Strategic Initiatives
Having entered the world of nonprofits in 2004, Caroline has dedicated her career to lifting up the voices and missions of others.

Charlie Williams
VP, Director of Programs
Charlie spent over 4 years on active duty in the Marine Corps and served in Weapons Company 1st Battalion 5th Marines.
After the Marine Corps, Charlie spent over 10 years in law enforcement. He was a member of the Civil Disturbance Unit, Fatal Alcohol Crash Team, Honor Guard, and Crisis Intervention Team. In this role, he was often called to assist veterans who were experiencing psychological distress. He was recognized by his police department with their highest award, the Gold Merit Award as well as a Lifesaving Medal. Mothers Against Drunk Driving recognized him as a “Top Cop” in 2009. Charlie served three years as the local Fraternal Order of Police President representing over 300 active and retired Police Officers. He currently volunteers with the Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University giving instruction on military culture and civilian transition difficulties to behavioral health clinicians. He is married with four children. Charlie previously worked at Warrior Reunion Foundation as Program Director. He joined the Robert Irvine Foundation in 2022 and is excited to help grow their efforts and mission.
MEET OUR CHEFS

Shane Cash
Corporate Chef & Vice President of Development – Robert Irvine Foods
Chef Shane Cash’s passion for food, hospitality, leadership, and attention to detail are the proven keys to success so far in his culinary career. At the age of 18, he found another passion and that was to become a United States Marine. Shane served in the Marine Corps FAST Company (Fleet Anti-Terrorist Security Team) until 1991 when he returned to his home in Virginia to begin his culinary career with Hyatt Hotels as a cook. After working with Hyatt, The Lansdowne Resort in Virginia, and The Potomac Grill, Shane worked at the Trump Taj Mahal Casino, where he met Robert Irvine, who was his Executive Chef.
In 2013, Shane rejoined Robert Irvine as Corporate Chef & Vice President of Concept Development, overseeing the culinary division and development of Robert Irvine Foods and more. In his time with Robert Irvine, Shane has served as Irvine’s culinary lead on major events with attendees as large as 11,000. As a veteran himself, Chef Shane’s greatest joy is the work he is able to do for our veterans, active duty, and first responders through the Robert Irvine Foundation.

Darryl Moiles
Vice President for Culinary Affairs – Robert Irvine
Darryl received his degree at Johnson and Wales. He apprenticed with a CMC and joined Four Seasons. He worked there for 20 years as Executive Chef. Darryl has led many types of kitchens from casual to large corporate banquets as well as 5-star 5 diamond restaurants. He joined Robert in 2015 and has since served events with attendees of thousands all over the nation. He finds it most rewarding to cook for, and sometimes alongside, our service members and first responders through the Robert Irvine Foundation.

Brian Goodman
Corporate Chef – Robert Irvine
Brian was born and raised on the Jersey Shore. He has been working in the food industry for 24 years doing everything from bussing tables, prepping food, being a line cook, and running the kitchen of a highly successful restaurant to his current job as the Corporate Chef for Chef Robert Irvine. He can also be seen on television and streaming assisting Irvine in the shows Restaurant: Impossible. When Brian is not in the kitchen he enjoys playing golf, going to the beach, and playing with his niece/goddaughter Tessa.
CONTACT US
Thank you for reaching out to the Robert Irvine Foundation. We have recently experienced an increase in requests and appreciate your patience if there is a delay in response. Our team reviews every inquiry personally and we consider each request thoughtfully. We wish we could help every person and organization in need of support, but regrettably, we are unable to do so at this time. If it is an emergency, please reference our resource page and reach out to a 24/7 hotline that is able to assist you further. Thank you again for your understanding and we wish you the best of luck.

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THE ROBERT IRVINE BRAND FAMILY


Veterans in Crisis
1-800-273-8255
A single act of kindness can help someone feel less alone. Your actions could help save a life. #bethere
Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors
1-800-959-TAPS
Whether you are in emotional crisis, need to connect with TAPS resources and programs, or just want to remind yourself that you are a part of a loving, supporting family.
Marine Corps Distress Line
1-877-476-7734
24×7 anonymous phone, chat and referral service using a ‘Marine to Marine’ approach.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Dial 988
The resources and information provided information on understanding the background, history, funding opportunities, and implementation resources for strengthening suicide prevention and mental health crisis services. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available.
Robert Irvine Foundation
Robert Irvine Foundation A tax-exempt public charity (federal tax ID #46-5420676). All contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowable by law.