Charles W. “Skip” Bowen, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard (MCPOCG), USCG (Ret), Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

cwbowen@fcef.com, 817.569.2260
Charles W. “Skip” Bowen served as the 10th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard from 2006 to 2010. Highlights of his 32-year Coast Guard career include tours as the Officer in Charge of Coast Guard cutters and stations in Connecticut and Florida, the District Seven Command Master Chief from 1999 to 2001, and Command Master Chief for Coast Guard Headquarters and Headquarters Units from 2002 to 2004. Master Chief Bowen holds a Bachelor of Science degree, magna cum laude, from Excelsior College and a Master of Business Administration, summa cum laude, from Touro University International. Master Chief Bowen’s first post-retirement position was as a senior program manager with CACI, a company in Fairfax, Va., focused on national security missions. In April 2011, he accepted a position with Bollinger Shipyards, the largest privately owned shipyard in the country, as the program manager of the Fast Response Cutter program. The following year he was promoted to Vice President of Government Relations for the shipyard. In addition to Bollinger Shipyards, Master Chief Bowen has served on the board or advisory council of many military-affiliated organizations, including the Armed Forces Retirement Home, First Command Financial Services, Broward Navy Days, Mission Readiness, Veteran’s United Home Loans, the Coast Guard’s National Retiree Council, and First Command Educational Foundation. In Master Chief Bowen’s spare time, he co-authored a leadership book called “Breaching the Summit” with a retired service senior enlisted from each of the other four military services and the National Guard.

THOMAS e. “TOM” KUHAR, CommandER, USCG (Ret), CEO and President

tkuhar@fcef.com, 817.569.2500

Tom joined FCEF as the President in May 2022. 

Tom’s experience was gained during his almost 25-year US Coast Guard career. Enlisting into the US Coast Guard Reserve in 1995, he was assigned to a Search & Rescue Station in Pensacola, FL. Upon graduation from college, he transitioned to the Active-Duty component. He was assigned to a Cutter, where he advanced to Boatswain’s Mate Third Class. Completing his Enlisted time at Marine Safety Office Morgan City, LA, he was selected to attend Officer Candidate School in 1998.

Tom’s 21-year Officer career included a variety of operational and staff assignments where he led teams addressing myriad operational and policy initiatives. These assignments included Commanding Officer of a Patrol Boat, Executive Officer of a maritime anti-terrorism team, Operations Officer of a deployable counterterrorism team, staff assignments managing law enforcement training programs, and Chief of the Joint Strategic Planning Division at the Coast Guard Headquarters Office of Counterterrorism and Defense Operations. His final assignment was as the Coast Guard Liaison and advisor to US Central Command. Tom retired from the US Coast Guard in 2019.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Resources Management and Planning from the University of West Florida. Tom also holds a Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the US Naval War College. He is a certified Project Management Professional from the Project Management Institute. Tom is married with two children and resides in the Greater Tampa Bay area.

Albert “Al” Godoy, Director of Educational Programs

agodoy@fcef.com, 817.569.2809
Al is a Certified Personal Finance Counselor with a Master’s in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in General Engineering; Al has more than 20 years of experience in personnel training and development, in both private industry and at the college level. He is a certified facilitator/instructor by Development Dimensions International (DDI) and Zenger-Miller. He has extensive experience in personal finance classes in both English and Spanish. While in private industry, Al managed a training and development function of over 50 training and instructional developers, many with doctorate degrees, that supported a corporate-wide effort to automate and integrate all computer-based processes. While at FCEF, Al has been responsible for developing and managing various online financial education programs.

Lisa Kennedy, Director of Development

lykennedy@fcef.com, 817.569.3401
A North Texas native, Lisa joined FCEF in March 2020 as a Development Specialist. She enjoys traveling, reading, arts and culture, and a good concert. Lisa and her husband, John, have two adult children and three grand-dogs and make their home in Arlington. Lisa has 20 years of non-profit experience, making her an excellent addition to our team.

Julie Malwitz, Director of Scholarships & Program Support

jcmalwitz@fcef.com, 817.569.2634
Julie attended the University of North Texas, graduating summa cum laude, with a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences degree in Non-profit and Volunteer Management. She also holds a Certification in Applied Gerontology. Since 2011 Julie has helped develop and coordinate educational content for federal civilian employees on their unique retirement benefits. Her education and experience make her a great fit with FCEF’s federal civilian employee benefits and scholarship programs.

Julie “Juls” McRee, Director of Instructional Design & Online Learning

jamcree@fcef.com, 817.569.3156
Juls joined FCEF in July 2018 with more than 20 years of experience as a technical writer, curriculum development specialist, and training specialist. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from Stephen F. Austin State University, graduating Cum Laude. For 32 years, Juls served in many organizations as a volunteer and paid staff member as a military spouse. Her career highlights include working with the Army Family Team Building program, Cornell University assisting in the development of handbooks and facilitator guides for the Army’s Soldier and Family Program’s “Operation Ready,” developing curricula and training material for Army Community Service programs, and developing curricula in collaboration with Pennsylvania State University for the Office for Reintegration Program OSD/Reserve Affairs’ Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program (YRRP). Juls is passionate about military families and has devoted her life to programs that create self-reliant, independent, and strong military families.

Michelle Nelson, Instructional Support Specialist

mnelson1@fcef.com
Michelle joined FCEF in January 2022 as the Instructional Support Specialist for the Take Command® program, working as a writer and editor. She has a bachelor’s degree in International Studies from the University of Washington and Elementary Education Certification from Western Governors University.

A military spouse for 28 years, Michelle served in many organizations as a volunteer. She has experience providing new military spouses training and information about what to expect from military life, including finances, insurance, healthcare, and family life. After 17 military moves, her family has settled in Minnesota. Michelle is dedicated to service members and their spouses; ensuring their transition into the military and life beyond is seamless.

Sydney Spidell, Program Support Specialist and Social Media Manager

smspidell@fcef.com, 817-569-3624
Sydney Spidell joined FCEF as the Office Assistant in 2022. She was born and raised in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area and has always gravitated towards fine arts. Eventually, her interest in fine arts developed into a passion for Graphic Design, which she studied at North Lake College. Two of her favorite things are animals and vinyl records. If she’s not admiring her pets, Sydney can be found listening to records on her turntable. Sydney’s background in graphic design enables her to assist in the office and on special events in various areas. Her eagerness to dive into new tasks makes her a great asset to the FCEF team!

Charles W. (Skip) Bowen

CHARLES W. (SKIP) BOWEN, MASTER CHIEF PETTY OFFICER OF THE COAST GUARD (MCPOCG), USCG (RET), CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

Fortescue, New Jersey

Charles W. “Skip” Bowen served as the 10th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard from 2006 to 2010. Highlights of his 32-year Coast Guard career include tours as the Officer in Charge of Coast Guard cutters and stations in Connecticut and Florida, the District Seven Command Master Chief from 1999 to 2001, and Command Master Chief for Coast Guard Headquarters and Headquarters Units from 2002 to 2004. Master Chief Bowen holds a Bachelor of Science degree, magna cum laude, from Excelsior College and a Master of Business Administration, summa cum laude, from Touro University International. Master Chief Bowen’s first post-retirement position was as a senior program manager with CACI, a company in Fairfax, Va., focused on national security missions. In April 2011, he accepted a position with Bollinger Shipyards, the largest privately-owned shipyard in the country, as the program manager of the Fast Response Cutter program. The following year he was promoted to Vice President of Government Relations for the shipyard. In addition to Bollinger Shipyards, Master Chief Bowen has served on the board or advisory council of many military-affiliated organizations, including the Armed Forces Retirement Home, First Command Financial Services, Broward Navy Days, Mission Readiness, Veteran’s United Home Loans, the Coast Guard’s National Retiree Council, and First Command Educational Foundation. In Master Chief Bowen’s spare time, he co-authored a leadership book called “Breaching the Summit” with a retired senior enlisted from each of the other four military services and the National Guard. Skip joined FCEF’s Board of Directors in November 2020.

William E. King, IV

Brigadier General, US Army, (Ret.)

Monkton, MD

William King is a Strategy, Policy, and Planing Expert and retired US Army Brigadier General with over 35 years of experience in creating, planning, and implementing strategic mission-critical operations for international, interagency, and military processes. William has served in a wide variety of command, leadership, and staff positions across numerous levels of the U.S. Army, Joint Task Forces, and regional commands, culminating with his time as Commanding General of the Joint Task Force Elimination, Interagency National Technical Nuclear Forensic Task Force, and 20th Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear Explosives (CBRNE) Command. Currently at Booz Allen Hamilton, William is responsible for leading and assessing Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) synchronization and integration activities. Throughout his career, William has worked extensively to support international and interagency collaboration by providing strategic recommendations at the highest levels to promote shared understanding of prevention, protection, and recovery capabilities and challenges across military and political leaders of NATO member states and Partner Nations. He has facilitated and led operations across U.S. and South Korean governments along with six other nations. He leads and facilitates numerous National and International forums. Additionally, while in the U.S. Army, he gained expertise in operations management, strategic communications, and leading organizational change. He has developed innovative strategic communication plans and engagement strategies in support of national and defense objectives, increasing trust and confidence in our capabilities and overall readiness for several operational and strategic Commands. He is an exceptional communicator, prolific writer, and proven strategic thinker, and his background demonstrates extensive program management sucesses and creating visions in multifaceted social and cross-cultural environments.

Sunday E. Grace

CPA, MBA, Treasurer Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, First Command Financial Services

Arlington, Texas

Sunday Grace is Chief Financial Officer and a Senior Vice President at First Command Financial Services. She is a member of the Executive Leadership Team, where she leads the company’s financial decisions and is responsible for all accounting, analysis, and reporting. Sunday began her career at First Command in 2005 after graduating from the University of Texas at Arlington with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting. She is proud to be a part of an organization with the noble mission of “coaching those who serve in their pursuit of financial security.” Over her career, Sunday has achieved increasing levels of leadership, obtained the CPA and CGMA credentials, and earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She is an active Chicago Booth alumnus, working as an ambassador for the MBA program. Sunday enjoys running and scuba diving and spends much of her free time watching her daughter Jude perform in local theater productions. Sunday joined the First Command Educational Foundation Board of Directors in March 2019.

Timi Jorgensen, PhD

Assistant Professor and Director of Financial Education & Well-Being at The American College of Financial Services

ATHENS, GEORGIA

Timi Joy Jorgensen, PhD, is an Assistant Professor and Director of Financial Education & Well-Being at The American College of Financial Services. She joined the faculty in June 2020 after completing a six-month fellowship with The College. 

Jorgensen’s research focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion in financial services and on financial wellbeing and empowerment. Jorgensen has been a speaker, panelist, and contributor on the topic of creating a more inclusive and empowering financial services profession. She has spoken at conferences, on radio shows, and to several hundred couples, single parents, and individuals through her time in the financial planning profession and during financial literacy courses and one-on-one financial coaching sessions. Jorgensen is passionate about making financial planning a more approachable and empowering topic available to all American households. Jorgensen is particularly passionate about bringing financial education and wellbeing to active-duty military families, veterans of all military branches, and first responders and their families.

Jorgensen graduated with a bachelor’s degree in personal financial planning from Utah Valley University and completed her PhD in financial planning from the University of Georgia.

Justin Kistler

Executive Vice President, Operations, First Command Bank

Fort Worth, Texas

Justin Kistler joined First Command Bank in 2020 as the Senior Vice President for Deposit Operations. In July 2022, he was promoted to Executive Vice President of Bank Operations. In this role, he is responsible for the bank’s retail and digital operations, where he oversees quality control, and leads the execution of the  bank’s strategic portfolio. Justin led the modernization of the bank’s mobile banking experience as well as the implementation of the bank’s risk framework. He is also a member of the American Banker’s Association Core Platform Committee. Justin joined the U.S. Army shortly after high school where he served in the Field Artillery and Infantry. He served a combined eight years on active and National Guard duty as a squad leader and platoon sergeant before separating as a Staff Sergeant. Justin is a graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma with a degree in management information systems and operations management. In  2006, Justin joined Bank of America as an operations executive in mortgage servicing. In 2011, he was asked to lead the bank’s response to the Servicemember Civil Relief Act (SCRA) portion of the residential mortgage consent order with the OCC. In 2012, Justin’s scope was further expanded when he joined the bank’s  lobal Technology and Operations division as the enterprise process owner for servicing of military clients with deposit, credit card and auto lending products. In 2018, Justin’s responsibilities expanded again with addition of enterprise compliance accountabilities for the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) for consumer,  small business, wealth management and global operations. During his time at Bank of America, Justin served on the Military Affairs Advisory Group, the Veterans Associate Program Selection Committee, and the Military Support Affinity Group. He was also an executive sponsor for Women in Technology and Operations and represented the bank on several external groups, including HopeNow, the Servicemember Affairs Working Group of the Financial Services Roundtable, and Association of Military Banks of America. Prior to Bank of America, Justin also held leadership positions at H&R Block, The CIT Group and Aspect Communications. Justin is an active member of several veteran service organizations in the Dallas/Fort Worth market, including Team Red, White and Blue, and The Travis Manion Foundation. Justin is married with two children and resides in Keller, Texas. In his spare time, he enjoys distance running, fishing and spending time outdoors.

Thomas E. “Tom” Kuhar

Chief Executive Officer and President, FCEF

Valrico, FL

Tom joined FCEF as the President in May 2022. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, he is responsible for the Foundation’s strategic planning, fundraising, program growth, and daily operations.

Tom’s experience was gained during his almost 25-year US Coast Guard career. Enlisting into the US Coast Guard Reserve in 1995, he was assigned to a Search & Rescue Station in Pensacola, FL. Upon graduation from college, he transitioned to the Active-Duty component. He was assigned to a Cutter, where he advanced to Boatswain’s Mate Third Class. Completing his Enlisted time at Marine Safety Office Morgan City, LA, he was selected to attend Officer Candidate School in 1998.

Tom’s 21-year Officer career included a variety of operational and staff assignments where he led teams addressing myriad operational and policy initiatives. These assignments included Commanding Officer of a Patrol Boat, Executive Officer of a maritime anti-terrorism team, Operations Officer of a deployable counterterrorism team, staff assignments managing law enforcement training programs, and Chief of the Joint Strategic Planning Division at the Coast Guard Headquarters Office of Counterterrorism and Defense Operations. His final assignment was as the Coast Guard Liaison and advisor to US Central Command. Tom retired from the US Coast Guard in 2019.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Resources Management and Planning from the University of West Florida. Tom also holds a Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the US Naval War College. He is a certified Project Management Professional from the Project Management Institute. Tom is married with two children and resides in the Greater Tampa Bay area.

Jay Land

Program Manager, Booz Allen Hamilton

Ooltewah, Tennessee

A member of our board since February 2023, Jay currently serves as a Team Lead within Booz Allen’s Advana portfolio. Advana is a modern data platform that pulls data from hundreds of business systems to make data discoverable, understandable, and usable for advanced analytics aligned to the National Defense Strategy.
Prior to joining Booz Allen, Jay retired as a US Army Lieutenant Colonel, with more than 15 years of senior executive leadership experience managing and directing the operations and activities of Defense organizations ranging in scale from 300 to more than 2,500 personnel.

Scott Spidell

Vice President of Strategic Marketing, First Command Financial Service

Fort Worth, Texas

Scott oversees strategic brand and marketing initiatives as well as marketing operations for First Command Financial Services, which is dedicated to coaching our Nation’s military families to become financially disciplined and confident. He is charged with building and enhancing prospective and existing client engagement/lead generation as well as advisor recruitment.

Prior to First Command, Scott served in various marketing roles at FIS, Transamerica, and Countrywide. Prior to his career in financial services marketing, Scott was a police officer in Beaumont, Texas. Scott joined our board in April of 2024.

Tim Corrigan, Esq.

Retired

West Salem, Wisconsin

Timothy (Tim) John Corrigan, Esq., is a retired, executive level attorney, having held various positions including, but not limited to, General Counsel, Founding Shareholder, and Command Judge Advocate.

 Tim joins the FCEF Board of Directors, having retired from First Command Financial Services, Inc., where he served as an Associate General Counsel and provided legal counsel in human resources, contracts, and real estate transactions. Throughout his career, he provided analysis, advice, and leadership in Government and Private sectors. He served as a Judge Advocate in the U.S. Army and a Surface Warfare Officer in the U.S. Navy. Tim’s legal opinions and guidance have been sought and valued by Chief Executive Officers, Commanding Generals, and the Undersecretary for Management for the Department of Homeland Security. As a Board member, he will focus on corporate governance for charitable organizations and expanding America’s Service members’ access to quality financial education.

Tim graduated from Florida Southern College with a Bachelor of Science degree and from the University of Arkansas School of Law with a Juris Doctor. He is licensed to practice law in Arkansas, Missouri, Maryland, and the District of Columbia, as well as before the United States Supreme Court. Tim joined our board December 2023.

Jennifer Berlin

SVP, Chief of Staff Advisor Operations, First Command Financial Services

Tampa, Florida

Will Sager

Associate Director of Portfolio Management, First Command Financial Services

Fort Worth, Texas

Will Sager is an Associate Director of Portfolio Management at First Command and a senior leader on the Investment Management Team. In this role, Will conducts portfolio research and manages a team of due diligence investment analysts. He oversees the managed account program with over $22B in assets under management as well as guidance portfolios for over $20B in mutual fund assets under advisement. Will holds a BBA in Finance and Accounting from Texas Christian University and is a CFA charterholder.