United Spinal Appoints Tom Aiello, Veteran & Marketing Executive, as New Board Member

.@UnitedSpinal appoints new board member, #veteran & marketing exec Tom Aiello, #WestPoint, #SCI, http://ow.ly/z8SAT

News provided by

Jul 15, 2014, 09:10 ET

NEW YORK, July 15, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- United Spinal Association today announced the appointment of Tom Aiello, president of March Marketing, LLC and an Army veteran living with spinal cord injury (SCI) from Wheaton, Illinois, to its board of directors.

Aiello, a West Point graduate, initially became interested in joining United Spinal's board of directors through his knowledge of the organization's VetsFirst program and its work to assist veterans with SCI and their family members.

Aiello is president and founder of March Marketing, LLC., a leading agency specializing exclusively in strategy, consulting, marketing, recruiting, public relations, social media, and word-of-mouth communications for products and services targeting military and veteran families.

"We're privileged to have a leader like Tom on our board of directors. His passion for marketing and keen understanding of the challenges faced by veterans with SCI will be of great value to our organization as we take our mission to the next level," said Joe Gaskins, president and CEO of United Spinal.

Aiello, who was injured while in service as an Army captain, said, "While many are focusing on the interests of veterans overall, the needs of veterans with spinal cord injuries often goes overlooked."

"As I learned more about United Spinal and their VetsFirst program, I saw how they were on the edge of so many landmark advances for quality of life of all people with these injuries. For meaningful change to occur, it has to come through an organization like United Spinal that has this type of change in its DNA. That's something I want to be a part of," Aiello added.

After graduating from West Point, Aiello served in the 1st Cavalry Division with deployments to Kuwait, Panama, and Korea.

Aiello received his Master's in business administration from the Kellogg Business School. His prior positions include division vice president of Marketing at Sears Holdings; general manager and vice president of Marketing at Monster Worldwide and vice president, account director at Leo Burnett Advertising.

Throughout his career, he has assisted employers in hiring over 50,000 veterans and raised $118 million for community programs improving the quality of life for more than 110,000 military and veteran families.

About United Spinal Association
United Spinal is a national 501(c) (3) nonprofit membership organization formed in 1946 by paralyzed veterans and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for all Americans with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D), including multiple sclerosis, spina bifida, ALS and post-polio. It played a significant role in writing the Americans with Disabilities Act, and made important contributions to the Fair Housing Amendments Act and the Air Carrier Access Act. Membership is free and is open to all individuals with SCI/D. United Spinal was instrumental in getting New York City to create sidewalk curb ramps and accessible public transportation that has been used as a model for many United States cities.

Media contact:
Ahvi Spindell
Media Relations Services
United Spinal Association
(212) 580-4567
[email protected]
Twitter @ahvispin

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link.
Jim Weisman
ProfNet - http://www.profnetconnect.com/jim_weisman

Logo- http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110413/MM82757LOGO

SOURCE United Spinal Association