Wounded Warrior Project Elects New Board Leaders and Welcomes New Directors

News provided by

Sep 29, 2021, 09:41 ET

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Sept. 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) elected new leadership to its volunteer board of directors. Kathleen Widmer is assuming the role of board chair. Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Ken Hunzeker is now vice chair.

Wounded Warrior Project elected new leadership to its volunteer board of directors while adding two new board directors.

Widmer joined the board in August of 2017. She currently serves as Company Group Chairman, North America and Latin America, Johnson and Johnson Consumer Health, which provides health and wellness solutions to consumers through brands such as Neutrogena, Tylenol, Aveeno, Band-Aid, Zyrtec, and Listerine. Widmer graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1983 and served five years in the US Army as a Field Artillery officer.

Hunzeker joined the WWP board last year. He is the former CEO and president of Vectrus, an infrastructure and global logistics company. Previously, Hunzeker served as vice president of government relations at ITT Defense following a 35-year career in the Army. He commanded forces at every level from Platoon to Army Corps (3-star Command), culminating his career as deputy commanding general of all U.S. forces in Iraq. Hunzeker was recently honored as a Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, an honor bestowed to very few Alumni on an annual basis.

"Kathleen and Ken's extensive military, corporate, and veteran experience will help guide our board of directors," said WWP CEO Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Mike Linnington. "We are in a vital time for today's generation of wounded veterans. As their needs change, we have to evolve organizational support accordingly."

The national charity also added two retired generals with extensive medical experience to its board to better serve injured veterans and their families.

Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Patricia D. Horoho served as our nation's 43rd U.S. Army Surgeon General and Commander of the U.S. Army Medical Command, making history as the first woman, first nurse, and first non-physician to hold those positions. She is currently the CEO of OptumServe, the federal business of Optum and UnitedHealth Group. During her 33-year Army career, Horoho helped implement new efforts around behavioral health, health readiness, and improved health care for military women.

Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Joseph Caravalho Jr., M.D., is president and CEO of the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, a Congressionally authorized not-for-profit that supports specific medical research worldwide for the benefit of military and civilian health. Besides specializing in cardiology, Caravalho served as medical officer at nearly every level, from Special Forces Battalion to the Joint Staff at the Pentagon during his 38-year Army career. He also commanded the Army's medical research command and served as the Army deputy surgeon general.

While welcoming new members to its board, WWP also bid farewell to Dr. Jonathan Woodson and Cari DeSantis. Woodson, who served as board chair for the past three years, has served as the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs in the U.S. Department of Defense. He is also a Major General in the U.S. Army Reserves, and Commander of the U.S. Army Reserve Medical Command. Woodson is currently the Larz Anderson Professor in Management and Professor of the Practice at Boston University's School of Business; professor of surgery at Boston University's School of Medicine; and professor of health law, policy, and management at Boston University's School of Public Health.

DeSantis served as a WWP board member since 2017. She recently retired as CEO of Melwood, a nonprofit that provides opportunities for people of differing abilities. One of the ways the organization helps the community is through Melwood Veterans Services LLC, which assists veterans in their transitions to civilian life. It helps with career exploration, job training, and job support. It offers a weeklong program known as Operation Tohidu^® that helps veterans and active-duty military overcome obstacles to their recoveries. That gathering is similar to WWP's multiday, outdoor, rehabilitative mental health workshops. Both use challenges and educational opportunities to work through symptoms of post-traumatic stress.

WWP's board of directors helps the organization fulfill its mission to honor and empower wounded warriors through guidance and leadership. Learn more about the board here.

About Wounded Warrior Project
Since 2003, Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) has been meeting the growing needs of warriors, their families, and caregivers — helping them achieve their highest ambition. Learn more.

SOURCE Wounded Warrior Project