Board of Directors and Executive Staff

Board of Directors

Career Foreign Service Officer (Ret.) Jay Katzen

Jay is a retired diplomat, business consultant, state legislator, government agency administrator, and past President of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. He received his B.A. (magna cum laude) in Political Science from Princeton University (1958) and his M.A. in International Relations from Yale University (1959) and served presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower through George W. Bush. From 1959 to 1979, Jay was a career Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State. His posts included Australia, Burundi, Congo (Kinshasa), communist Romania, Mali, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York, and Congo (Brazzaville), where he was Chief of Mission. From 1979 to 1991, Katzen served as senior advisor reporting directly to the chairmen and senior executives of corporations including Bechtel, Consolidated Gold Fields, Fluor, Kennecott, Newmont Mining, and Phelps Dodge.

In 1993, he was elected to represent the 31st legislative district of the Virginia House of Delegates, where he was re-elected three times. He was the Virginia Republican Party nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 2001, and for Congress in Virginia’s 9th District in 2002. From 2004-2009, Jay served as a Regional Director and Acting Chief of Staff of the U.S. Peace Corps. He also attended the National War College, was a visiting Professor at the Boston College Graduate School of Management, and served on advisory boards at Duke University and the University of Kentucky. Since 2011, Jay has been a Park Ranger at the Talkeetna Ranger Station of Denali National Park, Alaska. He is an active member of the Iditarod Trail Committee. Jay has been recognized by the National Federation of Independent Business, the Vietnam Veterans of America, Virginia’s Council of Indians, 4-H, and the Virginia Society for Human Life.

Ben Hayes, Vice Chairman

Ben is the son of SMSGT Ben Hayes Jr., USAF (deceased), a recipient of a Bronze Star and Purple Heart, and who served with the Air Force Security Forces for 26 years.

Ben has worked in professional baseball for 32 of the past 38 years, and has been a Florida-licensed and practicing attorney for the past 24 years. Ben pitched 9 years in professional baseball, of which 2½ seasons were in the Major Leagues with the Cincinnati Reds. Ben was General Counsel & Corporate Secretary of Minor League Baseball from 1993 to 2000 and, from May 2001 to the present, has served as the President and Chairman of the Board for the New York-Penn League, the oldest, continuously-operated CLASS A league in professional baseball. He also served as the President and Chairman of the Board of the New York-Penn League Charitable Foundation since 2002, and currently serves as the Vice Chairman of Minor League Baseball’s Council of League Presidents and as the Chairman of Minor League Baseball’s Charities Committee.

Captain David R. Olson, US Navy (Ret), Director & Founder

David retired from the U.S. Navy in 2009 and has remained active in the local community. He started a Boy Scout Troop for his local church and served as Scoutmaster of another. He founded SCUBAnauts International in 2001, a marine sciences program that introduces young men and women, ages 12-18, to informal science education through underwater exploration and has led over eight underwater research expeditions with SCUBAnauts throughout the Florida Keys, Bahamas and Hawaii.

In 2010, David founded the non-profit Combat Wounded Veteran Challenge program to improve the lives of our wounded and injured military veterans through rehabilitative, high-adventure challenges, and therapeutic outdoor recreational activities while conducting scientific research studies to speed their recovery and that of their families. He has led over twenty-five expeditions to further this research and treatment associated with prosthetics, Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

David has also served as a Naval Academy Blue and Gold Officer, providing admissions guidance to high school candidates interested in pursuing a degree from the U.S. Naval Academy with a commission as an officer in the Navy or Marine Corps. He also serves on both Florida Senator Bill Nelson’s and Congressman Gus Bilirakis’ Naval Academy nomination screening boards.

Brigadier General Margaret Burcham, US Army (Ret), Director

Brigadier General Margaret Burcham completed a 34-year career as an Army Combat Engineer specializing in Engineering, Construction and Human Resources. She is now President of Athena Global Strategies, a management consulting firm.

Margaret serves on the board of advisors of United Water Federal Services, Inc., a unit of the global firm, Suez. Additionally, she is President of the National Association of Corporate Directors Capital Area Chapter, the Co-Chair of the West Point Ethics and Leadership Conference, a Director on the board of Combat Wounded Veterans Challenge, and a Director on the board of the Army Engineer Association.

As an Army Engineer Officer, Margaret served in a wide variety of executive leadership roles. Highlights include 7 years commanding U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Districts in Wiesbaden, Germany and in the combat theater in Tikrit, Iraq, and a Corps of Engineers Division in Cincinnati, Ohio supervising 7 Districts (4800 employees) with responsibility for engineering and civil works support to the entire Great Lakes region and the Ohio and Cumberland River Valleys.

Margaret was appointed by the White House as a member of the Mississippi River Commission to monitor the health of the Mississippi River and its tributaries, worked jointly with the government of Canada as a member of the International Joint Commission in overseeing the operation and health of the Great Lakes, and is a member of the Society of American Military Engineers.

Margaret holds a Bachelor of Science with concentration in Civil Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point, a Master of Science in Computer Science from Kansas State University, and a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.

Captain Dominic Gorie, US Navy (Ret), Director

Dom attended the United States Naval Academy where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Ocean Engineering. He received his Master of Science degree in Aviation Systems from the University of Tennessee. Dom became a Naval Aviator in 1981 and participated in Operation DESERT STORM, flying 38 combat missions. In 1992, he received orders to U.S. Space Command in Colorado Springs. Dom has accumulated over 6,700 hours in more than 35 aircraft and has over 600 carrier landings.

Selected as an Astronaut Candidate by NASA in December 1994, Dom reported to Johnson Space Center in March 1995. Dom served as a spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) in Mission Control for numerous Space Shuttle flights, and later was Chief of the Astronaut Shuttle Branch. A veteran of four space flights, Dom has logged over 47 days in space. He served as pilot aboard STS-91 in 1998 and STS-99 in 2000, and was the Shuttle Commander on STS-108 in 2001 and STS-123 in 008. Dom Gorie retired from NASA in 2010.

Lieutenant Commander Gerard Coleman, US Navy (Ret), Director

Gerald Coleman has participated in Challenges on behalf of CWVC in the past. Most notably, monitoring the effects of our double lung transplant recipient LT Justin Legg, U.S. Navy (SEAL) (Ret), during the Denali Challenge in 2011.

Mr. Coleman is currently teaching Thermodynamics, Marine Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics, and a Senior Project Manager at Texas A&M University at Galveston (TAMUG). Gerard received his B.S. in Ocean Engineering from the US Naval Academy. After the Naval Academy Mr. Coleman graduated with a M.S. Equivalent in Nuclear Engineering from the US Navy. He has also earned a M.S. in Engineering Management from George Washington University. Gerard is a licensed Professional Engineer in Mechanical Engineering.

Prior to teaching at TAMUG, Mr. Coleman was an engineer in the US Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program for 16 years. In his 3 1/2 years at TAMUG, he has brought with him expertise in the areas of Nuclear and Mechanical Engineering. In addition to his duties as an Instructional Assistant Professor, Mr. Coleman also coaches the Varsity Sailing Team. Not only does he coach the Sailing Team, but he is an accomplished sailor himself with several bids for the Summer Olympic Games in the Soling Class. Gerard serves as the Research Committee Chair.

Captain Deborah K. Pawlowski, IRC, US Army (Ret), Director

Deb is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. While stationed in Germany with the United States Army, she held the positions of Platoon Leader of the 36 personnel 574th Service Support Company, Class III POL, at a major petroleum supply point; and Adjutant of the 1200+ personnel 51st Maintenance Battalion, 21st Support Command.

Back in the U.S.A. at Fort Riley, Kansas, she held the positions of Division Property Book Officer (DPO) for the 1st Infantry Division; Battalion S-4 (Logistics and Supply Officer) for the 1st Forward Support Battalion; and Commander of the 172d Ordnance Detachment, 1st Infantry Division, an air defense system maintenance detachment. Ultimately, she achieved the rank of Captain, Quartermaster Corps.

Deborah is the founder of Kei Advisors, an investor relations and business advisory firm, and currently serves as its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. She has more than thirty years of experience in investor relations, marketing, strategic planning and management.

Deborah received her B.S. in General Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point and her M.B.A. from the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. She is a former member of the Board of Directors of the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI), past President of the NIRI Virtual Chapter and current Advocacy Ambassador for the NIRI Virtual Chapter. Ms. Pawlowski passed the inaugural NIRI Investor Relations Charter exam in March 2016, earning the right to use the Investor Relations Charter (IRC™) credential. She also serves as President of the West Point Society of Western New York and Treasurer of the Calvary Episcopal Church in Williamsville, NY, and leads the Founding Committee of the Western New York Investors Conference.

Executive Staff

Captain Dominic Gorie, US Navy (Ret), President

Lieutenant Colonel Reid Carlock, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret), Vice President

Reid has over forty years of leadership and management experience in the Marine Corps and business organizations. On active duty, he commanded numerous combat arms and training units in peacetime and combat from platoon through battalion level. Highly experienced in infantry operations, reconnaissance, intelligence, combined arms operations, and strategic/operational level planning. Two tours in VietNam with U.S. Marines and VietNamese Marines. Later he served as an electrical engineering Instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy teaching basic electrical circuit, radar antenna, radio frequency (RF) propagation, communications (AM, FM, and digital), and integrated circuit theory. Following active duty, he continued with DoD as a contractor supporting five unified commands (U.S. Central Command, Special Operations Command, European Command, Transportation Command, and Southern Command). Since 9/11, he’s deployed seven times to the Middle East supporting U.S. and Coalition forces in Operations Enduring/Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn at multiple locations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, and Djibouti.

Reid initially began working with CWVC in 2011 facilitating joint research initiatives with academia in preparation for the Denali Expedition in June/July 2011. Since then, he’s supported/participated in our SCUBA Challenges since 2012 and continues to support other challenges as needed. He was nominated for the vice presidency and approved by the Board in Dec 2017.

Captain Deborah K. Pawlowski, IRC, US Army (Ret), Secretary

Ben Hayes, Treasurer

Ben is the son of SMSGT Ben Hayes Jr., USAF (deceased), a recipient of a Bronze Star and Purple Heart, and who served with the Air Force Security Forces for 26 years.

Col Maren Calvert, J.D., USAF (Ret), Assistant Treasurer

Maren and her family participated in the June 2018 annual SCUBA Challenge in Key West and she was elected Asst. Treasurer in December 2018.

Maren is currently an attorney for the Horenstein Law Group in Vancouver, WA. She graduated from the United States Air Force Academy, The UCLA School of Law, the Judge Advocate General’s Staff Officer Course, and Georgetown University (for a post-graduate Legislative Affairs certificate). Prior to retirement in August 2018, Maren served as Senior Air Staff Counsel for the Air Force Review Boards Agency. Maren also served as Congressional Assistant for the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, Manpower & Reserve Affairs; as Associate General Counsel for Secretary of the Air Force, Office of General Counsel; and as Air Staff Counsel for the Air Force Administrative Law Directorate.

Maren is a certified SCUBA diver and a licensed attorney in the states of Washington, California, Hawaii and (soon) Oregon.

Wendy Westbrook, Creative Director/Public Relations

Wendy brings 20+ years of web and graphic design experience to CWVC. She excels in both graphic and web design and development, and is an expert in social media and best Search Engine Optimization (SEO) practices. Her professional design career began at a children’s publishing company in New York City and she now owns Damsel Branding, where she creates, plans and manages branding strategies for clients all over the planet. Wendy comes from a military family and is the proud mother of a combat veteran. She began volunteering her time to families of the fallen and wounded veterans when her son enlisted. She is very honored to have been part of a Gold Star family for three years. Her late boyfriend was the father of FMF Corpsman James Ray “Doc” Layton, KIA 08 Sept 2009 in Ganjgal, Afghanistan, an ambush/battle that produced two Medal of Honor recipients as well as other numerous awards for bravery shown by all involved. She still participates in events with her Gold Star family and works with other families of fallen heroes to help them in any way she can.