Board of Directors

Alex is a Director of Capture Management at Amentum, a Maryland-headquartered Government contractor. He is an Army Veteran, serving 6 years on Active Duty and 2 years in the Maryland National Guard. He holds a BA in Psychology from Virginia Wesleyan University, where he played Men’s Lacrosse, and is currently pursuing an MBA from the Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina. Alex, his wife, and children live in West Virginia with their black Lab, Bella.

Randi was born in NYC and as an adult has lived in NJ, Orlando, Roanoke, VA and now Maryland. She has served in Financial Management positions the majority of her professional career. She earned an MBA and is a licensed Certified Management Accountant (CMA). She recently received her Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM) license. Randi has experience in several types of accounting, including non-profit accounting. Randi grew up with dogs and has always been owned by rescues and dogs just short of becoming rescues. Her current owners are Lexi, a retired Havana Silk dog, and Layla, a rescued beagle/bassett mix. She looks forward to working with Hero Dogs and supporting the mission!

Cassandra is currently the Chief over forensic accounting operations with a federal government agency headquartered in Washington, DC. She is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Fraud Examiner. Prior to her time in government service, her career included public accounting (audit) and financial analysis roles. Cassandra holds a BS in Accounting from Indiana University – Bloomington’s Kelley School of Business, and a Master’s in Accounting with a Concentration in Forensic Accounting from Florida Atlantic University.  Cassandra is passionate about helping veterans, after witnessing the challenges of her disabled vet stepfather, and spending time in the VA hospital where he worked during her childhood.  Cassandra spent many years training dogs in obedience and conformation, but now spends her down time with her rescue Min Pin mix, Kalini. Her hobbies also include golf and being an amateur foodie. 

Marian Block is a retired lawyer who served as Vice President and Associate General Counsel for Lockheed Martin Corporation in Bethesda, Maryland prior to her retirement.  In that position, she was responsible for providing and overseeing legal advice on corporate governance, employee benefits, executive compensation, federal securities laws, general corporate matters and subsidiary management. 

Prior to joining Lockheed Martin, she worked in private practice and for the U.S. government.

Marian has served as a visiting professor at the University of Vilnius (Lithuania) Faculty of Law and at the Szcecin University (Poland) Faculty of Law where she taught U.S. corporate and benefits law.

She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Bethesda Urban Partnership.

She is the past president of the Washington Metropolitan Area Corporate Counsel Association (WMACCA) and is a member of the Employee Benefits Committee and Business Law section of the American Bar Association.  She was Chairman of the Employee Benefits Committee of the District of Columbia Bar from 1988 – 1990.  She has spoken at conferences sponsored by the American Bar Association, the Association of Corporate Counsel, CompensationStandards.com and webcasts sponsored by law firms and trade associations.  She was a contributing editor to a 2009 American Bar Association publication on acquisitions of defense contractors and is currently on the Board of Trustees of the Employees Benefits Journal. 

Marian received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia and her Bachelor of Arts from Kenyon College.  She also has a Master’s of Arts degree in history from Brown University.  Her interests including biking, running, golf, theatre and cooking. 

Jim is a native New Englander that moved to the Maryland countryside in 2006 along with his wife, Shannon, and their black lab, Zora. He is a Navy veteran, having spent five years in the submarine force on USS San Juan (SSN-751). Jim has spent the past fifteen years as a business strategy and acquisitions professional, working in management roles in the energy and industrial manufacturing fields. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the United States Naval Academy and an MBA in Finance and Strategic Management from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He and his wife have been active with Hero Dogs since its inception, and were the first puppy sitters for the organization.

Being puppy sitters turned into being puppy raisers for Theodore Roosevelt and Dudley Morton. Jim, Shannon, and their kids continue to sporadically puppy sit, and enthusiastically support Hero Dogs and its mission.

Tara is SVP of Business Development and Strategic Marketing at Boston Common Asset Management, an ESG investment firm dedicated to the pursuit of financial return and social change. She has worked in business development roles across the financial sector since 2011, working in both private equity and fixed income previously. She holds a BA in English and American Literature from Middlebury College and is currently pursuing her MBA from NYU Stern School of Business.

Tara is a lifelong distance runner, a native New Yorker, and a grateful US civilian.

Brandon Kelley, a seasoned business strategist and corporate leader, has over 15 years of experience developing and executing successful public policy and government contracting strategies. He assists public institutions, corporations, and non-profits in realizing their strategic goals and capturing market share.

A political appointee to two Governors, Brandon started his career building strong relationships with key policymakers and government officials. Since, he has translated his effective advocacy and ability to navigate complex political landscapes to the business world. Brandon has held leadership positions at several government contracting and consulting organizations. He continues to play an instrumental role in developing Federal and State infrastructure policy and executing market entry efforts for corporations.

Mr. Kelley holds a BA from the University of Virginia and an MBA from Georgetown University. He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and has been recognized for his thought leadership in public policy innovation.

Irene grew up in Cleveland and received her doctoral degree in accounting from the University of Michigan. She is a Certified Public Accountant. Irene has served on the faculty of Duke University, George Washington University and Catholic University. At Catholic University, she is Associate Professor of Accounting and Finance, Finance Director, and the Edward Przybyla Chair in Accounting. Irene has rescued dogs from North Carolina and the Washington DC area, and currently lives in Arlington VA with her dog, Sam. She greatly appreciates the opportunity to work with Hero Dogs and serve to support their mission.

Wilder J. Leavitt is an attorney in private practice in Bethesda, Maryland, providing legal counsel for general legal matters.  His prior legal experience includes transactional and litigation practice as an environmental attorney with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and as an intellectual property attorney with Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP in Washington, DC.

 He served as a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician (“EMT”), Ambulance Driver and Paramedic for 11 years with the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad in Bethesda, Maryland.  He was a member of the Maryland Responds Medical Reserve Corps providing COVID-19 virus testing response during the first year of the pandemic.

 Wilder’s prior experience includes working as a management consultant with Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers), designing and implementing process improvement initiatives for the United States Army, the United States Postal Service, and private-sector clients.  He served seven years in the United States Air Force as an Aircraft & Munitions Maintenance Officer maintaining and generating sorties for A-10, F-5, F-15, and F-16 fighter aircraft.

 He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of The Ocean Foundation, the DC Sustainable Business Network, and the Airedale Terrier Club of Metropolitan Washington, DC.

 Wilder holds a Juris Doctor degree from American University, a Master of Science in Management degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering degree from Syracuse University.

 Wilder is married to Mary Morningstar and they share their home with their beautiful Airedale Terrier, Juno.  His interests include mountaineering, hiking, woodworking, beekeeping, and writing.

D’Ann is a Texas native that found her way to Maryland in 2017. She has a degree from The University of Texas at Austin in Communication Studies, with an emphasis on Human Relations. D’Ann is a residential real estate broker licensed in DC, MD and VA and loves giving back to the community in her free time. She has previously served on the Board of Directors for BvB Dallas and Blondes vs Brunettes DC tackling Alzheimer’s Disease. The daughter of a retired Fort Hood firefighter and granddaughter of a Navy vet, she has been involved with other Veteran Service organizations, serving as an NHL Ambassador for the United Heroes League, volunteering with Team RWB and giving back to the Homes for Heroes program through her real estate business. She and her husband Andrew were puppy raisers for Hero Dogs Monty and live in Rockville.