Our Board

Hank Shea now serves as the Chair of the Veterans Defense Project Board. He continues to serve as a Senior Distinguished Fellow at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis, as he has done for the last 15 years. He also serves as a Fellow at its Initiative on Restorative Justice and Healing and at its Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership in the Professions. He also is a part-time Visiting Professor of Practice at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law in Tucson. He administers a unique ethics program that he founded which has involved hundreds of joint presentations with more than three dozen former offenders, some of whom he prosecuted. They speak at law schools, business schools, colleges, high schools, and other locations. He also teaches courses involving restorative justice, crime and punishment, and investigations, and he speaks frequently both nationally and locally on ethics and how to best address white collar crime.  Hank previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota for 20 years, where he prosecuted a wide range of corporate and other economic crimes. During his tenure, the U.S. Attorney’s Office collected more than $50 million in restitution, fines, and forfeitures from cases that he prosecuted.  Hank was awarded an Army ROTC scholarship to attend college and he later served four years of active duty and seven years of reserve duty as a lawyer in the Army’s Office of the General Counsel in the Pentagon. His clients included Arlington National Cemetery, the Panama Canal Commission, and the Army’s Civilian Marksmanship Program.  Hank graduated with honors from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in 1978 and Harvard Law School in 1981. He is married to Chris Shea, a former Executive Vice President for General Mills, Inc. They have four children, two of whom are married, and they spend as much time as possible with them and their four grandchildren.

David Holewinski has been providing mental health and social work experience to veterans for almost a decade and a half.  He currently serves as a Suicide Prevention Program Manager with the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.  Prior to his work as a program manger, David was the Veterans Justice Outreach Coordinator for Minnesota.  He integrated veterans courts statewide to the services provided by the Veterans Affairs Medical Center.  David also sits on the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Children’s Alliance.  He received his Masters of Social Work from the University of St. Thomas.

W. Anders Folk is a partner with the global law firm Jones Day, working in its Investigations & White Collar Defense Practice. He is a Marine Corps veteran who began his legal career as a Judge Advocate. Anders has served in various positions with the US Department of Justice , including Senior Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General, Acting US Attorney and First Assistant for the District of Minnesota, and as an Assistant US Attorney there. While serving with the DOJ, he oversaw and led complex and high-profile matters for the District of Minnesota and advised senior leadership at the DOJ on priority litigation, operations, and policy matters. Anders was deeply involved in guiding the DOJ's response to crises and worked in this capacity with federal and state agencies in the District of Minnesota and across the United States. In private practice, he has extensive experience guiding clients through internal investigations, multifaceted litigation, and government enforcement actions throughout the United States and abroad.

Berlynn Fleury is an Operation Enduring Freedom Veteran who served in the United States Marine Corps. She is a Certified Peer Specialist,  a trained Health & Wellness Coach, and Veterans Treatment Court graduate. She has served as a role model and advocate for recovery for many years facilitating  recovery groups, aiding in suicide prevention and crisis management, and has implemented a new VA Forensic Peer Support program offering individual support to veterans involved in the criminal justice system. Berlynn also facilitates the only virtual  Minneapolis VA Women’s Veterans Support Group, offering support to all women veterans enrolled in VA care. She  has won several awards for going above and beyond the call of duty and is passionate about helping veterans improve their health & wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential. Berlynn earned a Bachelors degree in Human Services from Metropolitan State University where she served as the Engagement Coordinator on the Student Senate,  President of the Veterans Club, and in the Veterans & Military Student Services office. Berlynn also serves as the Women’s Engagement Coordinator on the Board of Directors with The Silent Warrior Project hosting spiritual retreats that provide veterans with tools to reduce stress through mindful meditation, equine therapy, and silent contemplative reflection seeking to reduce suicide rates related to post traumatic stress and military sexual trauma. 

Travis Kowitz is a criminal defense attorney in both Minnesota and Wisconsin state courts. Travis is also the President and Founder of “Bill’s Wish”, a Minnesota based non-profit organization that serves Military Veterans and their families who have experienced mental and/or chemical health issues as a result of service to our country. The organization is in honor of Travis’s father, William “Bill” Kowitz, a proud United States Marine Corps Veteran who committed suicide on October 11, 2006, after a long battle with depression. Travis earned a BA in Political Science and Certificate in Criminal Justice from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Travis received his juris doctorate from the University of St. Thomas School of Law in 2016. Travis has defended many Veterans facing criminal charges, including those who were able to participate in Veterans Treatment Courts. He lives with his wife and children in Center City, MN.

Michael Hurley served 25 years in CIA where he managed CIA personnel in conflict areas around the world.  Following the 9/11 attacks, he led CIA teams in Afghanistan in the hunt for Osama bin Laden.  He was a Team Leader and Senior Counsel on the 9/11 Commission and co-authored its national-bestselling, final report.  He served in conflict areas in the Balkans combating ethnic cleansing and helping bring peace to the region; twice on the National Security Council staff at the White House as an adviser to the President; and was a senior adviser on counterterrorism to the Secretary of State.  He was a key member on a presidentially-commissioned team on the Middle East conflict.  He currently advises and mentors several of the top technology companies in the United States.  Michael is an attorney.

John Choi was sworn in as the first Korean-American chief prosecutor in the country in 2011. Since taking office, John has become a state and national leader in progressive justice reform, working with public officials and impacted communities to reimagine justice and the role of prosecutors. John’s innovative approach to holding abusers accountable, while working collaboratively with advocacy agencies to help victims, has transformed the way government intervenes in domestic violence and sex trafficking in Minnesota.

John received the 2015 Minnesota County Attorneys Association Award of Excellence for his innovative leadership in better prosecuting sex traffickers and helping trafficked children. Previously, John served as Saint Paul City Attorney (2006-2010) and spent a decade in private practice. John holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Marquette University, a J.D. from Hamline University School of Law, and was a Humphrey Fellow at the University of Minnesota.

Bryan Cunningham is a leading international expert on cybersecurity law and policy, emerging technology and surveillance issues. He served as Deputy Legal Adviser to then-National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice at the White House. He also served six years in the Clinton Administration as a senior CIA officer and federal prosecutor. He drafted significant portions of the Homeland Security Act and related legislation, was a principal contributor to the first National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace, worked closely with the 9/11 Commission and provided legal advice to the President, National Security Advisor, the National Security Council, and other senior government officials on intelligence, terrorism, cyber security and other related matters. When Bryan is not advising companies and governments about cybersecurity, you can find him visiting his two daughters or cruising the Puget Sound on his 30 foot boat “What’s Next?”.  

Carie Lemack has more than two decades of experience in entrepreneurial endeavors, organizational management, product development, advocacy, and security policy.  She brings her skills to the aerospace and deep-tech industries as a mentor and advisor to, and investor in startups, focusing on early stage aerospace, defense tech and other tech companies. She co-founded the  Zed Factor Fellowship program, building a more diverse and innovative aerospace industry, as well as DreamUp, sending student research to space to inspire the next generation of innovators and explorers. She co-founded Global Survivors Network, an organization for victims of terror to speak out against terrorism and radicalization, and produced an Academy Award-nominated documentary film, Killing in the Name. In 2001, she co-founded and led Families of September 11.

Carie has extensive messaging, media, and public relations experience. Lemack received a Masters in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government after receiving an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business. She graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Science degree in symbolic systems. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, serves on the Homeland Security Advisory Council, and remains a lifelong member of Red Sox nation.

William (Bill) Tenney is Navy veteran and recognized professional in the fields of corporate security, intelligence, and business resilience. He has built and led high-performing teams in financial services, technology, media and retail sectors in the US and overseas.

In the private sector, Bill has built and led corporate security teams at MetLife, Bloomberg LP and Target. Bill began his career in the Navy, serving in the U.S., Japan, and London, and deployed aboard the USS Midway and USS Independence. He also served in the Foreign Service in Washington, DC, the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, and the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York.

He earned a Master’s degree in National Security Studies from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from St. Olaf College. 

 Noni has spent 12 years serving justice-involved Veterans in the 4th Judicial District of Hennepin County as a Probation Officer in Veterans Treatment Court. She recognizes that there is a cost to freedom and believes firmly in navigating complex systems to identify and remove barriers that prevent Veterans from obtaining the services and support they deserve. Noni is a tireless advocate for veterans with a mission to provide trauma-informed, client-centered support through the lens of military culture.  

Jeanne Bishop is an attorney, author and advocate for mercy and redemption in the criminal legal system. She is the great-niece of uncles who served in the U.S. Army in WWII, the daughter of a Marine and the mother of an officer in the U.S. Navy.

A graduate of Northwestern University’s journalism and law schools, Jeanne was also a Visiting Student at Yale Law School. She is a felony attorney in the Office of the Cook County Public Defender  in Chicago and an adjunct law professor in Trial Advocacy at Northwestern, where she received the school’s alumni award for public service. 

Jeanne has written widely in newspapers and magazines, online sites such as HuffingtonPost and CNN.com, law journals and academic books. She is the author of a memoir, Change of Heart: Justice, Mercy and Making Peace with My Sister’s Killer (Westminster John Knox Press 2015) and Grace From the Rubble: Two Fathers’ Road to Reconciliation After the Oklahoma City Bombing (Zondervan 2020), named by Publishers Weekly as one of its Top Five Religion Books for 2020 and recipient of the Christopher Award. Jeanne has appeared in several documentary films, two TEDx talks and the CBS 48 Hours segment “Road to Redemption.”

Jeanne lives on Chicago’s North Shore and is the mother of two sons, one a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy currently serving on the USS Hampton and one in college at Temple University.

Brett Kelley is partner with the Minneapolis law firm Kelley Wolter. He served as an Army infantry officer for nearly a decade and is a combat veteran of Afghanistan. While he was stationed at Ft. Carson, Colorado, Brett became a passionate advocate for wounded, injured, and ill service members and their families. He also served as a mentor with the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS). His law practice focuses on white-collar criminal defense, commercial litigation, whistleblower actions, and administrative law. He is a graduate of St. Thomas Military Academy and New Mexico Military Institute. He received his undergraduate degree from Colgate University in 2007 and his law degree from the University of St. Thomas School of Law in 2015. When he’s not working, you’ll likely find Brett pheasant hunting with his father and their yellow labs Waylon and Ranger, respectively.

Jonathan Calhoun is a Senior Vice President at Bank of America, working in its Aerospace & Defense Group.  In his role, he works with middle-market Aerospace & Defense companies to help achieve their overall strategic objectives by advising and executing on various capital raising approaches, merger and acquisition initiatives, and risk management strategies.

Jonathan joined Bank of America after serving as a Surface Warfare Officer in the U.S. Navy.  While on active duty, he completed multiple overseas deployments and was an instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy.  Jonathan has remained active in the U.S. Navy Reserves and is currently attached to a NATO Allied Command Transformation unit where he has the opportunity to partner with Allies on national security technology development projects.

Jonathan earned a BA degree from The Citadel, an MBA from the University of Maryland, and is actively pursuing a MA degree from the US Naval War College.

General Joseph L. Votel is a retired U.S. Army Four-Star officer and the former Commander of the U.S. Central Command – responsible for U.S. and coalition military operations in the Middle East, Levant and Central and South Asia. During his 39 years in the military, he commanded special operations and conventional military forces at every level. His career included combat in Panama, Afghanistan and Iraq. Notably, he led a 79-member coalition that successfully liberated Iraq and Syria from the Islamic State Caliphate. He preceded his assignment at CENTCOM with service as the Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command and the Joint Special Operations Command.

Following his retirement from military service, General Votel served as the President & CEO of Business Executives for National Security (BENS). He is member of the Board of Trustees of Noblis Corporation and a Strategic Advisor for Sierra Nevada Corporation and AGI, Inc. Votel is a Board Director with AeroVironment, Minnesota Wire, DC Capital Partners, Helix Decision Science and a member of the Government Advisory Board for Insight Partners. He a non-resident Distinguished Fellow at the Middle East Institute and the Distinguished Chair of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point.

General Votel is a member the Executive Boards at Freedom House and the UPenn Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law (CERL). Votel is a current member of the Defense Business Board and the Council on Foreign Relations.

Votel is a 1980 graduate of the United States Military Academy and earned master’s degrees from the U.S. Army Command and Staff College and the Army War College.

General Votel resides in Lake Elmo, Minnesota with his wife Michele.

Keith LeBlanc is a retired executive who spent a career in Sales, marketing and General Management. Keith’s a Vietnam Veteran who served on an Advisory Team as an intelligence asset working in the Phoenix program. Keith’s business background was in the consumer package goods industry, wholesale paper distribution and printing and packaging manufacturing Industry. Keith has spent the last 3 years as volunteer mentor in the Ramsey County Veterans diversion court program. Keith serves on several boards but is committed to serving returning veterans to insure they are treated respectfully and supported by the VA system. Keith was King Boreas for the Saint Paul Winter Carnival in 2011 and is on the ICE LLC . Board of Governor’s building an Ice Palace in St Paul for the 2018 Super Bowl year in Minnesota.