Founders
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Leroy Ashwood
President & CEO
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Elena Gonnella
Advisor
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Steven T. Woolner
Executive Director of Investor Relations
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Gerald R. Lucas, PhD
U.S. Army Veteran, SES (R), Clerk
The Genesis Story
BRAVE President Leroy Ashwood responded to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) founder Paul Rieckhoff’s citizens call to “Take Action” on April 9, 2009. Known as the “Joint Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record Initiative”, it aimed to digitize the administrative and medical jacket of every single Veteran who ever served. Leroy’s combined career history made him the perfect person to craft a dynamic and technical solution to the government’s problem. So, Leroy, Steven T. Woolner, and Gerald R. Lucas met with then US Veteran Administration’s Deputy Chief Information Officer for Enterprise Development, Paul Tibbits, to pitch Leroy’s plan of action. At the conclusion of the meeting, Paul pronounced: “No one has ever walked into this office with an idea like yours! You have your dream, now go back to Massachusetts and build your team!” Although that idea never came to fruition, all of what BRAVE is today is the grandchild of that meeting.
Board of Advisors
Leroy Ashwood — President & CEO, military family
Elena Gonnella — Co-Founder, military family
Steven T. Woolner — Co-Founder, Executive Director of Investor Relations, military family
Gerald R. Lucas, PhD, U.S. Army Veteran — Co-Founder, SES, Clerk
Charlie DuQuette, USMC (R) — Director of Career Transition & Training
David Preman, U.S. Army Veteran — Software Developer
David Kaloupek, U.S. Army Veteran
Jim Quinlivan, USN Veteran
Joseph DiDonato, U.S. Army Veteran
Senior Leadership
Leroy Ashwood — President & CEO
Steven T. Woolner — Co-Founder, Executive Director of Investor Relations
Charlie DuQuette, USMC (R) — Director of Career Transition & Training
Gerald R. Lucas, PhD, U.S. Army Veteran — Co-Founder, SES, Clerk
David Preman, U.S. Army Veteran — Software Developer
Rebecca Serva — Communications Director, military family
Ilse Allen — Director of Veterans Research, military family
Student Interns
Leah Peretsky, Cornell Law School — Manager of Legal Relations
Zhyiu Wang, Brandeis undergraduate — Data Consultant
Hannah Lustig, Brandeis undergraduate — Social Media & Research
Sijia Lui, Brandeis Alum — Research
Reese Farquhar, Brandeis Alum — IT
Charles Li, IBS graduate — Financial Analyst
Wesley Wang, Brandeis IBS graduate — Financial Analyst
Ze Lan, Brandeis IBS graduate — Financial Analyst
In Memoriam
Richard Gonci, Vietnam Veteran
Tom Noonan, Vietnam Veteran
Meet Our President
Leroy Ashwood is the President and Chief Executive Officer of BRAVE for Veterans, Inc., established in 2009. Together with his leadership team and a committed volunteer group known as “Bravites,” Leroy has established brand recognition in Massachusetts for helping Veterans obtain sustainable employment. Mr. Ashwood’s career leadership roles have been in public service and social entrepreneurship. He has supported and directed start-ups in the MA Departments of Corrections and Youth Services, which helped adult and juvenile offenders get a second chance at life, and served as a federal Grants and Contracts Officer and Director of Authorization, Technical Division, for the statewide Massachusetts Executive Office of Human Services Secretariat.
The breadth of his experiences in those roles enable Leroy to “see the need behind the need” where Veterans are concerned. Or, as a Washington DC Army LTC remarked, "...you see systems!" His interests have extended to service on several professional and local community boards in Massachusetts, and he holds awards for his participation in those capacities. At one time, his sales efforts resulted in his company winning national AIIM’s Awards for Process and Innovation for firearms registration in Massachusetts. BRAVE co-founder, Elena Gonnella, was the design architect and oversaw the implementation of that award-winning process solution. Leroy was subsequently given the "Vision Award" for his achievement. As the Director of the Firearms Bureau accepting the award said, "This award will save many lives of police officers!" Leroy is a graduate of Brandeis University.
Click below for more about Leroy:
