Board of Directors
General USA, Ret. Richard A. Cody* - Board Chair
General USA, Ret. Richard A. Cody was born in Montpelier Vermont. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point on 6 June 1972 with a BS. He is a graduate of the Transportation Corps Officer Basic and Advance Course, the Army’s Aviation Maintenance Test Pilot School, the Command and General Staff College and the Army War College. He is a master Army Aviator, rated in over 19 Helicopters and has over 5000 of flight time.
During his 36+ years of service, General Cody served in six of the Army’s combat divisions, the 25th Infantry Division, the 2nd Infantry Division, the 24th Infantry Division (MECH), the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), the 1st Cavalry Division and the 4th Infantry Division (MECH). General Cody’s command time includes Company Commander, E Company, 24th Aviation Battalion; Company Commander, B Company, 229th Attack Helicopter Battalion; Battalion Commander, 1st Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment (AH-64); Commander, 4th Brigade (Avn) 1st Cavalry Division; Commander, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment; and Commanding General, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and Fort Campbell, Ky.
General Cody held several key staff positions to include Assistant Division Commander, 4th Infantry Division (MECH); Deputy Commanding General, Task Force Hawk in Albania; Director of Operations, Plans and Mobilization, Department of the Army; Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Department of the Army; and he served as the 31st Vice Chief of Staff, Army from June 2004 to August 2008.
General Cody currently is a Corporate VP for L-3 Communications, Inc. He is also a Board Trustee of the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, on the Advisory Board for Hope for the Warriors, a Trustee of NOBLIS, the National Chairman for Homes for Our Troops and is in the Army Aviation Hall of Fame.
General Cody is married to the former Vicki Lynn Heavner and they have two sons, Clint and Tyler, who are active duty Army Helicopter pilots who have several combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Jennifer Freitas* - Treasurer
Jennifer Freitas joined our board in 2006. She served six years in the United States Army Reserves, as an operating room technician with the 399th Combat Support Hospital. Jennifer has a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant. She currently works at a public accounting firm, Piccerelli, Gilstein & Company, LLP, as a manager.
"Being a part of Homes for Our Troops allows me to give something back to all individuals of the military and I'm proud to be a part of such a great organization."
SMA (USA, Ret) Ken Preston* - Director
Sergeant Major of the Army Kenneth O. Preston served as the 13th Sergeant Major of the Army from January15, 2004 to March 1, 2011. He retires as the longest serving Sergeant Major of the Army with more than seven years in the position.
As Sergeant Major of the Army, Preston served as the Army Chief of Staff's personal adviser on all Soldier and Family related matters, particularly areas affecting Soldier training and quality of life. He devoted the majority of his time in this position to traveling throughout the Army serving as a force provider overseeing Soldier and unit training, manning and equipping challenges, and talking to Soldiers and their Families to understand their personal hardships and challenges. Preston is a native of Mount Savage, Md. He entered the Army on June 30, 1975. He attended Basic Training and Armor Advanced Individual Training at Fort Knox, Kentucky.
Throughout his 36-year career, he served in every enlisted leadership position from cavalry scout and tank commander to his final position as Sergeant Major of the Army. Other assignments he held as a command sergeant major were with the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division; 3rd "Grey Wolf" Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division; 1st Armored Division in Bad Kreuznach, Germany; and V Corps in Heidelberg, Germany.
His most recent assignment prior to serving as the 13th Sergeant Major of the Army was as the command sergeant major for Combined Joint Task Force 7 serving in Baghdad, Iraq.
His military education includes the Basic Noncommissioned Officer's Course, Advanced Noncommissioned Officer's Course, First Sergeant's Course, M1/M1A1 Tank Master Gunner Course, Master Fitness Trainer Course, Battle Staff Noncommissioned Officer's Course, and the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy. Preston holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Master of Business Administration degrees from Trident University International.
His awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, two Legions of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, four Army Meritorious Service Medals, one Joint Service Commendation Medal, four Army Commendation Medals, three Army Achievement Medals, eleven Good Conduct Medals, two National Defense ribbons, the Southwest Asia Service Medal, Kosovo Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, NCOES Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, five Overseas Ribbons, the NATO Medal, Kuwait Liberation Medal (Government of Kuwait), two Joint Meritorious Unit Awards, Army Meritorious Unit Commendation and the Department of the Army Staff Badge.
Major General USA, Ret. Timothy P. McHale –
President and Director
Major General USA, Ret. Timothy P. McHale was born and raised in Minnesota. In May 1977 he completed his undergraduate studies at St. John’s University Collegeville, Minnesota as a Distinguished Military Graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Transportation Corps.
During his 35 years of service, he has commanded both aviation and logistics units of every echelon from platoon to theater support command, with duty in Germany, Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan, and throughout the United States.
Major General McHale held several key staff positions on the Department of the Army Staff, The Joint Staff, US Forces Korea, Multi-National Forces-Iraq, and US Forces Afghanistan.
He holds Master’s Degrees in Management from Salve Regina University, Newport, Rhode Island, and National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. He is a former National Security Fellow, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
Major General McHale has been married to his wife Janice for over 28 years and they have two sons, Casey who is attending Valley Forge Military College in Wayne, Pennsylvania and Riley who is attending Saint Louis Catholic School in Alexandria, Virginia.
He is currently the President of Homes for Our Troops (HFOT), a national non-profit organization assisting severely injured Veterans who spend all or part of their daily lives confined to a wheelchair. HFOT provides these veterans and their family at no cost, a high quality barrier free home by raising donations of money, building materials and professional labor and then coordinates the process of building a home that provides maximum freedom of movement and the ability to live more independently.
Paul Keane* - Director
Paul Keane joined our board in 2010 after several years of being involved with Homes For Our Troops in a volunteer capacity. Paul is a former member of the Massachusetts Army National Guard and holds a degree in Law Enforcement. He is the president of the Bryan Company, a promotional marketing company based in Lexington, MA and Jackson, NH.
"I am humbled and honored to be a part of such a great organization. Homes For Our Troops is more than lumber, drywall and roofing, it’s also about blood, sweat and tears….shed by our veterans on behalf of our nation and our nation of volunteers on behalf of our injured veterans."
Linda K. Sherman* - Director
Linda K. Sherman joined our board in 2011. She is a partner in the Tax Practice Group at the Boston law firm WilmerHale, specializing in Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits. Linda represents a broad range of clients on all matters involving employee benefits and executive compensation plans and individual agreements. She also brings extensive experience advising non-profit corporations and trusts on a broad range of issues, including organizational or structural matters, compliance with applicable tax laws, as well as fiduciary and operational concerns.
Holding a degree from Harvard Law School, Linda is a member of the American Bar Association and the Massachusetts Bar Association. Linda was named Massachusetts Super Lawyer in Boston Magazine and is a frequent speaker and author concerning current matters.
Linda is married to H. David Sherman, Professor of Accounting at Northeastern University and has two daughters age 25 and 29.
General (USA Ret) Robert W. RisCassi* - Director
General Robert W. RisCassi, USA (Retired) was a past Corporate Senior Vice President and currently serves as a Consultant for L-3 Communications Corporation.
In 35 years of Army service, in which he attained the rank of General, Robert W. RisCassi held a variety of diverse and increasingly vital positions, culminating his career as Commander in Chief of the United Nations Command and ROK/US Combined Forces Command in Korea.
He graduated from the University of Connecticut with a Bachelor’s Degree in History and was commissioned as an infantry officer in 1958. General RisCassi later earned a Master’s Degree in Political Science from Auburn University, and graduated from the Army War College and Air Command and Staff College. Among other assignments he commanded the Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans on the Army Staff, and then as Director of the Joint Staff. Following promotion to General, he served as the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army and then for three years as Commander in Chief of the United Nations Command, ROK/US Combined Forces Command, and United States Forces Korea.
In the course of his career, General RisCassi has held responsibility and gained a successful reputation for managing multi-billion dollar budgets, developing mid- and long-range strategies, working with industry to innovate and apply advanced technologies to both the battlefield and peacetime functions of the armed forces, and for leading and managing large organizations. He has been assigned around the world, worked with national leaders from many nations, and has a rare understanding of the changing international environment effecting our nation.
Subsequent to military retirement, General RisCassi has been employed as an executive with Loral Corporation and Lockheed Martin Corporation.
Joseph G. San Miguel, Ph.D., CPA* - Director
Dr. Joseph G. San Miguel is Professor Emeritus at the Graduate School of Business, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California. He was recently Distinguished Visiting Professor at INSEAD—Singapore and the David T. McLaughlin Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Dartmouth Tuck Business School. He taught at the Harvard Graduate School of Business; New York University Graduate School of Business; Stanford Graduate School of Business; the University of California Davis Graduate School of Management; Peter F. Drucker Graduate Management Center, Claremont Graduate School; and the University of Texas at Austin.
Professor San Miguel has engaged in consulting and executive development programs with Goldman Sachs, Analog Devices, Discover Financial Services, Harley-Davidson, Arthur Andersen, Lucent Technologies, Northrop-Grumman, General Electric, IBM, AT&T, and other organizations. He was employed by Mobil Oil Corporation and Anderson Clayton & Co. He serves on the Board of Directors of Jenzabar, Inc. and Chairs its Audit Committee.
His Department of Defense and Department of the Navy research projects include: the Naval Industrial Improvement Program for the Under Secretary of the Navy; the National Industrial Security Program for the Departments of Defense and Energy and the Central Intelligence Agency; and the Financial Management Executive Program for the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. For several years, he has been engaged in classified research for various national security agencies and defense organizations for which he has Top Secret clearance.
Professor San Miguel’s Ph.D. was awarded by The University of Texas at Austin. He is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of Beta Alpha Psi, Beta Gamma Sigma, and Phi Kappa Phi honorary societies. His professional societies include the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (Honorary Member Award), American Accounting Association (Life Member Award), Institute of Management Accountants, and The Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences. He served as a member of the Business and Industry Executive Committee, Management Accounting Executive Committee, and the Accounting Education Executive Committee of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
His articles have been published in The Accounting Review; The Journal of Corporate Accounting & Finance, Journal of Cost Management; Accounting, Organizations and Society; The Journal of Enterprise Management; The Accounting Journal; The Quarterly Review of Business and Economics; and Omega: The International Journal of Management Science. He is coauthor of Introduction to Financial Accounting, Harper & Row; and author of Cases in Financial Accounting and Reporting, published by Touche Ross Foundation and the Harvard Business School, and Value Chain Analysis for Assessing Competitive Advantage, published by the Society of Management Accountants of Canada. He completed “Strategic Impact of Enterprise Resource Planning,” sponsored by the Financial Executives Institute. Professor San Miguel has also written many cases at the Harvard Business School and the Naval Postgraduate School. His current research interests are in strategic enterprise management and global financial reporting.
* Indicates an independent voting Board member.
All Board members were reappointed to the Board in November 2012.
John Gonsalves - Founder
September 11, 2001 was a life-changing experience for all Americans. The resulting military deployments of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and subsequently, Operation Enduring Freedom, have profoundly changed the lives of many American service members.
After watching a news story on television about a soldier that lost both of his legs due to a roadside bomb in Iraq, John Gonsalves, a construction supervisor from Raynham, Massachusetts wondered what was being done to support our men and women who had sacrificed so much for our country. He set out on a mission to volunteer his time and expertise that he possessed in building homes that met the requirement of the Americans with Disabilities Act to an organization that provided such services for those most severely injured as a result of combat.
Mr. Gonsalves was dismayed when he could not find an organization that was supporting such a mission. With an escalating urge to fulfill an unmet need, he knew he needed to find a way to help these men and women that were returning from combat severely injured. Traveling to military hospitals to visit with injured and their families, speaking with Veterans’ organizations, and researching the difficulties facing America’s injured service members as they tried to find specially adapted and barrier-free homes, John realized most existing handicapped housing did not take into consideration the types of disabilities incurred in combat, so adequate homes did not exist in the marketplace. In February 2004, John founded Homes for Our Troops.
In its early years, Homes for Our Troops built/remodeled a handful of homes as it worked diligently to spread the word nationwide about its mission. Since then, the organization has grown into a highly rated, national non-profit organization that has donated more than one hundred specially adapted homes to severely injured veterans nationwide.
Mr. Gonsalves spoke out on behalf of injured Veterans, including his testimony before the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity Hearing on Specialty Adapted Housing in 2007 and 2009..
Leaving the organization in February 2012, we thank Mr. Gonsalves for his years of selfless dedication and inspiration and for being the one to step forward, taking action and leading the way to provide comfort and life-long, tangible support to so many severely injured veterans and their families.
Charity Navigator has reviewed Homes for Our Troops' finances and awarded us with its highest rating
of 4 stars for each of the last four years. HFOT is one of the highest rated veterans/military
charities rated by Charity Navigator. Click here to read more about our high rating
on Charity Navigator.
