Reach for Tomorrow is currently managed by the Chairman of the Board & Founder, and supplemented by a Board of Directors & an Advisory Board.
FOUNDER & CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
PETER K. UNDERWOOD CHAIRMAN & FOUNDER A former pilot with Eastern Airlines and American Airlines since 1988, he co-founded EIC Information Technologies, Inc., a small company that has developed innovative and proprietary instruments to measure liquid level in petrochemical tanks. Mr. Underwood is a 1973 graduate of the USAF Academy and a retired Lt. Colonel in the USAF Reserve where he interviewed prospective candidates for USAFA. |
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Board of Directors is comprised of individuals responsible for fiscal and administrative management, guided by an Advisory Board of business and government leaders.
STEVEN EMMERT Steven Emmert is the Senior Director, Government and Industry Affairs for Reed Elsevier Inc., a world leading publisher and information provider. Subsidaries include: Elsevier, LexisNexis, Reed Business and Reed Exhibitions. Mr. Emmert is an attorney who specializes in copyright, privacy, and technology law. Mr. Emmert represents REI and its subsidiaries before the Administration, Congress and federal regulatory bodies on matters relating to information privacy, online privacy, data security, cybersecurity, e-commerce, cloud computing, Big Data and access to government information. 
MAJOR GENERAL JOHN PHILLIPS Major General John Phillips (United States Air Force, retired) is the former Under Secretary of Defense for Logistics and a former Senior Vice President of Honeywell and Home Depot. He is currently a self-employed consultant in defense and logistics related industries as well as an advisor to the President of Somalia, on the board of Robert L. Johnson Equity Partners, Tektronix Inc., and IBM Strategic Business Relationship Team. 
IDORA (IDY) MARCUS Idora (Idy) Marcus is the founding principal of Equimark RESOLVE, a company providing solutions through advice and consulting to new clients seeking help with complex strategic positioning and access issues. Ms. Marcus has a proven track record of business development, relationship building, and community outreach as was exhibited during the 1999 NATO Summit. Formerly, Idy served as Director of Corporate Development and Special Programs and Spokesperson at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, DC. In addition, she orchestrated publicity for a speakers' series at the Kennedy Center featuring world leaders and well-known celebrities such as Mikhail Gorbachev and Oprah Winfrey. While working with Horton Associates representing The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, Ms. Marcus coordinated numerous government, corporate relations, and production projects supporting the television and motion picture industries. Some of the projects she worked on include: The Hunt for Red October, Clear and Present Danger, Patriot Games, Biloxi Blues, Magnum PI and The Tuskegee Airmen. Throughout her career Idy has devoted thousands of hours on boards and committees utilizing her strategic planning and positioning expertise for organizations such as the Washington Performing Arts Society and the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Idy has been a volunteer with RFT since 1999 and a board member since 2003. |
MELINDA FITZWATER Melinda Fitzwater is a retired manager with the Boeing Company and McDonnell Douglas Corporation, where she directed their philanthropy programs in Washington. With a bachelors and masters degree in education, Melinda taught for several years in the Virgin Islands and Atlanta, with a focus on students of special interest. She served in the White House under President Ronald Reagan from l981 to l987, and was a public relations executive with the Susan Davis Companies for five years. She was a member of the IRI U.S. election observer team in Mexico and has been an RFT Board Member since it's inception. 
DR. DENNIS ROWE Dennis Rowe is a senior manager in charge of FAA airspace projects at Mitre Corporation and an RFT program manager for the 2000 USMMA program in Prince William County. Dennis received his Ph.D. in Computer Science in 1999 and developed all the testing and evaluation programs for RFT. |
BETH JAMES Beth James currently lives and works in SW Florida, serving as an appointed member of the City of Bonita Springs' Special Events Committee. In addition, she is affiliated with Royal Shell Real Estate as a multi-million-dollar producer selling and listing property from Ft. Myers to Naples, FL. During her career, she has held senior leadership positions with notable non-profit organizations, including Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC, The American Red Cross, The American Lung Association, The Direct Selling Education Foundation, among others. She has been a board member with RFT since 2001. 
STEPHEN JOHNSON Stephen Johnson was Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Western Hemisphere Affairs from 2007 to 2009, in charge of U.S. hemispheric defense strategies and regional security ties. A specialist in foreign policy, he also served as director of the Americas Program at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies from 2011 to 2013, and from 1999 to 2006, was Senior Policy Analyst for Latin America at The Heritage Foundation. |
ADVISORY BOARD
The function of the Advisory Board is to expose business, military, and political leaders to Reach for Tomorrow and the respective benefits to every community.
VICE ADMIRAL MIKE BOWMAN Vice Admiral Mike Bowman (United States Navy, retired) served as a U.S. Naval Aviator for more than 35 years. In his last tour of duty he was an active participant in the Reach For Tomorrow program, and continued to actively support the organization in his role as Senior Vice President in charge of Washington Operations for DRS Technologies Corporation.
FRANK PETROSKI Frank Petroski. Senior Executive with The MITRE Corporation, Frank is currently the Chief Engineer for Joint and Defense Wide Systems. Frank works with the Chief Technology Officer at the Defense Information Systems Agency, performing technology reconnaissance for the IT infrastructure for the DOD. Prior to his current assignment, Frank was the Director for Air Traffic Management, where he worked with a wide range of international customers including the governments and airport authorities in Mexico, Egypt, Spain, Taiwan, China, and Japan, as well as concept development for Air Traffic Management capabilities in Canada. Frank holds a BS in Mathematics from Drexel University and an MS in Operations Research, George Washington University. |
GENERAL RON FOGLEMAN Ron Fogleman. Retired United States Air Force Chief of Staff who currently serves on the Defense Policy Board and a number of corporate boards. He has extensive background in operations and strategic planning both in the military and in the corporate world. He is the founder of Durango Aerospace, an international consulting firm specializing in aerospace and media issues.
THE HONORABLE WALTER J STEWART The Honorable Walter J. Stewart. "Joe" Stewart, a native of Florida, arrived in Washington, DC, as a page to his congressman and never went home. His distinguished career in public service includes serving as Secretary of the Senate from 1987-94. Currently he is a partner with Griffin, Johnson, Dover & Stewart. With quiet dignity, he supports dozens of causes ranging from historic preservation of the US Capitol, to shelters for the homeless, to regional and international theatre and the arts. Joe resides on Capitol Hill and Lewes, DE. |
MAJOR GENERAL DON SHEPPERD Major General Don Shepperd (United States Air Force, retired). General Shepperd is a graduate of the USAF Academy and served as Director of the Air National Guard before his retirement in 1998. He has an extensive background in operations and management, which he now utilizes as a consultant in the Washington, DC area in defense related businesses.
ALMA VIATOR Alma Viator. Alma is president of Alma Viator & Associates, a public relations firm located in DC and operating in New York, DC and LA. She is associated with Shubert Theatres, credited with opening the longest-running hit show on Broadway, "CATS." In addition to representing high-profile, internationally-known clients, Alma is married to former two-term Congressman from Georgia, Ben Jones. Together they manage "Cooter's Garage" in Sperryville, VA, named after Ben's stint as "Cooter" on the television series "Dukes of Hazzard." In 1998, Alma was named by Washingtonian Magazine as one of Washington's 100 Most Powerful Women. She is also one of its most generous. |
BETTY TANNER Betty Ann Tanner is a 1968 graduate of the University of Tennessee's School of Design. In Washington, she oversees marketing and design for Shenandoah Shutters. An active community volunteer, she serves as President of the International Club, a member of the Board of Trustees of Ford's Theatre, and the National Children's Alliance. Mrs. Tanner and her husband divide their time between Washington, where John served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, and their home in Tennessee. |
