Leadership

General Robert B. Neller USMC (Ret.) (TX)

General Robert B. Neller served the Marine Corps for more than 40 years, retiring in 2019 as the 37th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps. Prior to that assignment, he served as the Commander, Marine Forces Command from July 2014 to September 2015 and Commander, Marine Forces Central Command from September 2012 to June 2014.

A native of East Lansing, Michigan, General Neller graduated from the University of Virginia and was commissioned in 1975. He has served as an infantry officer at all levels, including command of Marine Security Force Company Panama during Operations JUST CAUSE and PROMOTE LIBERTY; 3d Light Armored Infantry Battalion during Operation RESTORE HOPE; 6th Marine Regiment; and 3d Marine Division.

General Neller also served as Deputy Commanding General, I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM (05-07); Assistant Division Commander for 1st and 2d Marine Divisions; and President of Marine Corps University.

His Joint assignments include service in the Policy Division of Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Casteau, Belgium, and as the Director of Operations (J-3) of the Joint Staff in Washington, D.C.

General Neller is a graduate of the Armor Officer Advanced Course, Marine Corps Command and Staff College, NATO Defense College, and the Armed Forces Staff College. He holds a master’s degree in Human Resource Management from Pepperdine University.

Richard "Rick" Stephens (TX)

Rick Stephens retired March 2013 from The Boeing Company as senior vice president, Human Resources and Administration reporting to the Chairman. Stephens, during a 33-year career at Boeing, led a number of business areas at sites across the U.S. and around the world including Homeland Security and Services, Space Shuttle, Tactical Combat Systems and Internal Services. He worked in finance, engineering, program management and general management.

Stephens received his Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics in 1974 from the University of Southern California, where he was the Boeing executive focal, and his Master of Science degree in computer science in 1984 from California State University, Fullerton. He is a former Marine Corps officer. Stephens is an enrolled member of the Pala Band of Mission Indians and served as tribal chairman from 1988 to 1989.

Rick and his wife Elane (a native of Brewster County), between them, have 6 children and 9 grandchildren and well understand the important role that parents and community members have in setting expectations of personal accountability and values from the time children are born until they enter the workforce. Today they work together as partners in a not-for-profit organization called Birth2Work.

Steven M. Post (TX)

Steven Post recently retired as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of L-3 Communications, a prime contractor in aerospace systems and national security solutions.  Before assuming that position in 2008, Steve held several positions at L-3 and its predecessor companies, including Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the Integrated Systems Group and, prior to that, group counsel and associate counsel positions. Prior to joining L-3, he was an instructor in the Contract Law department at the Judge Advocate General’s School in Charlottesville, VA.

He began his legal and military career at the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate in Ft. Dix, NJ, as the contract and fiscal law advisor and as senior trial counsel. Following that assignment, Steve served as a trial attorney in the litigation division for the Judge Advocate General at the Pentagon. Post earned his law degree with honors from Indiana University, and his undergraduate degree from the University of Dayton.

Lieutenant General George J. Flynn USMC (Ret.) (VA)

LtGen Flynn is now a member of the Board of Regents of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, having significant operational expertise and proven leadership, management, training and education following a distinguished career of more than 38 years in the U.S. Marine Corps.  Years of practical experience and graduate level education in national security and international affairs are reflected in an extensive record across a broad spectrum of defense operations.  While on active duty, LtGen Flynn created the Joint Force Development Directorate at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, managing more than 2,000 people and a $1 billion organization that developed new military operational concepts, doctrine and training.  He supervised all elements of the Combatant Commander Exercise program, which provides staff training and evaluates the mission performance of the largest military command organization in the United States.  He also developed policy for and provided oversight of all professional military education. As Deputy Commandant of the Marine Corps for Combat Development and Integration, LtGen Flynn determined future requirements for all equipment, training, personnel, facilities, and supporting activities of the Marine Corps.  His role as the Deputy Commanding General, Multi-National Corps, Iraq, involved leading combat operations and providing direct supervision of support activities of more than 50,000 service members and civilians, while conducting operational planning and execution to enable coalition operations, including extensive interaction with United Kingdom and Coalition Special Operations Forces.  LtGen Flynn supervised and provided oversight, policy and guidance for Marine Corps training as the Commanding General, Marine Corps Training and Education Command.  As Chief of Staff, U.S. Special Operations Command, LtGen Flynn supervised all support requirements for a 2,000-person organization, responsible for the planning, direction and financial execution of the headquarters.  He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and has several Master’s Degrees in National Security and Strategy, and International Relations.

MajGen Tracy L. Garrett USMC (Ret.) (WA)

Tracy Garrett is a career logistician with executive experience in both military and commercial enterprises.  She retired in 2014 as a Major General after 36 years of service in the active and reserve components of the Marine Corps. During her career, she commanded at all levels and directed logistics efforts ranging in size from 1,500 – 12,000 Marines, Sailors and civilian contracted support.  Career highlights include a combat deployment to Iraq in 2004 – 2005, serving as Inspector General of the Marine Corps, the first woman to hold that top post, in 2006 and serving as Commander of Marine Forces Europe and Marine Forces Africa in 2007 – 2008.  Her final assignment was as Special Assistant to the Commander, US Africa Command.  In retirement, she serves on the board of United Services Automobile Association (USAA) which is a Texas-based Fortune 500 diversified financial services group of companies offering banking, investing, and insurance to people and families that serve, or served, in the United States military. Other boards on which she serves include Fujitsu Defense and National Security (FDNS) and the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation.  She is a National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Leadership Fellow.

Robert E. Joyce Jr. (CO)

Rob Joyce is the former CEO and board director of Norican Global A/S (dba Norican Group), a Danish company created in September 2008 through the merger of the Wheelabrator (BVI) and DISA Groups (Denmark).

Immediately prior to this, Rob served as President and CEO of the Wheelabrator Group, a position he held from January 2003. From 1996 to 2003 he served in several executive leadership roles of increasing responsibility within USFilter (at the time a NYSE listed company), culminating with the position of Chief Operating Officer. Other career experience prior to USFilter includes: North American Logistics Director, Black & Decker; Senior Manager, Deloitte & Touche Management Consulting; and Facilities Engineer, Merck & Co.

Rob served in the United States Marine Corps as a Combat Engineer Officer from 1984-1988, having earned his commission through the NROTC program at the University of Michigan.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree (cum laude) in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. He is married to the former Colleen Erin Rafferty, and they have two adult sons.

LtCol Melissa Palmisciano USMCR (Ret.) (OH)

Melissa Dunlap Palmisciano is Deputy General Counsel & Assistant Secretary of White Castle System, Inc., headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.  White Castle, an iconic restaurant brand since 1921, is known for its signature sliders at its approximately 365 restaurants in the Midwest and Northeast (and now Scottsdale, AZ).  The company’s products are also found at groceries nationally via White Castle’s thriving frozen foods business.

As Deputy General Counsel at White Castle, Melissa handles a wide variety of legal matters ranging from intellectual property, marketing, and real estate to litigation management, contract review, daily HR advice, and government relations.  Additionally, Melissa applies her extensive management experience to leading special company-wide initiatives and serves on the Restaurant Division Leadership Team.  In her unique role, Melissa’s organizational, analytical and problem-solving skills are called upon to support all areas of White Castle’s business.

Prior to joining the White Castle team, Melissa practiced law in the Columbus offices of Baker Hostetler and the global law firm of Jones Day in the areas of labor and employment and complex corporate litigation.  Before entering civilian legal practice, Melissa served over 11 years on active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps, initially serving as an Aviation Intelligence Officer at MCAS Miramar, California.  Following law school, Melissa served as defense counsel, prosecutor, and staff legal advisor as a Judge Advocate (JAG) at MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina.  Melissa retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve in 2020.

A staunch advocate of public education, Melissa was elected to the Grandview Heights Schools Board of Education in 2016 for a four-year term and served as the Vice President for two years. On the Board of Education, she focused on board policy, communications, government relations, finance, and economic development matters, re-negotiating a critical economic development agreement through collaborative work with public and private partners that more than doubled the school district’s annual revenue from the project. Melissa was also a founding member of Operation Legal Help Ohio, a non-profit dedicated to providing pro bono legal assistance to Ohio’s low-income military members and veterans and served on its Board of Directors in various roles from 2013-2019. Melissa joined the Board of Directors of the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation (MCSF) in 2018 and has served on the Scholarship and Audit Committees.

Melissa is a member of the Columbus Business First Forty Under 40 Class of 2016, a 2018 recipient of the Ohio School Boards Association Award of Achievement, and a 2019 recipient of the White Castle “Made It Matter” Award.

Melissa received her B.S. with Distinction from the United States Naval Academy and her J.D. summa cum laude from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.  She is admitted to the Ohio bar and various federal courts including the U.S. Supreme Court. Melissa and her husband Matt, a retired Air National Guard pilot and former active duty Marine Corps pilot, have three children and reside in Grandview Heights, Ohio.

LtCol Robert W. Schroder USMC (Ret.) (VA)

Rob Schroder is the founder of SteerBridge Strategies, a Virginia based professional services company providing capabilities to federal agencies. SteerBridge combines military precision with private sector expertise to drive client driven results. The SteerBridge team provides strategic, adaptive, scalable solutions that deliver public sector results. Rob founded SteerBridge with a special emphasis on elevating the stature of veteran talent in the private sector.

Before launching SteerBridge, Rob was the Senior Vice President of International Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Prior to the Chamber, Rob served as a Marine Corps Officer where he served in multiple combat operations throughout his career as an AV-8B Harrier pilot. From 2009 to 2011, he was the commander of the “Blacksheep” squadron. Beyond the cockpit, he served as a congressional fellow for the 107th Congress and from 2006 to 2009, as the F-35 program lead for the Marine Corps. Before joining the Chamber, he was manager of the Global Posture, Strategy, and Plans team for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Rob also currently serves as the finance chairman for the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation board of directors and on the board of directors for the American Armed Forces Mutual Aid Association. He previously served on the Department of Defense’s Reserve Policy Board as well as the USAA Insurance and Financial Services Advisory Panel.

He graduated from the Naval Academy and holds M.S. degrees from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces and the Marine Corps University. In addition, he received his M.B.A. from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business.

Rob and his wife reside in Northern Virginia with their four children.