Board of Directors

HONORING OUR WOUNDED MILITARY

H.O.W.M.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

It is our mission to raise much needed funds in support of our wounded military, by conducting benefit events that also bring the community of North Texas and the Nation together for this specific common goal.

 

ROBERT ULSES

CHIEF VOLUNTEER OFFICER & PRESIDENT

ROBERT ULSES

Rob Ulses is a 32 year, retired Brigadier General - U.S. Army aviator. A veteran of OPERATION JUST CAUSE, OPERATION SEA ANGEL, and OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM, he was awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal along with numerous other awards and decorations . Currently a Vice President at PAE, he runs the program providing aviation and logistics support for all Customs Border Protection (CBP) aircraft.

Rob graduated from West Point with a bachelor’s degree and also holds two Master’s degrees. Rob lives in Trophy Club, TX with his wife Kathy.  He comes from a family where ‘Military Service’ is the family motto, with his father, brother, 2 sisters and 2 sons having served.

ROBERT FINN

VICE PRESIDENT

ROBERT FINN

Robert is an experienced public safety professional, having served 24 years with the City of Southlake, Department of Public Safety in a variety of roles during his career.  He is a certified Police Officer, Firefighter and Paramedic in the State of Texas and led the City of Southlake as both its Chief of Police and Fire Chief prior to retiring in 2011. Robert currently serves as a Senior Manager with the Matrix Consulting Group where he leads the Public Safety consulting practice.

Robert holds a BS in Public Safety Administration and an Executive MBA from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Robert has received numerous awards throughout his career for both his professional and charitable work. These awards include “Citizen of the Year” from the Southlake Chamber of Commerce and “Rotarian of the Year” from the Southlake Rotary Club. He lives in Keller, Texas with his wife Monica and two children.

AMY SNYDER

TREASURER

AMY SNYDER

Amy has worked as an accountant for many years growing up in St. Louis, Missouri.  Moved to the Dallas area in July of 2007.  Amy and her husband joined Trophy Club in 2008 and got involved with the charity putting golf teams together and going to the galas.  Amy was lucky enough to be able to join the board in 2019 to help them with the accounting duties.

DEBBIE ABELSON

SECRETARY | GALA CO-CHAIR

DEBBIE ABELSON

Debbie Abelson served in the Marine Corps active duty from 1975 thru 1979, and served in the Marine Corps Reserve as a Sergeant of Marines from 1979 thru 1981. She has volunteered for many years in Marine Corps Family Readiness Programs, which help family members learn how to live and understand the military lifestyle. Over the last five years she has traveled to over 50 Marine Corps Reserve bases throughout the United States, to teach Marine Corps Reserve Program – LINKS. She has also been actively involved with Snowball Express for the last six years.

Debbie was a volunteer for the first year’s event and joined the board in spring 2012 as the Secretary. She is married to Mark, who retired as a Major serving in the Marine Corps, for 23 years. They have three sons. One son is currently on active duty in the Marine Corps.

BRUCE GILL

BOARD MEMBER - GOLF CHAIR

BRUCE GILL

Bruce Gill has over 40 years in the automotive and powersports industries having served in a variety of management and executive rolls. Having worked for Chrysler Corp and Mitsubishi Motors, he is currently the Regional Sales Director for Kawasaki Motors Corp USA for the Central US. His career has taken him throughout the country finally landing in TX in in 2014. Bruce joined HOWM as a corporate sponsor in 2015 and became a Board Member in 2020. Bruce is a strong supporter of our military and everything that they sacrifice for our freedom. Bruce is an avid golfer and enjoys spending time at Trophy Club Country Club.

KEVIN SWEENEY

BOARD MEMBER

KEVIN SWEENEY

Kevin Sweeney is a retired USAF and Air National Guard pilot who attained the rank of Lt. Colonel.  He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross along with numerous other awards and decorations.  He is a veteran of both Viet Nam and Desert Storm.

In his professional business career he was an Executive for a Fortune 50 and Fortune 500 company.  In his younger days, Kevin was an all-conference athlete.  He holds two Bachelor’s degrees and a Master’s degree. Kevin joined the board in April 2012 as Chief Volunteer Officer and President.

SONNY RATH

BOARD MEMBER

SONNY RATH

Sonny Rath is the CEO of GRID365 a Cloud Computing and Services company. With a career spanning more the 20 years, in the Telecommunications and Technology space, Sonny has been in leadership roles with companies like Verizon, and Qwest. As well as being a frequent speaker at industry and government events, he engages with key political and business leaders, advising them on transformational agendas to turn major economic and societal challenges into opportunities. A serial entrepreneur, Sonny sits on the board of several domestic and international companies.

Sonny is actively involved with several Dallas area charities. He is a avid supporter of Junior Achievement and has been teaching their programs for many years.  He is also active with the Children’s Advocacy Center of Denton County. Sonny lives in the Dallas area and has been part of of this organization since it was founded.

WALT ASBURY

BOARD MEMBER

WALT ASBURY

Walt is retired after  35 years of retail experience. His last 20 years was with Michaels stores serving in several senior executive positions. In his free time he enjoys golf, exercising, and enjoying life. He and his wife Sharon of 40 years reside in Trophy Club. They have 3 adult children and 3 grandchildren.

Walt joined HOWM board in 2017, and is an enthusiastic supporter of our military. 

LYNN BOND

BOARD MEMBER

LYNN BOND

With 30 years of experience, Lynn Bond is a veteran of operations and supply chain functions for the consumer package goods and telecommunications industries.

He has worked in various executive and senior operations management roles with several large companies such as Custom Building Products, Nokia, Samsung and FedEx. Lynn’s achievements include two top 10 global supply chain rankings from Gartner which included being named #1 supply chain in the world in 2007 as well as leading supplier quality rankings from all of the US Telecom operators.

He is a staunch supporter of our troops and the incredibly difficult and important role in our countries freedom. Lynn enjoys barefoot golf, wine and spending time with his wife Cindy.

CARLEY PAULSEN

BOARD MEMBER

CARLEY PAULSEN

Carley Grew up in Nebraska around sports and a desire to help others. Carley's love of health and fitness drove her passion to Parker Chiropractic College in Dallas where she received her doctorate in 2012.  Carley opened her practice in Keller in 2014 with a focus on mobility and stability, helping people live active lives.  Carly stays busy, being mother of three (twin boys and a younger daughter) & a wife to an amazing man who supports & encourages her passion, hobbies, which include training/competing in triathlons & other activities.  

Carley is proud to be a part of this organization and the Race Director of the Military Heroes Run 5k/10k where she can combine her passions, along with her desire to give back while helping people, specifically the wounded military and families.   

ANDY WILLIAMS

BOARD MEMBER

ANDY WILLIAMS

Andy Williams is the head of Innovation & Business Development for Globe Life Inc. and their family of companies.  After over 27 years in management consulting with the likes of Price Waterhouse, Deloitte, KPMG, and Arthur Andersen, Andy has dedicated himself to using his experience and knowledge to the benefit of Globe Life’s customers and employees.

Aside from a passionate desire to make re-entry into civilian life a celebration of the dedication and sacrifice made by our military, Andy is a self-identified sports junkie whose favorite accomplishments include carding a hole in one, jumping out of a perfectly good airplane, and co-founding the Trophy Club Barefoot Golf Team with Lynn Bond.

MICK MARTIN

BOARD MEMBER - GALA CO-CHAIR

MICK MARTIN

Mick has been a Senior Sales Leader, Strategist and Turnaround Leader with FICO, Experian, Trans Union and now PayPal. He met and exceeded aggressive revenue targets quarter after quarter and year after year. Meeting these challenges often required transforming the structure and talent mix of organizations to more effectively support business objectives.

He has served for three years as a H.O.W.M board advisor and is extremely proud to have now been elected to a full board position responsible for Marketing and Development.  Mick has a wonderful wife, Sarah, and two children, Emily(22) and Ross(28) and his wife Matea.

JONATHAN BOWMAN

BOARD MEMBER

JONATHAN BOWMAN

Jon Bowman has almost 15 years of experience in the financial services, with the last 13 years at TD Ameritrade and Charles Schwab.  Prior to joining Charles Schwab, he worked at Fidelity Investments and served on active duty as a United States Marine (2005-2009).  During his time in the Marines, he attained the rank of Corporal and served overseas in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. 

Jon was also a founding member and national co-chair for TD Ameritrade’s Veteran employee resource group and is now a national co-chair for the Military Veterans Network at Charles Schwab.

Jon is married to Gabby, and they are blessed with two wonderful daughters, Kaylee and Lilly.  He has one dog, Lucy, who give him countless hours of joy. 

KELLY CASTONGUAY

BOARD MEMBER

KELLY CASTONGUAY

Kelly has been involved with H.O.W.M for many years as a volunteer, first with the 5k run, then transitioned to the golf tournament. She has been to a recipient of the H.O.W.M. home dedication and has met families that have received them, as well. Dedication to honor and giving back comes from a history of relatives who have served in four branches of service. Including her grandfather who was MIA for three months during WWII, a great uncle was a POW during WWII, and another great uncle was KIA in Korea. Her Dad served in the Air Force.

Kelly married her husband in 2003 where they have resided in the DFW area since 1999 and can usually be found on one of the TCCC golf courses.