LEADERSHIP

Karen Kraft is an award-winning writer, director, producer, and television executive and former Army Officer. Her work has aired on Discovery Channel, Travel Channel, Animal Planet, and many other networks. Karen is the Founder of Hero Media Group, an entertainment company comprised of television and feature film executives whose mission is to develop and produce stories about personal courage and sacrifice across all media platforms.

Tom McCafferty is a West Point graduate and former U.S. Army officer.  A veteran actor with over a dozen network tv credits, he’s also done stints at a talent management firm,  a production company, and in celebrity personal security.  As a writer and director, his first short film, "Battle Scars” won the Audience Award at the 2013 G. I. Film Festival.

As Executive Director, Talent Acquisition for Lionsgate, a global entertainment company, Anita leads the team across various functions of Talent Acquisition including Recruitment, Employer Branding and University programming. With over 10 years of experience working within Entertainment and Media, Anita has successfully maintained excellent relationships with both candidates and clients.

Stephanie Stone is the Chief Deputy Director of the County of Los Angeles Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. She is a Navy Veteran who has used her 20 years of exemplary service and over 14 years of nonprofit experience to support the Greater Los Angeles Veteran community since 1997. Stephanie was the first woman to serve as the Chair to Los Angeles Mayor’s Military and Veteran Affairs Committee and served as commissioner on the Los Angeles County Veterans Advisory Commission

Geoff graduated from Bowling Green State University, Ohio, with a degree in Business- Pre Law. In pursuit of fulfilling a dream of becoming a Navy SEAL, he joined the military 2 months after graduation, attended Navy OCS (Officer Candidate School), he earned his commission as a Navy Officer then reported to BUD/s (Basic Underwater Demolition/ SEAL) in Coronado, California. Geoff deployed overseas with SEAL Team 10 before getting into producing and stunts.

Ric Arthur has written for several TV shows including The Last Ship, NCIS, Hawaii Five-O. He’s also produced a variety of indie projects including Laura Smiles with RKO Pictures. Still active in the Navy Reserve, Ric has completed multiple tours to East Asia. Ric is originally from Pasadena, California is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and has a Masters in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.

A former U.S. Army Airborne Ranger and graduate of the University of Georgia; Frank lives in Southern California with his wife and children. Frank has co-produced Perfect On Paper, The Michaels, and Romantically Speaking. He also cast voices for NBC’s State of Affairs, and numerous features including the Sundance hit Big Sur, Insidious 2, and Martin Scorsese’s Revenge of the Green Dragons.

James Bogle directs the Master of Business for Veterans program in the USC Marshall School of Business. Prior to joining the Marshall team in 2013, he served 23 years in the U.S. Army. James commanded two artillery units and fought in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm. As a Foreign Area Officer, he served on the staff of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in the Office of European and NATO Policy and at the U.S. Embassy in Paris.