Operation Homefront Elects New Board Members

SAN ANTONIO, June 19, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Operation Homefront, the national military support nonprofit, has elected four new members to its Board of Directors, and retired one board member.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110623/DC25541LOGO)

Operation Homefront provides emergency financial and other assistance to the families of service members and wounded warriors. Assistance is in the form of grants to meet the most basic of needs like rent, utilities, food and housing.

The newly elected board members include:

Brian Arnold, Vice President for Space Strategy, Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, Raytheon Company:  Retired Lt. Gen. Brian Arnold completed a distinguished 34-year career as an Air Force pilot, acquisition leader, and has served as a commander at the squadron, wing, and sub-unified command levels.  For the past seven years he has distinguished himself as a business leader, and has spent his personal time finding ways to continue to support military service members. Additionally, Arnold is a member of National Academy of Science Air Force Studies Board.

Lee Baxter, President, Signal Mountain Associates, Inc.: Retired Maj. Gen. Lee Baxter completed a 31-year career in the U.S. Army.  During that time, this field artillery officer served as a United Nations peacekeeper in the Sinai desert, and completed command assignments in Europe and in the U.S., finishing his distinguished career as the Commanding General of Fort Sill.  Since his Army retirement, he has been a resident of Lawton, Okla., and has served the community in a number of leadership positions including with the Chamber of Commerce.  Baxter also has been serving actively with a number of military nonprofits. In addition to Operation Homefront, he works with the Armed Services YMCA.

Sarah Farnsworth, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs, for the San Diego Padres: Ms. Farnsworth joined the Padres in 2011 to oversee the communications, community relations and military affairs departments, bringing with her a rich background as a public servant.  Most recently she completed an assignment as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Community and Public Outreach at the Pentagon.  Previously, she served as chief of staff and senior advisor to President Obama's National Security Advisor, Gen. Jim Jones; worked at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; and was chief of staff of the United Services Organization (USO).  Over the past 19 years, Farnsworth served two presidents and first ladies, and two secretaries of defense.

Robert Giannetta, Business Technology Officer, BAE Systems, Inc.: Mr. Giannetta has over 25 years of information management & technology experience in the telecommunications and aerospace & defense industries.  His current responsibilities include aligning business strategy and technical capabilities for the human resources, finance, legal, audit and communications departments at BAE Systems' U.S. corporate headquarters.  He previously served in the US Navy and is an avid supporter of our military service members.

"We are thrilled to add these directors to our board," said Glen Latona, Chairman of the Board of Operation Homefront.  "They all have a great deal of leadership and business experience, but more importantly, they share a passion for supporting our military families.  As we continue to support our military families through the deployments to Afghanistan, we know the needs of these families will not end with the deployments.  As an organization, Operation Homefront is committed to supporting these families well into the future, beyond the deployments, and we are so glad we'll have the leadership of these new board members as we prepare for that future."

Along with these elections, Operation Homefront retired John Howard, a retired Army brigadier general, after almost five years of board service.

"Brig. Gen. Howard and his employer, CDW, have given so much to our military families and wounded warriors," continued Latona.  "We are so grateful for his time and talents, which have made us a better organization and better able to help our families.  Even though he is retiring from the board, we know we'll be able to count on him to continue supporting our troops."

About Operation Homefront:  A national nonprofit, Operation Homefront leads more than 4,500 volunteers with nationwide presence, and has met more than 590,000 needs of military families since its inception in 2002.  A four-star rated charity by watchdog Charity Navigator, nationally, 94 percent of total revenue donated to Operation Homefront goes directly to assist service members.  For more information, go to www.OperationHomefront.net.

SOURCE Operation Homefront