Military non-profit expands leadership to match growth

SAN ANTONIO, Jan. 31, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Operation Homefront, the national non-profit that provides emergency financial and other assistance to military families and injured service members, today announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Tim Farrell as Chief Operating Officer (COO).

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Farrell is a retired Air Force officer with more than 23 years of service. His three combat tours span Operations Desert Shield/Storm, Iraqi Freedom, and New Dawn.  In his final combat tour, he commanded the joint base defense force which secured Iraq's largest and most diverse array of aircraft, Army logistics assets and combat troops.  He has served in multiple operational and headquarters leadership positions; commanded two Air Force squadrons and two Air Force groups; and has a strong background in training, organizational development and strategic planning.  Farrell has been awarded three Bronze Star Medals and the Legion of Merit.

Very quickly upon military retirement, Farrell became a sought-after non-profit leader in South Texas, serving as a planning committee member for the San Antonio Clean Technology Forum and Mission Verde Alliance, and in his first post-Air Force career role as Chief Operating Officer of the San Antonio Children's Museum.  He earned his bachelor's degree in Economics from Rutgers University and a master's degree in Administration from Central Michigan University. 

Operation Homefront currently is completing a transition from a structure with chartered state chapters to a unified national structure, and is growing rapidly.  From Summer 2012 to Spring 2013, the organization will have tripled in size, with approximately 110 staff covering 44 states.

Operation Homefront also began a new program in 2012 that took donated properties from major banks and transferred them to veterans through a program that includes two-years of intensive case management support.  To date, 80 families have moved in, and Operation Homefront expects to have 350 properties by the end of 2013.

Finally, in December of last year, Operation Homefront expanded its criteria to be able to provide emergency financial assistance to those wounded, ill and injured after September 11, 2011.

"We're extremely pleased to be able to make Tim Farrell a key part of Operation Homefront's leadership team," said Jim Knotts, President and CEO of the non-profit.  "The Board has recognized the need for additional leadership to keep up with our growth.  Tim's military and executive experience will help us to leverage that growth to provide more military families with the support and assistance that their service has earned."

"It's an honor to join the great men and women of Operation Homefront as we continue to grow," said Farrell.  "I'm excited to help fulfill our vision to become the provider of choice for emergency financial and other assistance to the families of our service members and wounded warriors.  We'll continue to earn the trust and generosity of the American people by honoring patriotism and service to our country, doing what's right, respecting others and performing with excellence. Those who have served deserve nothing less."

Concurrent with Farrell's appointment, former COO and co-founder Amy Palmer has been named Chief Programs and Field Operations Officer.  Palmer's duties will remain largely unchanged, and Farrell will focus on overall management and strategic planning for the organization.

About Operation Homefront:  A national non-profit, Operation Homefront leads more than 4,500 volunteers with nationwide presence who provide emergency and other financial assistance to the families of service members and wounded warriors. Operation Homefront  has met more than 741,000 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 programs that provide support to our military families. For more information, go to www.OperationHomefront.net.

SOURCE Operation Homefront