Technology Giants Band Together to Support Military Families

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Oct. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Military Family Association has partnered with ConvergeUS to launch a broad strategic initiative to tap the resources of the technology, social media, and telecommunications sectors to benefit military families.

ConvergeUS is the non-profit arm of TechNet, the trade association for technology companies' CEOs and senior executives. The partnership brings together the interests of traditional military family advocates and leaders in the technology industry to find new approaches to supporting military families.

Consistent with the Association's 40-plus years of service to military families, this effort builds on the First Lady's and Dr. Biden's Joining Forces campaign. "This is exactly the type of initiative we hoped to see when we launched Joining Forces; organizations and industries coming together to lift up and strengthen military families," said CAPT Brad Cooper, Executive Director of Joining Forces.

The first step of this project is the formation of a Technology Advisory Council that will help identify areas most suitable to a technology-based solution and recruit resources for projects addressing these areas. The initial members of the Council include a diverse group of leaders from the private, non-profit, academic and government sectors:

Mario Armstrong
Digital Lifestyle Expert
CNN and NPR Commentator
Founder, TechTechBoom.com  
Co-Founder, Urban Video Game  
Academy for Youth

Mark Anderson 
President
Adaptive Execution Inc.

Kevin Bergner
Executive Vice-President and  
Chief Administrative Officer
USAA
Former Chief of Public Affairs, US Army

Douglas W. Burke
President
Cognitive Medical Systems

The Honorable David S. C. Chu, PhD
President and CEO
Institute for Defense Analyses
Former Under Secretary of Defense  
for Personnel and Readiness

Mark D. Drapeau, Ph.D.
Director of Innovative Engagement
Microsoft Office of Civic Innovation

P. Kelley Dunne
President and Chief Executive Officer
One Economy

Patrick Gusman, Co-Chair
Executive Director
ConvergeUS

Peter Harter
Vice President, Public Affairs
Intellectual Adventures, LLC

Carrie Laureno
Audience Evangelist, Creative Lab
Founder, the Google Veterans Network
Google

Michael McNerney 
Truman Security Fellow
Cyber Policy Advisor, Department of Defense

Stephanie Moore
Director, Client Services
SocialSphere

Craig Newmark
Founder
craigslist and craigconnects

Joyce Wessel Raezer, Co-Chair
Executive Director
National Military Family Association

Caleb M. Schutz
President and CEO
TVTextbooks

Justin Velez-Hagan  
National Executive Director
National Puerto Rican Chamber
International Developer of  
Senior Living Homes
Member, U.S. Air Force Reserves

Leslie Wilson
Founder and CEO
IamMobileApps, Inc.

"The National Military Family Association is thrilled to work with technology-driven partners to help military families receive better support," said Joyce Raezer, Executive Director of the National Military Family Association. "ConvergeUS is an expert at bringing together diverse parties to address systemic problems with innovative solutions."

In addition to ConvergeUS's role on the Tech Advisory Council, ConvergeUS has pledged to weave the needs of military families throughout their work. "I believe that our nation's military families deserve the best support that our nation can offer. The 'best' includes the best tools and minds of the technology sector," said Patrick Gusman, Executive Director of ConvergeUS.

About the National Military Family Association
Military families serve our country with pride, honor, and quiet dedication. The National Military Family Association is the leading nonprofit organization committed to strengthening and protecting the families of the men and women currently serving, retired, wounded or fallen. We provide families of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Commissioned Corps of the USPHS and NOAA with information, work to get them the benefits they deserve, and offer programs that improve their lives. Our 40 years of service and accomplishments have made us a trusted resource for military families and the Nation's leaders. To learn more, visit www.militaryfamily.org.

About ConvergeUS
ConvergeUS is a 501 (c) (3), non-profit arm of TechNet, the bipartisan network of CEOs that promotes the growth of the innovation economy. Its mission is to leverage the collective power of the technology sector to accelerate social innovation—new strategies, concepts, ideas, and coalitions—in collaboration with nonprofit organizations, government entities, academic institutions, and the private sector. ConvergeUS will function as a facilitator and convener to bring diverse stakeholders together to create a "Technology Innovation Blueprint" that focuses on purposeful applications of technology and social media. For ConvergeUS, the primary areas of interest are education including science, technology, engineering, and math education (STEM), support for military families, healthcare, sustainability, and emergency preparedness. ConvergeUS will initially select issue areas for collaboration that focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math education) and early childhood education. To learn more, visit www.convergeus.org.

Contact: Bailey Bernius, 1-703-931-6632

SOURCE National Military Family Association