Board of Directors
Paul Cox, Chair
Paul Cox is a civil engineer and associate principal of Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, a consulting engineering firm specializing in investigations, repair, and repurposing designs of existing structures. During his nearly 25 years at the firm, he has conducted investigations throughout the US on all types of buildings from homes to high-rises. He is also an occasional member of his firm’s rope access team that uses innovative rappelling methods to get to otherwise inaccessible areas of tall buildings, towers, and bridges. Paul is a member of numerous professional societies including the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), American Concrete Institute (ACI), and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).
Paul was raised in Oklahoma. After two years at University of Oklahoma, and a year of working as a lumberjack and in a paper mill in Washington State, he joined USMC in 1968 for four years and served 18 months in Vietnam. He holds an engineering degree from San Francisco State University. He has lived in the Bay Area since 1973, and currently lives in Berkeley with his wife and two daughters.
Community Activities:
Paul is one of the founders of Veterans Speakers Alliance that formed in San Francisco 1985 to provide combat veteran speakers for schools and civic groups. In 1994, VSA became a chapter of the national organization Veterans for Peace.
In 2001, Mr. Cox was a founding member and the first commander of American Legion Robert Basker Post 315 in San Francisco, formed to fight to retain veterans’ rights in the Veterans Building in San Francisco’s civic center. He is currently the First Vice-Commander of Post 315, and the post representative to the Veterans War Memorial Commission. He hopes to make the Veterans Building more useful to veterans, and to make resources from the building available to meet veterans’ needs.
Paul is also active with the Vietnam Agent Orange Relief and Responsibility Campaign working to secure assistance for Vietnam's estimated three-million victims of Agent Orange/dioxin poisoning, cleanup of the environmental residues, additional care for affected US veterans and their children, and recognition and care for affected Vietnamese-Americans.
In 2005, Mr. Cox joined the Board of Swords to Plowshares to contribute to its important work of service to and advocacy for veterans, and has supported the agency's expansion and transition into providing assistance for the current crop of veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In January 2009, he assumed the position of Board Chair.
Gordon Erspamer
Gordon Erspamer, who is a Senior Counsel in the San Francisco office, is Co-Chair of Morrison & Foerster's Inter-Disciplinary Energy Group. His litigation experience includes the Superior Courts located throughout California, the United States District Courts, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Gordon received his B.A. degree summa cum laude from Hamline University in 1975 and his J.D. magna cum laude from the University of Michigan in 1978. He was an Associate Editor of the Michigan Law Review from 1976-77 and Note Editor from 1977-78, and a member of the Order of the Coif. He joined Morrison & Foerster in 1982 and became a partner in 1984.
In 1987, Gordon was presented the "Dean K. Phillips Memorial Award for Advocacy" by the Vietnam Veterans of America, Washington, DC, in recognition of courageous and steadfast service to the veterans' community. And In 2003, Mr. Erspamer received the annual "Profiles in Courage Award" from Swords to Plowshares Veterans Rights Organization in recognition of 25 years of pro bono service to disabled veterans. He later joined the Board of Swords to Plowshares in 2005 and serves on the Strategic Planning Committee.
Steve Fields
Steve Fields has served as the Executive Director of Progress Foundation, a non-profit mental health agency since 1969. He has been involved in the development of social rehabilitation programs for over 30 years. Progress Foundation pioneered the development of acute residential alternatives to hospitalization, and opened the first social model residential treatment programs for geriatric clients in the country and the first social model residential treatment program from women and their children.
Steve has been a leader in local, state and national efforts to develop social model, crisis residential services that serve as equivalents to psychiatric inpatient treatment for individuals in an acute psychiatric episode. He is the author of a forthcoming manual, sponsored by the federal Center for Mental Health Services, on the development and operation of crisis residential treatment services.
Steve joined the Board of Swords to Plowshares in 2005. He chairs the Audit Committee and is a member of the Compensation and Benefits Committee.
Rick Houlberg
Rick Houlberg was on active duty in the US Army from 1962 to 1967, and returned from a year in Vietnam as a Staff Sgt, E-6. On active duty, Rick worked as a JAG legal clerk.
Rick has been a Professor of Broadcasting and Electronic Media at SFSU since l982 (with a PhD in Mass Mediated Communication) and he has taught at the university level since l972.
In 1990, Rick was looking for community service as part of his academic career and he was directed to Swords by a San Francisco State University colleague. As a member of the Swords Board of Directors since 1992, Rick served four terms as Board Secretary. He currently chairs the Compensation and Benefits Committee and serves on the Strategic Planning Committee. He receives the most pleasure from dealing directly with veterans and listening to their success stories at graduations and the Swords' Veteran's Day Dinner.
Judy Kridle
Judy Kridle is a business attorney in private practice who specializes in representing nonprofit organizations in governance matters and business transactions, including financings and real estate development projects. She joined the Board of Swords to Plowshares in 2005 and served as Chair of the Board in 2007 and 2008. She currently serves on the Board Development & Governance, Finance and Strategic Planning Committees.
Judy holds a J.D. from Boalt Hall School of Law at UC Berkeley, an M.A. in Asian Studies from UC Berkeley and a B.A. in Humanities and Japanese Studies from Stanford University. She spent several years working as a cross-cultural management consultant and trainer in Japan prior to entering law school and is fluent in spoken Japanese.
Judy has lived in the East Bay for over 20 years. In addition to her work with Swords to Plowshares, she serves on the Board of Directors of Mercy High School, San Francisco, a college preparatory school for young women sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas West Midwest Community. She served on the Finance Committee of Aging Services of California, a statewide association of nonprofit providers of housing and services for older adults, from 2003 to 2008.
Maceo May
Maceo May grew up in the East Bay, CA and entered the military in 1963 spending two years in Vietnam where he served in a combat aviation group. Returning to the Bay area after his service, he joined his uncle in managing a family owned, income tax business. When the business was sold, He moved to Los Angeles and began a career in the insurance industry. Maceo decided to pursue a degree in counseling to help fellow veterans returning from Vietnam. While interning at the Veterans Administration hospital in San Francisco, he learned about Swords to Plowshares. Inspired by Swords’ model, Maceo applied for a counseling position at Swords and was hired, spending the next 12 years in positions of ever increasing responsibility and becoming its’ Director of Housing. Maceo joined the Board of Swords to Plowshares in 2004 and serves on the Board Development and Governance Committee and the Strategic Planning Committee.He has also served on the boards of several organizations including: Hamilton Family Center and The Council on Homelessness. Representing Swords, he was a founding member and became the first president of the Treasure Island Homeless Development Initiative, an organization which thrives today; offering homeless services to myriad populations of homeless and disadvantaged throughout the Bay area.
Pete McCorkell, Secretary
Pete McCorkell served in the U.S. Navy from 1966 to 1970 as an electronics technician on a diesel submarine, the USS TRUTTA. A native of New Jersey, he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area soon after being discharged from the Navy. He finished his undergraduate work at UC Berkeley, receiving a BA in psychology in 1972 and later earned his JD in 1975. In 1987 he became the first General Counsel of Fair, Isaac & Company shortly after its initial public stock offering. He also served as Fair, Isaac's corporate secretary and its investor relations officer. Since 2000 he has been Senior Company Counsel in the Law Department of Wells Fargo & Co. in San Francisco where he focuses on privacy and information security issues. Pete was introduced to Swords in 2001 by Chuck Wallace. Since then he has been a personal contributor and has also assisted with grant requests to the Wells Fargo Foundation. He served on Swords' Finance Committee for much of 2007 and was elected to the Board effective January 1, 2008. He currently serves on the Board Development and Governance Committee, and also as the secretary to the Audit Committee. In 2009, Pete was elected to serve as the Board Secretary.
Christine Mucker
Christine Mucker is a first year graduate student at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. Christine graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelors degree in Business Administration. Her professional experience focuses on corporate restructuring. Christine was a consultant for FTI Consulting, Inc. (formerly a group within PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP) in New York City. After four years, she joined her client, Vanguard Car Rental.
Christine joined the Board of Swords to Plowshares in 2008 as a participant in the Berkeley Board Fellows program which is managed by the Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership at Haas. Her specific interests include the military community, education and women's issues. Christine was a big sister for Big Brothers, Big Sisters in New York City for five years. In 2003, Christine joined a medical delegation to provide logistical support for the group who provided free women's healthcare clinics in rural areas of El Salvador for 10 days. She organized and coordinated teams to renovate elementary schools for New York Cares Day. Christine also partnered with Junior Achievement to work with a Tulsa high school class and lead discussions on consumer economics.
Christine's husband, Vincent Mucker, is an active duty Army officer and the assistant Professor of Military Science at Santa Clara University and is the Executive Officer of the ROTC program.
Stephen Plath, Vice Chair
Born in Menomonie, Wisconsin and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Stephen Plath earned his B.S. in Mathematics form California State Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo in June of 1967. While at Cal Poly he entered the ROTC program and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant on graduation. Trained as a Combat Engineer he served two years in the U.S. Army, first as a platoon leader at Fort Campbell, Kentucky and then as a platoon leader, company executive officer and assistant battalion S-4 officer in Vietnam, retuning to the States in December of 1969 Steve founded Plath & Company in 1975, a General Contracting firm with $22 million in annual revenue in 2008. With a staff of roughly 60 employees, Plath & Company is an award-winning General Contractor and Construction Management firm that specializes in the building and renovation of significant homes and historic structures throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Steve joined the Board of Swords to Plowshares in 2007. He was elected Vice-Chair in 2009 and chairs the Resource Development Committee. He lives in San Anselmo with Suzan, with his wife of 35 years. They have 2 sons, Jordan (29) and Julian (23).
Larry Rosenberger
Larry Rosenberger received his undergraduate degree in physics at MIT, in 1968, and relocated to the Bay Area to attend graduate school at Cal. He was drafted and served in the Army 1969-71, returning to Cal to continue grad school, ending up with masters' degrees in physics and operations research. In 1974, he relocated his young family to Marin to begin working for Fair Isaac Corporation. From 1974-1991, he held a variety of positions mostly focused on analytic R&D. He did the CEO job from 1991-1999 which was a high growth era for the company. He provided R&D leadership focused on early stage analytic innovation from 1999-2007, after which he became Fair Isaac's first Research Fellow — a position he now holds on a half-time basis.
Larry's non-profit work includes 6 years on the board of the Marin Education Fund, including 3 years as chair, 8 years on the board of the Marin Community Foundation, including 1 year as chair, and 5 years on the board of GivingNet. He currently chairs the board of The Buck Institute for Education where he's served for 5 years.
Larry joined the Swords Board of Directors in 2009. He and his wife, Diane, were high school sweethearts and have been married for 40 years. They have two sons and three small grandchildren.
Sara Seltzer
Sara grew up in Berkeley, California and Honolulu, Hawaii, and graduated from Berkeley High School. She attended Cornell University and received her BA cum laude in Anthropology. She later went on to pursue a graduate degree in Anthropology which she used to teach at West Point Academy in New York.
Sara's anthropology studies took her to Japan where she lived and taught English as a second language for five years for private schools, corporations, and individuals. She later joined the United States Army as a Military Intelligence Officer.
Sara became a reserve officer in the 351st Civil Affairs Command at Mountain View, California, where she researched, wrote, and edited country studies of Pacific Rim countries including Thailand and Japan, and trained annually with Japan Self-Defense forces in Japan and Hawaii. As the Cultural Affairs Officer and Japan Desk Office for the 351st Civil Affairs Command, she also produced graphic cultural briefings on Japanese culture.
Sara currently recruits Information Technology and other candidates for Bay Area companies with Strategic Staffing in San Francisco. She is a member of the National Japanese American Historical Society. She currently lives in the Bay Area and has a son, Max, who spent two and a half years with the Peace Corps in Niger, West Africa, and graduated from Brooklyn Law School in June, 2008.
Mai Kha Shutt
Mai Kha Shutt is a marketing professional who brings a variety of experience to Swords to Plowshares, offering a unique perspective that combines her strong marketing research and customer marketing expertise. She joined the Board of Swords in 2007 and chairs the Strategic Planning Committee and serves on the Resource Development Committee. Mai Kha holds BA in International Relations and an MBA in Marketing Research from the University of South Carolina.
Mai Kha has more than ten years of experience in wireless telecommunications and has designed and performed a wide range of market research studies, specializing in segmentation. She developed and implemented contact management strategies to optimize customer communications, offline and online.
Before joining the wireless telecommunications industry, Mai Kha worked with the Seattle Community College system's export/import certification program. She also brings non-governmental organizations experience to Swords through her work with self-sustaining, international family planning/population control programs for USAID.
Stephen M. Snyder
Steve has been a practicing San Francisco attorney since 1972. He and his wife, Faye, live in the East Bay (Lafayette). After completing an undergraduate degree at UC Santa Barbara in 1965, Steve served three years in the Marine Corps as an infantry officer. His service included one tour in Vietnam. Steve received degrees in law and administration from Cornell University in 1972, the year he and his then wife, Judy, moved to the Bay Area. Judy died in 2007 during the 40th year of their marriage leaving their four children and four grandchildren.
For many years Steve practiced with the San Francisco law firm of Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison. He served in various management positions in that firm, including being its Chairman in the mid-1990s. In 2003 he and two of his former Brobeck partners started the small litigation boutique, Snyder, Miller & Orton, where Steve currently practices.
Steve has served on boards of the Bar Association of San Francisco and the Marines Memorial Association, where he currently serves as its vice chair, the YMCA of San Francisco, and the Danny Foundation. He joined the board of directors at Swords to Plowshares in 2009.
Robert Trevorrow
He attended the University of Oregon, spent his war years with the 7th Marines from 67-68 just south of Danang on Hill 55 and surrounding territory. Bob graduated with both BS and MS interdisciplinary degrees with an emphasis on the business of social services from San Francisco State University.
Bob initially got involved with Swords to Plowshares in his role as Deputy Director for the Salvation Army's Senior Meals and Support Services programs in San Francisco. Coordinating food and materials for the "Standdown" events that helped bring the issues of homeless veterans to the public eye as well as giving individuals a respite from the challenges of street life.
Bob is currently the Executive Director of the San Francisco Senior Centers, providing social and educational services to elders throughout the City at two branches. One of the Center's significant initiatives has been the development of the "Homecoming Project" ...this program brings to bear the variety of community resources to support the discharge of isolated older adults including homeless vets as they find safe harbor in their recovery.
Bob joined the Board of Swords to Plowshares in 2009 and serves on the Compensation and Benefits Committee.
Linsay Rousseau Burnett
Linsay Rousseau Burnett is a freelance journalist based out of Berkeley, Calif. and second year student at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She is the graduate assistant for the Investigative Reporting Program, overseen by Lowell Bergman, and has worked as a production associate for several PBS Frontline documentaries. She was the associate producer for a Frontline story about the military's war on personal debt that aired on the PBS NewsHour.
Linsay was one of four Carnegie Fellows chosen to work with the Brian Ross Investigative Reporting Unit at ABC News Headquarters in New York for the summer of 2009. Following a three month investigation, their story about child labor in American agriculture was broadcast on the show Nightline on 30 October 2009. Shorter versions aired on Good Morning America and World News with Charles Gibson and a followup story aired on Democracy Now!
Prior to attending Berkeley, she served as a public affairs sergeant for the U.S. Army’s 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), working as a journalist, photographer and videographer. She spent a year in the northern Iraq province of Kirkuk documenting and reporting on combat and humanitarian operations.
While in the Army, Linsay co-founded the Appeal for Redress, which worked to educate service members on their rights and called for an immediate withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Iraq. The Appeal was the recipient of the 2007 Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award, presented by the Institute for Policy Studies.
Prior to the Army, she was the chief fundraiser for the Ralph Nader 2004 Presidential Exploratory Committee. She worked as a field organizing intern for Amnesty International and served on Amnesty’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Planning Committee.
Linsay graduated from the College of William and Mary in Virginia with a BA in sociology and minor in anthropology and was elected Student Assembly President her senior year.
She lives in Berkeley with her partner Robert Huddleston, a former infantry sergeant with 1-327th Inf. Regt., 1st BCT, 101st ABN DIV. She joined the Board of Directors in 2009 and serves on the Compensation and Benefits Committee.
Ian Sharpe
Ian Sharpe served in the United States Air Force from July 2001 to November 2006 as an Information Manager assigned to the 60th Maintenance Group, Travis Air Force Base, California. Ian was sent on a number of TDY's to Diego Garcia and United Arab Emirates in support of Operation Enduring Freedom after the 9-11 attacks.
In January 2005, he was deployed to Balad Air Base, Iraq and served as a Postmaster with the 332 Expeditionary Communications Squadron. Ian was honorably separated in November 2006 with the rank of Staff Sergeant.
In 2006, Ian obtained an A.A.S. in Information Management from the Community College of the Air Force and a B.S. from Southern Illinois University, School of Engineering in 2007.
Ian currently works for a technology company in San Francisco and is an active member of many community organizations.
Josh Lauman, Board Fellow
Josh Lauman is a graduate student at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. Josh graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a Bachelors degree in Systems Engineering. He was commissioned as an Ensign in the US Navy upon graduation and went on to attend flight training in Pensacola, Florida. Upon completion of his flight training, Josh joined Patrol Squadron Nine where he served as a Naval
Flight Officer and Mission Commander. He completed two operational deployments to the Middle East in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom flying surveillance missions out of Iraq, Afghanistan, Bahrain, and Qatar. Josh currently serves as the Officer-in-Charge of the Department of Naval Science at California Maritime Academy in Vallejo where he manages a leadership development
and officer commissioning program for 40 students.
Josh joined the board of Swords to Plowshares in 2009 as a participant in the Berkeley Board Fellows program which is managed by the Center for Non-profit and Public Leadership at Haas.
Nominations to the Board of Directors, Join our dedicated team
Swords to Plowshares will accept applications for election to its Board of Directors at any time. Directors normally serve three-year terms beginning on January 1; however, to evenly distribute the expiration dates of Directors' terms, some Directors may be elected for shorter terms and in some cases terms may begin on dates other than January 1.
The members of the Board of Directors of this nonprofit corporation are expected to represent the interests of clients, donors and the public in ensuring that the organization's resources are used effectively and efficiently to carry out its missions of providing housing, job training, counseling and legal assistance to homeless and low-income veterans in the San Francisco Bay Area and advocating for veterans' rights at local, state and federal levels. All Directors are expected to actively participate in activities of the full Board and one or more Board committees, including attending at least two-thirds of (a) the full Board meetings each year (approximately seven meetings, including the annual Veterans Day Dinner), and (b) meetings of committees to which the Director is assigned. In addition, each Director is expected to participate in fundraising and to make a significant personal contribution, to act as an ambassador of the organization and its clients, to volunteer his or her time and expertise, and to lend his or her name and reputation to enhance the credibility of the organization.
Candidates must demonstrate integrity, a commitment to veterans' issues and the ability to work well with other Directors, staff and volunteers. Experience in nonprofit governance, fundraising and/or finance is highly desirable. Women, minorities and veterans - especially veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts - are particularly encouraged to apply. Applicants must submit a curriculum vitae and a statement of qualifications to Board Chair c/o Swords to Plowshares, 1060 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94103. Candidates may be asked to interview with one or more current Directors and to attend one or more Board meetings prior to their election.
For additional information, please contact the organization’s Secretary, Pete McCorkell, at mccorkpl@wellsfargo.com or (415)396-0940.
Staff
Michael Blecker, Executive Director
Michael Blecker has been associated with Swords to Plowshares since 1976, only two years after its founding in 1974 by a group of Vietnam veterans and VISTA volunteers at the Veterans Administration in San Francisco. The founders wanted to help their peers and themselves through the difficult readjustment to civilian life. Swords to Plowshares provides a continuum of direct services: peer counseling for post-traumatic stress disorder and substance-abuse problems; residential programs; employment and training services; legal services; and direct advocacy on such issues as medical problems resulting from exposure to Agent Orange and depleted uranium. In 2005, he spearheaded the Iraq Veteran Project which provides direct services and extensive information, education and policy development nationwide. The Coalition of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans grew out of this project and coordinates a national network of organizations providing services for veterans of the current wars.
Michael’s knowledge of veterans’ services and veterans’ rights is widely recognized. Recently, he was appointed to the Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans, a fifteen-member committee created by the federal Department of Veterans Affairs to advise the Secretary of the VA on a variety of issues. In 2001, Michael served on the State of California Senate Bi-Partisan Task Force on Homelessness. And from 1996 through 1998, Michael served on the Commission on Servicemembers and Veterans Transition Assistance, a twelve-member congressionally chartered commission that reviewed and made recommendations to Congress around servicemember and veterans’ benefits and programs.
Mr. Blecker has overseen the growth of Swords to Plowshares an annual budget of $75,000 to more than $8 million. In 2003, after initiating a housing program and seeing the annual budget more than double in a short period of time, there was a clear need to build the agency’s infrastructure to accommodate the growth in services. With the Board of Directors, Mr. Blecker initiated a broad and deep strategic planning process that led to the agency’s first 3-year strategic plan in 2004.
Mr. Blecker served in the U.S. Army combat infantry in Vietnam from 1967 to 1970. He holds a J.D. degree from New College of California School of Law (1980) and a BA degree with Honors from UC Berkeley (1974).
He is a co-founder of the California Association of Veterans Service Agencies, the National Association for Homeless Veterans, and a founder of the Coalition for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans. He was involved in the landmark case in the 1970s that recognized post-traumatic stress disorder as a war-related condition He was a member of the National Agent Orange Settlement Advisory Board (1984-1986), and he continues to serve on a variety of boards and task forces related to veterans and homelessness.
Leon Winston, Chief Operating Officer
Leon Winston is the Chief Operating Officer of Swords to Plowshares, where he has worked on the housing, treatment, and income support needs of homeless and marginally housed veterans since 1995. He has also served as interim Director of Metropolitan Community Foundation, a San Francisco faith-based organization that provides a variety of services to homeless and disadvantaged San Francisco adults and children.
He has presented on Veterans Supportive Housing nationwide, including before the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the Supportive Housing Leadership Forum, national conferences of Healthcare for the Homeless Council and the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, and before the California State Assembly Committee on Veterans Affairs. He has guest-lectured on subjects including the Etiology of Homelessness and the Unmet Needs of Combat Veterans.
Leon’s civic involvement has included appointment to the S.F. Mayor’s Ten Year Planning Council to End Chronic Homelessness, the California Governor’s 10 Year Planning Body to Significantly Reduce Chronic Homelessness, past co-chair of San Francisco’s Homeless Coordinating Board, past president of the Treasure Island Homeless Development Initiative, as well as appointments to the San Francisco Drug Abuse Advisory Board and Citywide Alcoholism Advisory Board. Leon possesses a Master of Nonprofit Administration and Bachelor of Public Administration degrees from the University of San Francisco, and Certification in Alcohol and Drug Abuse Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. Leon is an honorably discharged veteran of the U.S. Navy. Upon discharge from the Navy, Leon worked for 12 years in asset-based lending, followed by a number of years as an independent artist and small business owner.
John Beem, Chief Financial Officer
John Beem, who began his role as Director of Finance and Accounting in mid-February 2005, comes to Swords to Plowshares with more than a decade of experience in fiscal and administrative nonprofit management. Prior to Swords, John served as Director of Finance and Administration for Health Initiatives for Youth (HIFY). From 1994-2000 he served as Executive Director for MOVE (Men Overcoming Violence).Prior to 1994, John worked in the for-profit sector for Reynolds & Reynolds.
As a member of the senior management team at Swords, John is responsible for maintaining the fiscal health and well-being of the agency through prudent practices, sound recommendations, and effective oversight and communication.
John graduated with honors with a BA in Business and Economics from Macalester College and earned an MA in Social/Clinical Psychology from New College of California. He is a member of Omicron Delta Epsilon Honor Society in Economics.
Jennifer Stasch, Director of Resource Development and Communications
Jennifer Stasch joins Swords to Plowshares with several years of experience in leadership roles within nonprofit, government and civic organizations. She is the daughter, sister, granddaughter, and niece of a veteran, who is passionate about serving veterans in need. Prior to joining Swords to Plowshares, Jennifer served as the Director of Communications, Outreach and Development of Family Stress Center, a non-profit community based organization providing counseling and behavioral health services, social services, and parent education programs aimed at preventing and treating family violence. Previously she was the Planning Council Manager for Maricopa County Department of Public Health where she oversaw the planning and allocation of the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act Title I Grant in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Jennifer received her Juris Doctor in 2004 from the University of San Francisco with a Public Interest Law Certificate and her Masters in Public Health in 2003 from Loma Linda University in Southern California.
Teresa Panepinto, Director of Legal Services
Teresa Panepinto is the Legal Director of Swords to Plowshares, an organization that provides free legal assistance to veterans seeking VA benefits and military discharge reviews. She is an active member of the Military Law Task Force of the National Lawyers Guild, and served on its Steering Committee from 2004-2009. Prior to attending law school, Teresa spent four years coordinating the nation-wide GI Rights Hotline, a service that provides information to servicemembers on discharges, grievance and complaint procedures, and other civil rights issues. Teresa received her undergraduate degree from Willamette University and her law degree from UC Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law.
Dave Lopez, Director of Supportive Services
Dave Lopez is the Director of Supportive Services and oversees the Employment & Training Services Unit, Health and Social Services and the Legal Department. He is responsible for ensuring that the comprehensive services at Swords are integrated and meet the needs of veterans.
Prior to this position, Lopez served as the Director of Employment and Training, overseeing both the San Francisco and East Bay offices. In that role he was responsible for securing employment, training and stable housing opportunities for the homeless Veteran population of the San Francisco area in an effort to foster self-reliance and improve their quality of life. Dave has been with Swords to Plowshares for four years and previously held the position of Housing Operations Manager.
Dave is a native Southern Californian and has worked in the social services arena for the past eight years. Dave’s experience with at-risk populations include, transitional aged homeless youth in Hollywood, California, incarcerated youth inside the judicial systems of San Francisco and San Mateo Counties and dual-diagnosis treatment programs for adults in San Francisco.
While in Los Angeles, Dave was active in coordinating and implementing resources and services for the homeless youth population. Dave has worked with many coalition groups in the Bay area on re-entry programming for incarcerated youth. Dave is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Social Work.
Wanda Heffernon, Director of Residential Programs and Services
Wanda Heffernon has been working in the field of recovery and treatment for several years with specialized groups like chronically homeless veterans. She has been part of the Greater East Bay Community working with other specialized populations including Native Americans with Drug dependency and HIV/AIDS, women and women with children, re-entry Proposition 36 programs and private substance abuse agencies. Her educational background includes a Medical Degree and Substance abuse/recovery and she is a lecturer for Drug and Alcohol Curriculum and cultural sensitivity training. She has worked with Swords to Plowshares in the Clinical Coordinator Position and now as the Director of Residential Programs. Her interests include re-entry veterans, cultural sensitivity, motivational interviewing and spiritual wellness.
David Talerico, Director of Health and Social Services
David Talerico is U.S. Navy veteran and is the Director of Health and Social Services at Swords to Plowshares. He began working at Swords in 2005 as an intake coordinator assisting counselors and interacting one-on-one with homeless veterans seeking immediate help. In a short time he was promoted to Case Manager and then Senior Case Manager. Since assuming the position as Director in 2008, he has transformed and rebuilt the unit into a motivated, caring, dedicated and effective team. Today the Health and Social Services Department, which is entirely comprised of veterans, are deeply committed to doing whatever it takes to help a veteran in need.
David holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Cornell University, and studied Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Studies from Corning Community College. He is currently pursuing continued education courses in Effective Case Management and Human Services at San Francisco City College.
David is a native of Massachusetts and currently lives in San Francisco with his wife Cindy.
Bill Krueger, Director of Residential Operations
Bill Krueger is the Director of Residential Operations of Swords to Plowshares, where he oversees the Property and Facilities Management, as well as the Food Service Program; currently providing food and shelter to over one hundred seventy five vets at the Academy, Treasure Island & De Montfort housing sites. He began working for the agency as Operations Manager in 2007 prior to serving as a Director.
Bill grew up in Southern California and served in the Air Force in Wichita Kansas where he worked as an Electronic Technician and received an honorable discharge with the rank of Sergeant. Upon discharge he moved to Dallas Texas where he started and ran a successful Service Business for fourteen years that by the time of its sale in 2000 had grown into grossing over three million dollars per year and employing twenty five people.
After its sale he moved to San Francisco and completed a BA in Psychology from Argosy University San Francisco, with emphasis in Theology and Engineering. Prior to his tenure with Swords he worked for several prominent Property Management companies in the city as a Portfolio Manager with the responsibility for managing a multimillion dollar group of diverse assets including Multifamily, HOA Associations and Commercial assets.
Bill currently resides in San Francisco with his wife of ten years. Between them they have seven children and six grandchildren children. He remains active in the recovery and spiritual communities, which he has been involved with for over thirty years; mentoring teaching and sponsoring with a desire to see others become whole individuals.
Amy Fairweather, Director of Policy
Amy Fairweather is an attorney who prior to coming to Swords to Plowshares worked for the Trauma Foundation in San Francisco, CA conducting legislative and regulatory analysis regarding public health and consumer protection issues, including violence prevention, gun, tobacco and alcohol policy. She also prepared written materials and provided technical support to survivor advocates, legal and public health professionals and community-based organizations. Within the Trauma Foundation, Ms. Fairweather was the staff attorney for the Bell Campaign/Million Mom March where she assisted members of a nationwide chapter-based organization in all aspects of gun policy advocacy. She also advised the agency about corporate matters related to 501(c) (3), (c) (4) and 527 PAC advocacy.
Ms. Fairweather is currently the Iraq Veteran Project Director at Swords to Plowshares, a non-profit veterans’ rights organization providing counseling, legal, employment and supportive housing services. At Swords to Plowshares, Ms. Fairweather has conducted legal and public policy research regarding new veterans’ access to healthcare, legal and social services. In addition, she serves as the Director of the Coaltion for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans, a group comprised of more than 50 organizations nationwide.
Amy Fairweather received her Juris Doctor in 1999 from the Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, CA and was admitted to the State Bar of California, December 1999.
