Meet Our Advisory Group

Dr. Sumner brings decades of leadership and advocacy for the Veteran community. During his distinguished military career, he held Infantry and Aviation command positions worldwide, earning honors including the Bronze Star Medal (V), Purple Heart Medal, Air Medal, Army Master Aviator badge, Master Parachutist badge, and Ranger Tab. A member of the Santee Tribe and a member of the Senior Executive Service (Tier 3), Dr. Sumner served as National Director for the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), providing executive leadership to over 5,000 personnel. Dr. Sumner currently serves as a member of the Auburn University Graduate School Advisory Council, a Senior Fellow at George Mason University and a Scholar at Harvard’s Kennedy School. As Chair of the Veteran Advisory Board, Dr. Sumner will guide the project’s alignment with the diverse cultural and logistical needs of Veterans, provide strategic insights to enhance outreach and partner engagement, and draw on his extensive professional network to support the team’s outreach efforts.

Retired Gen. John R. Allen served as the 14th Commander, International Security Assistance Force – Afghanistan and United States Forces – Afghanistan from July 2011 to February 2013. Following commissioning, he attended The Basic School and was assigned to Second Battalion, 8th Marines, where he served as a platoon and rifle company commander. His next tour took him to Marine Barracks 8th and I, Washington, D.C., where he served at the Marine Corps Institute and as a ceremonial officer. General Allen then attended, and was the distinguished graduate of, the Postgraduate Intelligence Program of the Defense Intelligence College. He would serve subsequently as the Marine Corps Fellow to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He was the first Marine Corps officer inducted as a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Returning to the Fleet Marine Force in 1985, he commanded rifle and weapons companies and served as the operations officer of Third Battalion, 4th Marines. During this period he received the Leftwich Leadership Trophy. In 1988, General Allen reported to the Naval Academy where he taught in the political science department and also served as the jump officer and jump master of the Academy. In 1990, he received the William P. Clements Award as military instructor of the year. General Allen reported to The Basic School as the director of the Infantry Officer Course from 1990-1992 and was subsequently selected as a Commandant of the Marine Corps Fellow, serving as a special assistant on the staffs of the 30th commandant and the commanding general, Marine Corps Combat Development Command. In 1994, he served as division G-3 operations officer for the Second Marine Division and subsequently assumed command of Second Battalion, 4th Marines; re-designated as Second Battalion, 6th Marines. This unit served with Joint Task Force 160 in Operation Sea Signal during Caribbean contingency operations in 1994, and as part of the Landing Force of the 6th Fleet in Operation Joint Endeavor during Balkans contingency operations in 1995-1996.
Following battalion command, General Allen reported as the senior aide-de-camp to the 31st Commandant of the Marine Corps, ultimately serving as his military secretary. He commanded The Basic School from 1999 to 2001, when he was selected in April 2001 to return to the Naval Academy as the deputy commandant. General Allen became the 79th Commandant of Midshipmen in January 2002, the first Marine Corps officer to serve in this position at the Naval Academy. General Allen’s first tour as a general officer was as the principal director, Asian and Pacific Affairs, in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, a position he occupied for nearly three years. From 2006-2008, General Allen served as deputy commanding general, II Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), and commanding general, 2d Marine Expeditionary Brigade, deploying to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2006-2008, serving as the deputy commanding general of Multinational Force – West (MNF-W) and II MEF (Forward) in the Al Anbar Province. General Allen’s most recent tour as a general officer was as the deputy commander, U.S. Central Command, a position he held from July 2008 – June 2011. General Allen graduated with military honors from the Naval Academy with the class of 1976, receiving a bachelor of science degree in operations analysis. He is a 1998 distinguished graduate of the National War College. He holds a master of arts degree in national security studies from Georgetown University, a master of science degree in strategic intelligence from the Defense Intelligence College, and a master of science degree in national security strategy from the National War College. Personal decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, and the Legion of Merit with three Gold Stars in lieu of four awards. Foreign awards include the Mongolian Meritorious Service Medal, First Class; the Gold Medal of the Polish Armed Forces; and the Taiwan Order of the Resplendent Banner with Special Cravat.

James D. Byrum (Jay) joined the Army as a Nuclear Weapons Tech in 1988. Transferred to a CID Agent with the US Army Criminal Investigations Command in 1994. In Jan 2000 became a Warrant Officer. Retired as a CW4 in April 2016. Combat veteran, deployments include: 1st Gulf War, Kosovo, 3 tours to Afghanistan and one tour in Iraq. Area of expertise: Criminal Investigations includes numerous felony level investigations to include rape, murder, robbery, large scale thefts, terrorism and suicide. Currently employed by the US Army Criminal Investigations Command (as a civilian analyst) as the Insider Threat Liaison to the US Army’s Insider Threat Hub. Jay is very active with the military community in our local area, especially with the American Legion Post 176 in Springfield, VA.

Quana Wright, LTC, USA. Quana is the Senior Human Resources Manager at the United States Army Reserve with over 15 years of experience in leadership development, workforce planning, and operational readiness. Manages partnerships with over 350 employment partners to align industry needs with skilled military personnel, enhancing recruitment and retention efforts. She also works with those Soldiers who are separating from the military. As such, she is involved with the Army Reserve Soldier for Life program that also includes suicide prevention programs.

Mr. Todd A. Weiler is an experienced CEO and Government Executive with over 35 years of leadership experience. As a decorated combat veteran, Mr. Weiler recognizes the importance of personnel programs that support our Service Members and their families. He has championed transition assistance, wounded warrior, and a variety of PTSD support and suicide prevention programs as the Assistant Secretary of Defense, and in his role leading his current company, Blue Rose Consulting Group.
Mr. Weiler currently oversees a nation-wide network of trauma-informed clinicians assisting military and first responders with behavioral health services. He was involved in the early 2000’s with efforts to identify data markers linked to suicide, and his work continues today. Mr. Weiler resides in Northern Virginia with his husband and son.

Don is a self-appointed “Veterans Advocate” in rural Sierra County, CA. He provides direct support to many Veterans as he travels between many of the California towns to answer Veteran resource questions and connect them to VA services. He was recently in Oklahoma for his Annual Chickasaw Nation tribal meeting and festival.

Gary has been an Early Alert Subscriber for over a year through VA Iron Mountain in Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center (Iron Mountain) which serves 25 counties in Michigan and Wisconsin. He is an Army Veteran and also worked for a number of years in a crisis/suicide prevention call center as phone-worker and phone-worker resource worker for suicide prevention.

He has been a student subscriber to Early Alert through his medical school for 1.5 years. As someone who was skeptical of the Early Alert system, and who now enjoys the process, he believes this would help those who may not want to use it in the future change their perspective. He was active duty Army for 10 years as an enlisted flight paramedic and now on HPSP Army, going back on active after medical school. This unique perspective from NCO to Officer provides a broader understanding of how Early Alert can impact and influence service members and/or veterans.

Robert has been a student subscriber to Early Alert through his medical school for 1.5 years. As a medical student, he is familiar with relevant psychiatric issues, and has first-hand experience reacting to suicidal ideation in others. While on active duty, one of his friends attempted suicide. While actively dying, she reached out to him and he was able to get her to help. Unfortunately, after she was separated from the military due to these issues, she was successful in taking her life. This experience solidified his drive to better understand the warning signs and fiercely advocate for tools, programs, and other opportunities to prevent these kinds of stories. In addition to his studies, he shared that he loves hiking, SCUBA diving, and rock climbing. He also has an 8 year old daughter. He was HUMINT in the army and learned Chinese at DLI before being stationed in South Korea. Professional interests include mental health access and entheogenic medicine, interventions and practices to decrease/manage post operative cognitive dysfunction, restorative genetic techniques, and cellular immunotherapy.

Emily is originally from just outside of Boston and currently lives in San Diego, where her husband is stationed with the Navy. Since 2019, she has worked as a contractor for several federal agencies, primarily for VA and DoD. Some of her favorite work has involved leading the creative concept development for national outreach campaigns with the VA Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, VA Homeless Programs Office, and ChooseVA. Her desire to serve the military community began after my father’s best friend, Staff Sgt. Christopher Piper, was KIA in Afghanistan in 2005. She studied Peace Studies and Fine Arts at The George Washington University, followed by a Master’s in Education at BU while serving as a Teach For America corps member. She feels fortunate to have received a scholarship to return to GW for her Master’s in Public Health, and she is now pursuing her doctorate in Public Health at Claremont Graduate University