Project Leaders
Mark Bauckman
San Diego
Mark holds a B.A. (Summa Cum Laude) in Economics from University of Maryland, and an MBA from University of San Diego. He currently resides in San Diego with his wife Janie, Fitness Director at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, and their two sons Tim and Kevin.
Mark Bauckman is a retired U.S. Navy Surface Warfare Officer who earned his commission from Officer Candidate School in 1980. His initial tour of duty was aboard USS Rathburne (FF-1052) where he served as B Division Officer, Gunnery-Missiles Officer and Combat Information Center Officer. Subsequently, he served as Damage Control Assistant aboard USS Ramsey (FFG-2) before requesting his release from active duty in 1985. After affiliating with the Naval Reserve in 1985, he served as a Naval Gunfire Liaison Officer with the 3RD Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, and held numerous billets within the Naval Coastal Warfare community.
As Director of Sales, Strategic & Government Accounts, at Qualcomm within the Qualcomm Enterprise Services (QES) business unit, Mark is directly responsible for many of Qualcomm's largest strategic accounts in the transportation and logistics area.
Email Mark to get involved in San Diego.
Mahmoud Miri 
San Antonio
Mahmoud has been awarded a full-time Mission Continues Fellowship to continue his service by working with the San Antonio chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Through his service work, Mahmoud will assist the vicitm/support center of MADD. While deployed in support of OIF, Mahmoud sustained non-combat injuries in the line of duty. Mahmoud currently works in the San Antonio offices of The Mission Continues. He will be using his contacts in the San Antonio veteran community to lead our service project this Veterans Day.
Email Mahmoud to get involved in San Antonio.
Dan Casara
Chicago
Dan spent nearly 15 years in the military serving with the Army and the Air Force. As a non-commissioned officer in Iraq, Dan was injured on September 25, 2005 by an anti-tank mine which killed 2 of his fellow soldiers. Dan suffered bilateral compound fractures of both legs, shattered both ankles and both feet and dislocated his right hip when his tank struck an anti-tank mine. He has thus been awarded a Mission Continues Fellowship to continue his service through working with Wounded Heroes Foundation's SALUTE program and to build and expand The Mission Continues in the Chicago area. Through his service work, Dan will help to promote The Mission Continues in Chicago and serve in his role as an advisory board member of SALUTE. Dan will lead our Veterans Day movement of service in Chicago as well.
Email Dan to get involved in Chicago.
Marc Wolf
Philadelphia
Marc Wolf was raised in Beaumont, Texas and is a 2001 graduate of Texas A&M University where he earned his BBA in International Business and Finance while concurrently enrolled as a member of the Corps of Cadets and the Fighting Texas Aggie Band.
Marc attended Naval Officers Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida before attending the Navy and Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia as a Naval Intelligence Officer. His military experiences span the Western Pacific to Southwest Asia as an Anti-Submarine Warfare Intelligence Officer attached to CTF 57/72, responsible for all Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Intelligence requirements in both the 5th and 7th Fleets. He was also Senior Operational Intelligence Officer attached to SEAL Team TWO, making deployments to both Afghanistan and Iraq.
In 2006, after 4 years on active duty, Marc joined the Naval Reserves as well as the audit team of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in New York. In 2007, he left PwC to pursue an MBA at Washington University's Olin Business School in St. Louis, Missouri.
Marc first became involved with The Mission Continues as a student host in 2009 when Eric Greitens guest lectured at the Olin Business School. Marc has since helped with various fundraising and awareness events for The Mission Continues. After graduating with his MBA in May 2009, Marc is happy to have returned to New York City where he serves as the Veterans Outreach Coordinator for the state of New York.
Email Marc to get involved in Philadelphia .
Anne Bacher
Pittsburgh
Anne Bacher holds a BA in Romance Languages and Literatures from the University of Chicago, a Master of Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University (NYSSILR), and an Executive MBA from Anna Maria College in Paxton, MA. She has extensive experiences in business and community organizational development and change momentum and is currently serving as an Executive Assistant and Office Manager in the Pittsburgh area.
Anne's husband, John, served three tours in Vietnam (United States Air Force) and is a 100% disabled veteran. Anne's service with The Mission Continues honors his service and that of all veterans of wars and conflicts in which the U.S. Military has been involved.
In September, 2002, Anne and John moved from the Boston area to Fresno, CA. Through continuing active involvement in John's care, Anne became acquainted with the Fresno VA Medical Center, the Fresno Vets Center, and a number of VA medical facilities in the Bay area. She completed the genealogical research necessary to join the Daughters of the American Revolution in 2008 and was active in the many veteran-related DAR programs carried on by the Fresno-Yosemite chapter. In January, 2009, she learned about The Mission Continues from co-workers who had heard Eric Greitens speak on leadership at a national Human Resources conference. Her employer agreed to contribute seed money to start a presence for The Mission Continues in the Central Valley of California. As Regional Outreach Coordinator for the startup year of the Central CA team, Anne was responsible for coordinating all aspects of local organization and implementation of The Mission Continues programs in Central California. Immediate and significant growth of interest in The Mission Continues in that region continues unabated.
Anne's March 2010 move to the Pittsburgh area allows The Mission Continues message - citizen leadership and continuing service to communities by our returning combat veterans - to reach a new region.
Email Anne to get involved in Pittsburgh .
Armando Velasquez-Kuppinger
Virginia Beach
Major Armando Velasquez-Kuppinger is a logistics officer currently stationed at Fort Eustis in Virginia. He has demonstrated an unfaltering commitment to public service and The Mission Continues. Armando organized two events in Baghdad, Iraq, including a football scrimmage and a four-mile run. More than 300 people ran in the event, and 30 others volunteered. This year, during The Mission Continues National Volunteer Week, Armando gathered veteran and civilian volunteers in Washington, DC to make over 100 meals for a homeless shelter. Armando recevied the Director's Service Award for that project.
Email Armando to get involved in Virginia.
John Roy
Tampa 
John Roy is a graduate of the University of Florida, where he received a BA in English. After graduation, he was commissioned as an officer in the US Navy via the Navy ROTC program.
John has over 20 yeras of combined active and reserve military service in the Navy. His enlisted active assignments include duty ha a nuclear trained mechanical operator onboard the fast attach submarine USS DACE (SSN 607), and as a staff insturctor at the naval nuclear reactor facilities in upstate NY. Upon commissioning, John atteneded Surface Warfare Officer and Gas Turbine Engineering schools in Newport, RI, and was subsequently assigned as the Main Propulsion Assistant onboard the USS HAYLER (DD997). His final two tours on active duty included Navigator of the USS VICKSBURG(CG69) and NROTC instructor aat the University of Florida, where he taught management, leadership, ethics, and navigation.
Following active duty, John was assigned to several reserve commands. In November 2001, in the wake of the September 11th attacks, John was recalled to active duty where he served with a Naval Coastal Warfare Unit as the Antiterrorism and Force Protection Officer. His unit was forward deployed providing force protection for US ships in foreign ports, as well as working with foreign navies on force protection initiatives.
Since departing active duty, John has worked in the field of Human Resources with several Fortune 500 companies. He is currently a human resources executive with Harris Corporation, where he is responsible for implementing human resource strategy for more than 5,000 employees.
In addition to his degree from UF, John completed executive development programs at the Naval War College, Babson College, and the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business.
John currently resides in Central Florida with his wife Teresa and their three children.
Email John to get involved in Tampa.
Alex Borisov
Washington, DC 
Alexander Borisov was raised in Saint Louis, Missouri and attended Saint Louis University (SLU) while studying biomedical engineering. His time at SLU led him to intern as an Apple Higher Education Marketing Representative while also taking on the role as the music director for the all-youth Lewis and Clark Fife and Drum Corps of Saint Charles, Missouri.
In December of 2006, Alex auditioned with The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, one of the Army's four premier musical organizations, and was accepted as an instrumentalist. After receiving his acceptance, Alex enlisted in the Army in August of 2007 and attended Army Basic Combat Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina as part of the 1-61 Infantry Regiment. Upon completion of training, he reported to Fort Myer, Virginia where he currently holds the rank of Staff Sergeant with the 3rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Battalion, "The Old Guard," Fife and Drum Corps on active duty. Alex also serves as a public affairs NCO for The Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, responsible for marketing and public relations for the unit. Alex is currently attending American University in Washington D.C. studying marketing and economics in the pursuit of a joint MS/MA.
Alex resides in Northern Virginia and joined The Mission Continues in 2009 as a Veterans Outreach Coordinator for the Greater Washington, D.C. area.
Email Alex to get involved in Washington, DC.
John Torres
Los Angeles
John is a native of Stolkholm, California where he attended local schools. He graduated from St. Mary's High School in 1978 and from San Joaquin Delta College in 1980. John earned his Bacherlors and Masters Degrees in Criminal Justice from California State University Sacramento and immediately accepted a position as a Special Agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. In 1990, John was promoted to the position of Resident Agent in Charge in Arizona. In 1996 he was again promoted to Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Los Angeles ATF office, and in 2000 became Special Agent in Charge of the San Francisco Field Division. Mr. Torres is now the SES Special Agent in Charge of the Los Angeles Field Division.
John stays active in the community by coaching youth sports, most notably youth football. He also coaches Little League baseball and referees basketball for recreational youth leagues. John became active with the Mission Continues as a Outreach Coordinator for the LA area and is now coordinating the Mission Continues Veterans Day Service Project in LA.
Email John to get involved in Los Angeles.
Nathan Hilfiker
Minneapolis
Nathan Hilfiker, Minneapolis MN, graduated from the University of Minnesota—Morris in 2006 where he earned a B.A. in Political Science. After graduation he volunteered to serve in the Peace Corps on the island nation of Dominica. While in Dominica he served as a Community Services volunteer working with local agencies build a stronger network of groups to pool the limited recourses available to such a small country. When his service was done in 2008 he came back to Minnesota to work on a local campaign of an Iraq War veteran.
Nathan has always had an interest in volunteer activities since he served on his cities youth board through college where he served as the link between students and the schools administration. This interest in volunteerism and public service is why he got involved with the Mission Continues, “no matter how you feel about the wars that the U.S. is involved in we all must treat the people that serve and protect us with the upmost respect.”
Email Nathan to get involved in Minneapolis.
Karen Heise
St. Louis
Karen has been with Washington University in St. Louis in the Olin Business School for eight years where she has served in a variety of roles. She currently is a member of Olin’s Weston Career Center serving as an Account Manager in the Employer Relations team. Aligned with specific industries, she partners with firms in healthcare, technology services, consulting, accounting and media to design, develop and implement recruiting strategies to serve their talent and hiring needs. She also is responsible for Olin’s Alumni Strategic Initiatives which proactively and strategically involves alumni in employer relations and student professional development at the Olin Business School. She recently led the redesign and launch of graduate career education, and has participated in a variety of task forces with MBA CSC and the Olin Business School on topics including critical thinking and sustainability.
Prior to Washington University, Karen spent nearly 20 years in consulting firms including Ernst & Young, Capgemini and Towers Perrin where she held leadership roles supporting local, regional and national university and experienced-hire recruiting. Karen is a member of MBA Career Services Council and the Society of Human Resources Management. She is an active member volunteer with The Mission Continues, and Karen will serve as our Project Leader for the St. Louis Veterans Day. She serves on the District #85 School Board with her local community and is a member of the District Leadership Team. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Education from Eastern Illinois University.
Email Karen to get involved in St. Louis.
Julie Blinbaum
Philadelphia
Patric Pepe
Tampa
