Chris Cadigan joined the Guardian Angels Advisory Council in 2016. Chris was paired with Super Service Dog “Gunny” in 2016 and “Brit” in 2020. Gunny and Chris became a common sighting in the halls and grounds of the Pentagon and around the Nation’s Capital in their daily duties and service to the Nation. Chris is an experienced leader with a demonstrated history of superior performance building and leading multidisciplinary teams through solving complex problems and implementing achievable solutions with multiple stakeholders in international environments. He is skilled in adaptive leadership, team building, communication, strategic planning and analysis, high stakes negotiations, operations and crisis management, organizational and culture change management. Chris is a strong technology and innovation professional and an accomplished Design Thinker and Red Team Facilitator. He has served as an author, speech writer, designer, implementer, board member and advised US and International government officials and leaders through solving difficult security challenges. Chris holds a Bachelor of Arts and is a Distinguished Military Graduate from Norwich University. He holds a Master of Military Arts and Sciences and is a graduate of the School of Advanced Military Studies. Chris is the father of two boys and when not hiking and traveling they can be found cooking, enjoying movies together and throwing slobbery balls for Brit.

Mary resides in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan where she has assisted Guardian Angels with many successful fund raisers as well as spreading the good word of our work. Mary is a member of the Grosse Pointe War Memorial Board of Directors, Vice President of DC3S which is dedicated to providing event/meeting space as well as leased space to various defense related companies and is also Vice President of Family Programs for the Association of United States Army. Mary comes to us with great success in her leadership and business savvy as well as her undying commitment to our Veterans.

Don Accamando, Lt. Col. USAF, retired, is the Director of the Office for Military and Veteran Students at Duquesne University. Don brings 28 years of military and academic leadership experience to the position. While serving the nation in the Air Force and Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Don has flown over 4,500 hours on the KC-135 refueling tanker serving as an instructor and evaluator navigator. He is a veteran of Desert Storm, Allied Force and the nation’s Overseas Contingency Operations. Don also served in a variety of leadership capacities as a Maintenance Officer and as the Logistics Squadron Commander. He ended his career assigned to the Wing Headquarters where he served as a Staff Officer. In addition to his military service, Don has worked in education as a teacher and principal. He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Pittsburgh, both in Education. He also earned his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Duquesne University in 2017. His thesis focuses on the Transitional needs of Military and Veteran Students. Don is responsible for the social, financial and academic needs of the military and veteran student population at Duquesne University, and serves as the representative for military issues across the University. There are approximately 220 veterans, dependents and spouses attending Duquesne University, some completing their undergraduate and graduate degree programs online in over 30 states as well several countries where servicemembers are stationed or deployed. Don serves as the Staff representative for the Duquesne University Student Veterans Association and the ROTC sponsored, Annual Run for Ryan Lane Memorial 5K Run. He currently serves as a Board Member for the Military Affairs Council, and as an Advisory Board member with Pittsburgh Hires Veterans. He is also an active member of Life Changing Service Dogs for Veterans.

I was raised in MA prior to going into the military. I entered the US Army at 17 years old. I did a stint with the 10th SF at Fort Devens, MA, then on to Korea. I had numerous assignments both stateside and overseas. I retired from active duty in Sept 1985. I attended Bridgewater State Collage as a much older adult and became the Veterans adviser to MA Public Welfare. I worked for the USDA-NRCS in Alabama and USDA-Rural Development as the inspector for both VT and NH before retiring in 2004. I was heavily involved in charity work in Vermont by starting a charity in the local hospital raising funds for people in the last stages of life to make their “Last Mile” as comfortable as possible. The second charity I began was “Vermont Thunder”. This charity raised funds to help Veterans and Families of Veterans in time of need. Both charities are still operating thanks to those who stepped forward to continue the operations. Later in life, my health started to fail. In March of 2018 I was matched with a Medical Service Dog, Harry from GAMSD. Harry changed my life from the day we were matched. Because of Harry and GAMSD I relocated to Williston, Florida in September 2019. Williston has become our home where we can enjoy a laid back lifestyle and enjoy retirement.

BufferSprings founder and CEO, Rob Arndt is a 14-year Veteran of the United States Marine Corps, with 8 of those years focused on armed forces Recruitment & Retention. Since transitioning from military service, Rob has spent the past decade working consultatively with Fortune 500 companies, federal agencies, government contractors and educational institutions to build effective military veteran and diversity recruitment and compliance initiatives. Rob and the BufferSprings team leverage a vast array of insider connections, cutting edge HR technology, and expansive online communities to build talent acquisition solutions that provide immediate and ongoing results for smart companies.

After 32 years of active duty service to his country in which he received 2 awards for valor, 5 Bronze Star medals, 2 Purple Hearts, led ten deployments, and survived both a bomb blast, numerous fire fights, and a helicopter crash, General Donald C. Bolduc, former Commander, Special Operations Command Africa, is hanging up his fatigues to take on perhaps his most important and challenging mission of advocating for the treatment and shedding the stigma of PTSD and mental health problems, both from within the US military as well as the general public. The general started his career as Private Bolduc on June 29, 1981, exactly 36 years before his final change of command. After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, then-Major Bolduc led one of the first groups into Afghanistan, riding on horseback to take control of the southern Afghanistan region from Taliban rule. One of the few survivors of a 2,000-pound bomb that was inadvertently targeted on their own position by friendly fire in December 2001, Bolduc refused to leave the battlefield and continued to take on his next objective. He was later awarded his first of several combat valor awards and a Purple Heart for his injuries. From 2011 through 2012 as Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force commander, he was credited with the creation of the “Village Stability Operations” concept, a bottom-up stability effort in rural areas and villages in Afghanistan which undermined insurgent influence and control by the Taliban and ensured the stabilization of large areas of the war-torn country through Afghan Local Police. In his role as Brigadier General, Bolduc was responsible for the full spectrum of Special Operations activities across the African continent and the more than 1,500 U.S. military, interagency and international military personnel operating in 28 countries throughout Africa and Europe. SOCAFRICA is designated as U.S. Africa Command’s lead counter-Violent Extremist Organizations (VEO) operations component. Prior to this, he served on the Joint Staff in the Office of Secretary of Defense and as the Aide to the Secretary of the Army at the Pentagon. His other awards and decorations include the Defense Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal with Valor Device, Army Commendation Medal with Valor Device, numerous foreign awards, Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Infantryman Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, Special Forces Tab, and Ranger Tab. Beyond his various positions and awards, nothing brings more meaning to Bolduc’s service than his latest mission to combat the stigmas around post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As one of the few military officers, and, at the time, the only active duty general officer on record, to openly discuss his own struggles with PTS, Bolduc has used his leadership position to change the conversation to one of understanding and acceptance through his own experiences. Dubbed “Captain America” and “Everyone’s General” by his fellow officers and soldiers, Bolduc always put country first, and now looks to continue his service off the battlefield sharing his leadership mantra of “Mission, People, Family” and his personal experiences with mental health to educate others. He has been married to Sharon M. Bolduc for 29 years and they have three sons Joshua, Zachary, and Matthew, as well as, three grandchildren Little “J “, Hadley and Hannah.

Josh is a 2007 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Government and served as an Active Duty Coast Guard Officer for six years before transitioning to the Coast Guard Reserve in 2013.  While on Active Duty, he was a Deck Watch Officer and Administrative Department Head on the CGC DILIGENCE in Wilmington, NC, the Executive Officer of CGC MAUI in Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain, and the Commanding Officer of CGC KINGFISHER in Jacksonville, FL.  He also served as a Command Duty Officer at Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads, Virginia.  He received his Juris Doctor from Liberty University School of Law in 2016 and currently serves as a Trust Advisor for Truist Wealth and a Reserve JAG Officer for the Coast Guard Legal Service Command in Norfolk, VA.  Josh and his wife Lindsay live in Naples, FL, with their three children and enjoy time at the beach, family movie nights, and traveling.

Highly organized, tireless, and reliable professional with several years of administrative experience in different capacities Analytical worker who demonstrates a high level of accuracy and attention to detail while using strong prioritization and time management skills to meet strict deadlines. Track record of working independently and collaborating as a team-player in high-pressure, fast-paced academia settings to provide a high-quality service. Proven ability to communicate effectively with individuals of diverse backgrounds, cultures, and personalities. Loyalty, Honesty (Integrity), Problem-Solving, Communication (verbal, written), Technical competency, Flexibility

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