We Are Avalon

About Avalon

With our Avalon Alliance Partners, we provide life-changing training and treatment programs to our nation’s veterans and first responders who suffer from co-occurring symptoms related to traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress (PTS), and substance abuse (SA).

We are focused on changing our healthcare system by eliminating barriers, including financial and geographical obstacles.

Moving forward together.

It’s an urgent tragedy that so many of our nation’s defenders are battling invisible wounds without proper care. We’re driving hard to bring them transformational treatments and training befitting their service, strength, and lifelong potential.

Bernie Marcus

Philanthropist & Co-founder of The Home Depot

Our Legacy Supporters

Bernie Marcus’ Passion for Veterans

Arthur M. Blank on the Importance of Avalon

Marcus Institute for Brain Health with Gary Sinise

Our Board

Stephen Cannon

Chief Executive Officer

Harbinger Sports Partners

Scott A. Beaumont

Avalon Board Member

Dr. Mark T. Esper

27th Secretary of Defense

Florent Groberg

Managing Director

AEI Strategy and Optimization Group

Kurt Mayrand

Avalon Board Member

Kate Shattuck

Managing Partner

Korn Ferry

Howard Sysler

Avalon Board Member

Thomas V. Taylor

Chief Executive Officer

Floor & Decor

The Honorable John K. Tien

8th Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Our Team

Joe Brennan

Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Rusty Gore

Chief Medical Officer

Greg Frey

Vice President Strategic Engagement & Partnership

Randy Goodman

Vice President Billing & Reimbursement Strategy

Andrea Rivera

Chief of Staff

Kelley Letellier

Director of Operations

Michael Montini

Development Director

Sandy Phillips

Director, Creative & Brand Strategy

Anna Mendenhall

Development Specialist

Irene Pennington

Intake Coordinator

Dr. Mark T. Esper

Dr. Mark T. Esper was born on April 26, 1964, in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. He is a 1986 graduate of the United States Military Academy and received his commission in the Infantry. Upon completion of Ranger and Pathfinder training, he served in the 101st Airborne Division and participated in the 1990-91 Gulf War with the “Screaming Eagles.” He later commanded a Rifle Company in the 3-325 Airborne Battalion Combat Team in Vicenza, Italy. He retired from the U.S. Army in 2007 after spending 10 years on active duty and 11 years in the National Guard and Army Reserve.

After leaving active duty, he served as Chief of Staff at The Heritage Foundation think tank, followed by service as legislative director and senior policy advisor to former Senator Chuck Hagel. He was a senior professional staff member on the Senate Foreign Relations and Senate Government Affairs committees, policy director for the House Armed Services Committee, and national security advisor for former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. During the President George W. Bush administration, he served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Negotiations Policy at the Pentagon.

From 2006-2007, Dr. Esper was the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of Defense and International Affairs at Aerospace Industries Association. He was the national policy director to Senator Fred Thompson for his 2008 presidential campaign and was a Senate-appointed commissioner on the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Dr. Esper later served concurrently as the Executive Vice President for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Intellectual Property Center and as Vice President for Europe and Eurasian Affairs from 2008-2010. Before being nominated as the Secretary of the Army in 2017, Dr. Esper was the Vice President for Government Relations at the Raytheon Company.

Dr. Esper is a recipient of the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service. Among his many military awards and decorations are the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, the Kuwait Liberation Medal, Kuwait Liberation Medal-Saudi Arabia, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.

Dr. Esper holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, and a doctorate in Public Policy from George Washington University. Dr. Esper and his wife, Leah, have been married for 30 years and have 3 adult children. The Honorable Mark T. Esper was sworn in as the 27th Secretary of Defense on July 23, 2019, and served in that capacity until Nov. 9, 2020. He previously served as Acting Secretary of Defense from June 24, 2019, to July 15, 2019. Dr. Esper served as the Secretary of the Army from Nov. 20, 2017, to June 24, 2019, and from July 15, 2019, to July 23, 2019.

Florent “Flo” Groberg

Florent (Flo) Groberg is a Managing Director at AE Industrial within the firm’s Portfolio Strategy and Optimization Group. Before joining AE Industrial, he previously led multidisciplinary teams at Microsoft, Boeing, LinkedIn, and the Department of Defense, where he served as a special advisor for strategic defense projects and provided expertise to defense policymakers and military planners.

In his current role at AEI, Flo will assist in maximizing the value of all AEI portfolio companies. As leader within the AEI PSO Group, Flo will serve as a resource to each company to help strengthen their strategic planning processes, leverage the firm’s industry relationships to accelerate growth, improve quality and productivity, and foster a strong culture of safety, performance, learning, and people development. He leverages his robust experiences in streamlining management systems and operating rhythms to not only maximize efficiency and productivity but inspire a healthy workplace culture of innovation and experimentation.

Prior to joining Microsoft, Groberg was a deputy vice president at Boeing, where he led business operations for all of Boeing’s commercial airplanes and services sales in the region. In that capacity, he facilitated internal partnerships to maximize the use of digital and analytic tools to reinforce positive behaviors and inspire cultural change across the organization.

Groberg also has extensive experience as a spokesperson for both corporations and social impact organizations. Prior to his leadership role at Boeing, he was the
official spokesperson for LinkedIn and was responsible for the promotion of the development and promotion of the organization’s veterans program. The tailored job search tool for transitioning veterans has helped over 4 million veterans on their journey in the civilian workforce.

Whether it is briefing board members, government officials, or members of the public, Groberg’s dedication to excellence and public service was forged during his military service. In 2008, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. After completing officer training and both U.S. Army Airborne and U.S. Army Ranger Schools, he rose to the rank of captain. Groberg is a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the United States’ highest military honor, for his extraordinary gallantry, intrepidity and heroism while serving in combat operations in Afghanistan in 2012.

Groberg currently serves as a commissioner to the American Battle Monuments Commission and holds a master’s degree in management from the University of Maryland University College in College Park, MD.

Kate Shattuck

Kate Shattuck is a Managing Partner at Korn Ferry, the world’s premier talent and organizational consulting firm. She leads Korn Ferry’s Pennsylvania Region and serves as the Global Co-Leader of the Impact Investing, ESG & Sustainability practice. She is a core member of Korn Ferry’s Global Financial Markets with expertise in building and developing effective leadership teams at the C-suite, board and senior executive levels.

Ms. Shattuck serves as Managing Partner, leading the team across Pennsylvania, including Korn Ferry’s “Keystone” businesses of Executive & Professional Search, Advisory, Pay and Digital. She is known as an expert communicator and motivator. As an executive search leader, her expertise includes Consumer & Commercial Banking, Asset Management and Family Offices. She works closely with the firm’s Chief Financial Officers, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Board Practices.

Her experience spans the financial services, nonprofit, and defense sectors. Prior to entering the talent management profession, Ms. Shattuck worked as an executive in the financial services industry. She led a nationally recognized nonprofit organization as the foundation’s Chief Operations Officer and corporate Senior Vice President. Ms. Shattuck led the executive management of this Corporate Social Responsibility division working to meet the unmet financial needs of active duty, veterans and their families. She oversaw micro-lending programs, public-private partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs, financial education, direct grant giving and fund raising. Previously, Ms. Shattuck served in business development roles at Morgan Creek Capital Management and Morgan Stanley, two global financial services organizations. Ms. Shattuck is a U.S. Army veteran, with platoon leader, aide-de-camp and company command service in Kuwait, Bosnia and South Korea.

Ms. Shattuck serves as a Director for Citizen & Northern Bank (NASDAQ: CZNC) and Board Member of Robert Packer Hospital. She serves on the Women’s Advisory Council and Nominating Committee for the Girl Scouts of the National Capital Region and the Boy Scouts of America as a Pack Leader. She served West Point as a volunteer for over fifteen years, culminating in service as a Director for the West Point Association of Graduates, with leadership roles including serving as Chair, Ethics Committee and Vice-Chair, Finance Committee.

She holds a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard Business School and a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. She earned a bachelor of science degree from The United States Military Academy at West Point. Ms. Shattuck’s husband, Tony, is a Navy veteran with service in the Marine Corps Special Operations (MARSOC Marine Raiders). Long residents of the Washington, DC region, she and her family joyfully moved “back home” in the pandemic. They reside in Bradford County, Pennsylvania.

The Honorable John K. Tien

The Honorable John K. Tien is the former U.S. Senate confirmed Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the third largest U.S. Federal Government Cabinet department with over 260,000 people. From June 2021 to July 2023, he served as the second highest-ranking official in the Department and as the Chief Operating Officer (COO), overseeing a budget of $105 billion and facilities in all fifty U.S. States and all territories as well as more than 3,000 personnel stationed overseas in more than 75 countries. Alongside the Secretary of Homeland Security, Deputy Secretary Tien led the policy development, operational oversight, and risk management of the Department’s statutory mission areas, including cybersecurity; supply chain optimization; free and fair trade; air, rail, and maritime security; protection of America’s critical physical and cyber infrastructure; disaster preparedness and recovery; border security; citizenship and immigration services; protection of senior officials and safeguarding the U.S. financial system; and counter-narcotics production and trafficking. Upon Deputy Secretary Tien’s retirement from DHS in July 2023, DHS awarded him the Distinguished Service Medal, the highest civilian award given by the Secretary of Homeland Security. Similarly, the United States Coast Guard awarded him their highest civilian honor: the USCG Distinguished Public Service Medal.

From 2011 to 2021, Mr. Tien was a Managing Director at Citigroup, where he served in numerous senior Chief Operating Officer-type roles, including being the head of business and process re-engineering transformation for the entire U.S. Consumer Bank. Prior roles include Citi Retail Services COO and Chief Technology Officer for the Macy’s credit card portfolio. He oversaw all counter-fraud, credit, payments, and customer service operations, supporting over 20 million customers. At Citi, he was also the Chief Administrative Officer for Citi’s Global Consumer Operations and Technology organization, overseeing regulatory training for more than 80,000 employees.

During his decade in the private sector and as a retired U.S. Army Colonel, Mr. Tien was also a national leader in the U.S. military veteran’s community. Notably, he was the national co-chair of Citigroup’s military veterans and family initiative and business resource group, Citi Salutes. He also served as the Board Chair for five years at The Mission Continues, a national veterans non-profit organization focused on empowering veterans to continue their mission as community leaders. His other veterans board and leadership council service included the Bob Woodruff Foundation, the Howard and Sheri Schultz Family Foundation, The Warrior Alliance, and VETLANTA. During his 24-year active-duty Army career, he deployed for three combat tours, including being the Task Force 2-37 Armor battalion commander in Iraq, where he led more than 1,100 troops and individually, was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Combat Action Badge. His combat unit awards include the Presidential Unit Citation and the Valorous Unit Award.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from West Point, where he was the first-ever Asian American to hold the position of First Captain as the top-ranked military cadet. He holds an Oxford Master of Arts in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He also served as a National Security Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School. He and his wife, Tracy, live in the Atlanta area where Tracy, a former elementary, middle, and high school teacher, volunteers as an educational docent at The High Museum of Art. Tien is also now a founding board member of the Avalon Action Alliance, which is focused on nationally scaling proven healthcare programs to help heal veterans and first responders who struggle with depression, PTSD, and/or traumatic brain injury.