ADVISORY BOARD

---

Major General Donna Barbisch, US Army, Retired is currently the CEO of the American College of National Security Leaders and a local elected official in the District of Columbia. A veteran of the Vietnam War, she rose through the ranks and specialized in anti-terrorism assistance and mitigating the impact of war and the use of Weapons of Mass Destruction.  She led the charge in pandemic preparedness and developed models for crisis leadership.  She worked with domestic and international military and civilian governments, as well as private organization to train and prepare for catastrophic disasters.

The Honorable James M. Byrne currently serves as an independent consultant, senior advisor and independent corporate board member. He was appointed and later confirmed as the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs on August 28, 2018. He retired from federal service on February 3, 2020. As the Deputy Secretary, he led modernization initiatives and worked closely with the Secretary as the chief operating officer leading operations of the federal government’s second-largest Cabinet department, with some 385,000 employees in VA medical centers, clinics, benefits offices, national cemeteries, and other facilities throughout the country. Previously, Mr. Byrne served as VA’s General Counsel, leading VA’s nationwide team of nearly 800 attorneys, paralegals, and staff. Soon after the invasion of Iraq in 2003, Mr. Byrne was recalled to active duty for 18 months with the U.S. Marine Corps in support of the Global War on Terrorism. Lieutenant Colonel James Byrne was assigned as the Officer-in-charge of the Marine Liaison Office at the then-National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Mr. Byrne has over 25 years of experience in the public sector, including service as a forward deployed Marine Corps Infantry Officer and a U.S. Department of Justice international narcotics prosecutor. Mr. Byrne’s professional honors include The Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator’s Award for Exceptional Service, the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Global War on Terrorism and the Meritorious Service Medal. Volunteering in his community, Mr. Byrne has extensive experience on several non-profit and advisory boards. Mr. Byrne is a Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, where he received an engineering degree and, ultimately, held the top leadership position of Brigade Commander. 

Todd Flournoy runs The Flournoy Group, a Washington D.C. and Los Angeles based advocacy and public policy oriented communications practice operating primarily at the nexus of Hollywood and Washington, D.C. The consultancy utilizes its deep experience and relationships in both communities to strategically advance public policy issues for maximum social impact. Todd has been at the forefront of creative community and entertainment industry policy and advocacy for twenty years including serving as SAG-AFTRA’s sole federal lobbyist in Washington D.C. for eight years and a government affairs executive at the MPAA. Beyond advocacy efforts, Todd has also engaged in creative community social impact efforts where he has recently spearheaded major initiatives on mental health, veteran support and financial equity. Prior to the private sector, Todd served in the Clinton Administration as Chief of Staff of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs and as Counselor to the Deputy Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service at the U.S. Department of Justice. He had previously worked on the staff of Senator Kennedy’s Labor and Human Resources Committee. Flournoy, a native of Richmond, Virginia, holds both a B.A. and J.D. from the University of Virginia and is admitted to practice law in Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Victor Hurtado has over twenty-five years of experience across the performance spectrum. Currently Media and Live Events Branch Chief at the Office of the Secretary of the Army at the Department of Defense Victor oversees all performance and musical events for every military service branch achieving the Civilian Medal for Excellence in September, 2018. He is also Executive Producer/Artistic Director for the American Military Spouses Choir/Universal Music and Music Director/Producer/Composer/Founder of 4Troops/Sony Music Group. For years he also served as Chief Creative Officer for The Center for American Military Music Opportunities as well as Producer of the historic and critically acclaimed “Blueprint Specials” written by the playwright Frank Loesser and performed on the USS Intrepid. Among his many other achievements was his multi year stint as Artistic Director of the Army Soldier Show where he was responsible for developing and implementing the artistic vision of the show as well as being responsible for the staff of all production teams. 

Alan Kaye started his career in the Sports & Entertainment marketing industries, meeting & working with both current and retired athletes & entertainers such as Derek Jeter, David Wright, Reggie Jackson, Hank Aaron, and many, many more. He orchestrated and/or participated in well over 500+ autograph signings, charitable events and corporate appearances, managed over 350 auctions for charities of all sizes and raised more than $15,000,000 in the past decade. Charitable organizations he has successfully raised significant contributions for include: CCFA, LLS Westchester, National MS Society, Save the Children, Make A Wish, The Barth Syndrome Foundation, National Breast Cancer Association, Children’s Village of Westchester,  The Pediatric Hematology foundation of NY Cornell/Pres and many veterans organizations. Together with Layne Frank, during the COVID pandemic, he started V5O, a virtual community of people from all over the globe who meet weekly to support each other through philanthropy. 

Diego has over 17 years of military service with combat tours to Iraq & Afghanistan and advisor missions in Central & South America. He currently serves in the Marine Corps Reserves in infantry operations and as military advisor. His civilian experience includes 10 years of nonprofit leadership, specializing in organizational management and public affairs. Diego holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and certificates in Business Management and Nonprofit Leadership. In addition to Behind The Lines, he volunteers his time with the American Red Cross and local VA Medical Center.

Bonnie Nelson Schwartz is an international producer of theatre, television, and concerts. with more than 100 plays, films, television programs and concerts in Washington, DC, New York, London, and South Africa to her credit. She is the creator of the Helen Hayes Awards and OneWomanOneVote, 2019 Campaign. She also produced experiential documentary Traveling While Black, the precursor to the film, The Green Book. She is currently Executive producing the Global Climate Uprising Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland.