Board of Directors

Pentagon Memorial Fund Board of Directors

Sean Connaughton, Board Chair & President

Sean T. Connaughton has served as President and CEO of the Richmond-based Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association since 2014. Prior to this position, he served as Virginia’s Transportation Secretary from 2010-2014 in the Cabinet of Governor Robert F. McDonnell.

Connaughton served in a Presidentially-appointed, U.S. Senate-confirmed position as Administrator of the United States Maritime Administration from 2006-2009, and was Corporate Vice President of Government Affairs for the American Bureau of Shipping. Connaughton’s public service also extends to elected office – from 2000-2006, he was Chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, which is the chief elected position in Virginia’s second largest county – and the armed forces.

Connaughton served as a commissioned officer on active duty with the United States Coast Guard, and later joined the United States Naval Reserve, retiring from that service with the rank of Commander. Connaughton is a licensed attorney admitted to practice in Virginia and the District of Columbia. He practiced law for 15 years with private firms and has appeared before the United States Supreme Court. He has a Bachelor’s degree from the United States Merchant Marine Academy, a Master’s degree from Georgetown University, a law degree from George Mason University, and he graduated from the United States Naval War College.

Connaughton has received numerous awards over the years, including Alumnus of the Year from George Mason University, the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of Counties, the Vincent T. Hirsch Maritime Award for Outstanding Leadership from the Navy League of the United States, Maritime Person of the Year from the Propeller Club of the United States, the Maritime Samaritan Award from the Apostleship of the Sea of the United States, and Government Man of the Year from the Maritime Port Council of Greater New York. He also has been designated a Henry Toll Fellow by the Council of State Governments, a Virginia Institute of Political Leadership Fellow, and recently was named a Fellow by the Virginia Law Foundation. He is married to Teresa and has two adult children, Courtney and Sean Jr.

 

Sally Mott Freeman, Vice President

Sally Mott Freeman

Sally Mott Freeman was a speechwriter, PR executive, and non-profit leader for 30 years before launching research for The Jersey Brothers. After penning speeches for an FCC commissioner and later its chairman, she became FCC’s News Media Division Chief and spokesman following the court-ordered breakup of AT&T. Sally was also a VP for Telecom at Fleishman Hillard, Inc., a global public relations firm, as well as Communications VP for two technology trade associations.

A Smithsonian top history book of 2017 and an Amazon Best Book of 2017 in both the History and Memoir categories, The Jersey Brothers is a war and family saga that was critically acclaimed in several literary reviews. The New York Times called it ”… highly dramatic history.” The Richmond Times Dispatch wrote, “The Jersey Brothers …shines in singularity. A blend of history, family saga and family questions… The book [is] a winning and moving success….” Kirkus gave the book a rare starred review, calling it “…a suspenseful and deeply troubling story of one family’s patriotic devotion and betrayal…. Meticulously researched and compelling history.”

After four terms as Chair, Sally is now Board Chair Emerita of The Writer’s Center, the premier independent literary center in the Mid-Atlantic. She has also served on the boards of Washington Shakespeare Company, American Diabetes Association, The Washington Tennis Foundation, Saving Sweet Briar, Inc., St. Anne’s-Belfield Alumnae Board and Sweet Briar College Board of Directors. She is also a member of the Monticello Cabinet.

Sally graduated from St. Anne’s-Belfield School in Charlottesville VA, which honored her with its 2017 Distinguished Alumna Award, and from Sweet Briar College (English Literature), which honored her with its 2016 Distinguished Alumna Award.

 

John P. Langan, Treasurer

John Langan

John Langan is the Chief Industry Officer for the regulated industries at CLA which includes the firm’s nonprofit, state and local government, higher education, federal government, health care, and financial institutions practices. John serves as a Director and Program Committee Chair for the CLA Foundation.  John is a principal in the firm’s Washington, DC regional office in Arlington, VA and is a VA and MD Certified Public Accountant.  John has served as the Pentagon Memorial Fund’s Treasurer since the organization was founded in 2003.

John also services as the Audit Committee Chair & Trustee at his alma mater; Lynn University.  He is the Finance Committee Chair-Dunbar Alexandria Olympic Alexandria Boys & Girls Club.  His volunteer service also includes previous leadership roles with the following organizations; Finance Section Chair & Board Member for the American Society of Association Executives, the Nonprofit Committee Chair & Board Member for the Greater Washington Society of CPA’s, the Audit Committee & Finance Chair for Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington and the Treasurer for the Rotary Club of Washington, DC.

Karen E. Maude, Secretary

Karen E. Maude is the Director, Human Resources for Expedition Technology, Inc.  Prior to joining Expedition Technology, Karen served as the Director of Human Resources for Sayres and Associates and for NES Associates.

Following the death of her father in the terrorist attack on the Pentagon, Karen worked with her family to establish the Lieutenant General Timothy J. Maude Foundation, a non-profit which provided education support to Soldiers and was established to preserve LTG Maude’s legacy of taking care of Soldiers. The Maude Foundation distributed 46 awards totaling $136,000 before closing in 2016.

Karen’s community work includes captaining a team for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer which raised over $366,000 during 7 walks; serving as an Election Officer for Arlington County Board of Elections since 2006; and serving as a Docent at the Pentagon Memorial since 2010. Karen joined the Board of Directors for the Pentagon Memorial Fund in 2015 and currently serves as Board Secretary.

Karen holds a Master’s in Public Administration with a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from George Mason University and a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts from The Theatre School at DePaul University. In 2013 Karen received the Human Resource Leadership Award for Excellence in Innovation.

Tara Allison, Director

Tara Allison is currently working as a contract event planner, specializing in political and non-profit events.  In this role, she is involved with several organizations that support veterans and military families, including Hiring our Heroes, Blue Star Families, and Got Your 6. Her dedication to military families stems from her own role as a military spouse. Having moved multiple times since completing graduate school, she has experienced firsthand the difficulties faced by both veterans and their loved ones.

When Tara lost her father, Robert Speisman, in the September 11th attacks, she was a freshman at Georgetown University.  In honor of his memory, she completed her degree at Georgetown, graduating Suma Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in psychology.  In an effort to better comprehend the events of September 11th, she then went on to study Homeland Security and Counterterrorism at Georgetown in the inaugural year of the University’s certificate program in this subject. She continued her academic pursuits in the Security Studies program at Georgetown, with a concentration in the Psychology of Terrorism. It was during this time that she met her future husband, then a major in the US Army and moved with him to Ft. Leavenworth, KS. She has since been a devoted military spouse, enduring two deployments and numerous relocations.  While she has taken a different career path than what she had originally anticipated, Tara brings to the table an extensive knowledge and understanding of the events of September 11th from the standpoint of US Homeland Security.

Tara is the proud mother to Liam, born in April 2015, and step-mother to Ashley.  The Allisons will be reporting to West Point, NY in the summer of 2015, where Tara will continue her work in event planning. She considers it an honor and a privilege to serve on the Pentagon Memorial Fund Board of Directors.

 

Teresa Carlson, Director

Teresa Carlson is the President and Chief Commercial Officer of Flexport. She was previously a Corporate Vice President and Executive-in-Residence of Microsoft Corporation.

Teresa is also the Non-Executive Chair of the board of directors of KnightSwan, an industry disruptor and catalyst for new and emerging technologies focused on accelerating innovation in cyber, cloud, and mission intelligence. Through decades of innovation and creative leadership, Teresa has enabled digital transformation for thousands of organizations worldwide, and modernized policies at all levels of government. Her work has also helped equip a diverse, inclusive, global workforce with critical cloud skills through training programs that have enabled over 400,000 people to earn active certifications.

Most recently, Teresa served as President and Chief Growth Officer at Splunk, where she led global efforts to turn data into business transformation for Splunk customers in all market segments. Under Teresa’s oversight and direction, Splunk’s revenue surpassed $3 billion, with cloud revenue growing 70% year-over-year. Prior to Splunk, Teresa served as Vice President, Amazon Web Services (AWS), where she founded and led Worldwide Public Sector and Industries for more than a decade. Carlson’s role eventually expanded to include financial services, energy services, telecommunications, and aerospace and services industry business units, as well as overseeing AWS Training & Certification programs. Teresa also served as Vice President of Microsoft Federal Government, where she oversaw the company’s US Federal Government business. Over her 10+ year tenure, she held a variety of positions at Microsoft including General Manager of the US Civilian Agencies and NGOs; Director of the US Federal Solutions Unit, responsible for the Federal solutions framework and the US Federal partner channel that consisted of more than 2,500 Microsoft partners; and US Federal Director of Strategy and Operations.

Teresa dedicates time to philanthropic and leadership roles in support of the global community. She currently serves as an officer for The Economic Club of Washington, D.C and the Vice Chair of the White House Historical Association. She serves as a board member and Executive Committee member of the Atlantic Council. She is also a board member of for-profit Commure, a software platform company with a goal to enable developers to create empathy-driven solutions to positively impact the healthcare experiences, and of Karat, the world’s first Interviewing Cloud to conduct technical interviews on behalf of organizations hiring software engineers. Teresa earned her undergraduate and Master of Science degrees in Communications and Speech and Language Pathology from Western Kentucky University.

 

Kelly Dupont, Director

Kelly Dupont currently leads the global US Department of Navy business for Amazon Web
Services (AWS). In this role, Kelly is responsible for all facets of AWS business for the US Navy
and US Marine Corps, to include mission support strategy, sales, business development,
consultation, and business partner relationships. Kelly also leads AWS DoD strategy and engagement in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command region.

Previously, Kelly held various roles leading partner management, the Global Systems Integrator team, and DoD Strategic Programs within the AWS Public Sector business.

Prior to joining AWS, Kelly served in a variety of leadership roles at Dell Federal. Most recently, she was the Regional Sales Director for the Software and Peripherals business, supporting civil, defense, and intelligence customers.

Kelly is based in AWS’s Arlington, Virginia office. She holds a B.S. in Applied Economics from Plymouth State University.

 

Ted Olson, Director

Theodore B. Olson is a Partner in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Washington, D.C. office; has been a longtime Member of the Firm’s Executive Committee, and is the Founder of the Firm’s Crisis Management, Sports Law, and Appellate and Constitutional Law Practice Groups.

Mr. Olson was Solicitor General of the United States during the period 2001-2004. From 1981-1984, he was Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Office of Legal Counsel in the U.S. Department of Justice. Except for those two intervals, he has been a lawyer with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. since 1965.

Selected by Time magazine in 2010 as one of the 100 most influential people in the world, Mr. Olson is one of the nation’s premier appellate and United States Supreme Court advocates. He has argued 63 cases in the Supreme Court and has prevailed in over 75% of those arguments.

As Solicitor General, during the presidency of George W. Bush, Mr. Olson was the Government’s principal advocate in the United States Supreme Court, responsible for supervising and coordinating all appellate litigation of the United States, and a legal adviser to the President and the Attorney General. As Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel during the Reagan Administration, Mr. Olson was the Executive Branch’s principal legal adviser, rendering legal guidance to the President and to the heads of the Executive Branch departments on a wide range of constitutional and federal statutory questions, and assisting in formulating and articulating the Executive Branch’s position on constitutional issues.

Mr. Olson has served as private counsel to two Presidents, Ronald W. Reagan and George W. Bush, in addition to serving those two Presidents in high-level positions in the Department of Justice. He has twice been awarded the United States Department of Justice’s Edmund J. Randolph Award, its highest award for public service and leadership, and also received the Department of Defense’s Distinguished Service Award, its highest civilian award, for his advocacy in the courts of the United States, including the Supreme Court.

Mr. Olson has been a member of the Council of the Administrative Conference of the United States since 2010 as well as the Commission on White House Fellowships since 2014.  He has also been a member of the Board of Trustees of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation since 2009 and a member of the Board of Visitors of the Federalist Society since 2004. Additionally, he has served on the Board of Directors of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University since the beginning of 2017. He was a visiting scholar at the National Constitution Center in 2007. He served on the President’s Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board from 2006 to 2008. He was Co-Chair of the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy from 2008-2009, and served two terms on the Board of Directors of the National Center for State Courts.

 

Advisors

 

Scott A. Memmott – General Counsel, Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP

Scott A. Memmott is a partner at Morgan Lewis in Washington DC.  He represents life sciences and healthcare organizations in government and internal corporate investigations; civil, criminal, and administrative enforcement actions by government agencies; and complex civil and criminal litigation. Scott handles a range of fraud, abuse, and compliance matters involving the False Claims Act, the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Stark Law, off-label promotion, government reimbursement, and quality of care for global pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers; healthcare providers, suppliers, and payors; biotechnology companies; contract research organizations; diagnostic testing facilities; and laboratory equipment manufacturers.

Before entering private practice, Scott defended claims against the US government as a trial attorney in the civil division at the US Department of Justice in Washington, DC, and prosecuted federal criminal matters as a Special Assistant US Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia. He conducted federal grand jury investigations, supervised federal law enforcement investigations, and served as lead counsel in jury trials in federal courts throughout the United States.

Scott has served for more than 17 years, providing pro bono legal services, as the outside General Counsel to the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial Fund Inc.  The Pentagon Memorial Fund, Inc., is a nonprofit organization established to raise funds to construct, maintain, and operate the congressionally authorized national memorial to honor those killed in the 2001 terrorist attack on the Pentagon. Scott currently is advising the organization on the construction of the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial Visitor Education Center, which will be located adjacent to the Memorial. Pro bono efforts led by Scott have received three local and two national pro bono awards.

Before joining Morgan Lewis, Scott was the national vice chair of the healthcare group at another international law firm. He spent 14 years on active duty in the US Coast Guard. Scott also co-leads the Morgan Lewis veterans lawyers group as part of the Diversity and Inclusion Initiative.