Our National Advisory Board
The Homecoming 250 National Advisory Board includes former Navy Secretaries and retired leadership from the Navy and Marines.
Homecoming 250 is led by a passionate group of people committed to honoring the legacy of the Navy and Marine Corps.
George S. Leone is the President and Chair of the Board of Homecoming 250 Navy Marine Corps, and Chair of its Development and Advisory Committees. George previously served as a judge in the New Jersey Superior Court in Camden and in the New Jersey Appellate Division. Earlier, he was an Assistant United States Attorney in Camden, and Chief of the Appeals Division for the United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey. The Attorney General of the United States presented George the Director's Award for helping to defend New Jersey's Megan's Law, and the John Marshall Award for helping to lower crack cocaine sentences.
George previously served as a Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney, an associate at the Dechert law firm in Philadelphia, and as a law clerk for Judge James Hunter III, a Marine veteran of World War II, on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Camden. George is the son of a Navy veteran from World War II, was raised in South Jersey, and graduated from Harvard College and the University of Chicago Law School.
Monica A. Hallman is the Vice President of Homecoming 250 and a member of the Board. Monica served in the U.S. Navy for 22 years as a journalist, broadcast journalist and public affairs specialist. Her assignments took her from the U.S. to Italy and Scotland, and she served in the Mediterranean during the Gulf War and Middle East conflicts. After retiring as a Chief Petty Officer, Monica worked at Lockheed Martin Systems Integration as the communications representative and spokesman for the Presidential Helicopter Program and Naval Helicopters Program. She subsequently worked for Navy International Programs Office, and as Director, Marketing and Public Relations at L-3 National Security Solutions. Monica taught Strategic Communications courses at Ithaca College and is a current adjunct professor at Rowan University Edelman College of Creative Arts. She has served as President of the Veterans Club Table of the Union League of Philadelphia, and Executive Director of the Navy League Philadelphia Council.
Tim Alles is a member of the Homecoming 250 Board, and chairs its Finance & Audit Committee. Tim obtained his BS and MBA from Rider University and has spent all of his career in financial management positions. He was controller of Provident National Bank, the predecessor of PNC Corporation. He then moved on to be CFO of East coast operations of PNC Financial and later became CFO of the Asset Management line of business across all of PNC’s footprint. Seven years later he was a founding partner of Veritable, LP. Tim served as CFO, CCO and HR Director for this new enterprise. Tim retired from Veritable in 2017.
Tim has served on many Boards of Directors in the Delaware Valley. Tim has been Treasurer and Chairman of the Investment Committee of almost all of these organizations at one time or another during his tenure with them as well as President or VP of a few of the Charitable Enterprises.
Tim is married and has three daughters. After retirement, Tim and his wife moved to Philadelphia after spending 40 years in Haddonfield but has recently moved back to Haddonfield from a six-year stint in the city.
Taylor M. Anzidei is a member of the Homecoming 250 Board and its Events Committee Chair. Taylor is a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy, a Navy Officer Recruiter with Navy Talent and Acquisition Group Philadelphia, and an MSN RN CCRN. She holds a Masters of Science in Nursing and Healthcare Administration from the University of Pennsylvania. Taylor served in various critical care units before joining the Navy Reserve in 2014. She has been instrumental in providing critical care during deployments to Guantanamo Bay and the Javits Center during the Covid response. She has also led training for Operation Golden Coyote and served as the team leader for Team Australia at the Wounded Warrior Games 2019.
Taylor's personal awards included the Navy and Marine Corp Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, and Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (3). She resides in New Jersey with her husband and two goldendoodles.
Gerry Byrne is a member of the Homecoming 250 Board. Gerry is the Vice Chairman of Penske Media Corp, which controls leading media brands including Rolling Stone, Variety, WWD, Deadline Hollywood, The Robb Report, Art in America, South by Southwest, Dick Clark Productions and Vox Media. As publisher, he transformed Variety into a powerful global media brand. He was start-up publisher of Electronic Media and Crain’s New York Business, founded The Quill Awards for NBC, and led a Nielsen division that included The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, Adweek and Backstage.
Gerry is on the boards of The USO, Fisher House Foundation, Intrepid Museum, Veterans Advantage, City Meals on Wheels, The Gotham Film & Media Institute, Bob Woodruff Foundation, Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research, Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Plaza, The Creative Coalition, Hamptons International Film Festival, Fordham University Gabelli School, and John Jay College of Criminal Justice. As Founder/Chairman, Gerry launched Veterans Week NYC, dedicated to honoring and supporting veterans and their families, Veterans on Campus NYC, a veterans support consortium of all NYC colleges and universities where veterans attend on the GI Bill, and the Mediflix-Vetiflix veterans’ channel.
A 1966 graduate of Fordham College, Gerry served as a Marine Captain in Vietnam in 1968/69 and was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal with Combat V. He received the NYC Mayor’s “Made In NY” Award and the Navy’s Meritorious Public Service Award, and was inducted into the Fordham University Military Hall of Fame.
Patrick F. Dailey is a member of the Homecoming 250 Board, and chairs The Tun Task Force. Pat is also the Executive Director of the The Tun Legacy Foundation. A Philadelphia native, he holds Bachelor’s degrees in Accounting and Business Management from Spring Garden College in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia. Following college, he became a Marine 1st Lieutenant, serving with both the 3rd Marine Division and the 1st Marine Air Wing from 1981 to 1985 in Okinawa, where he learned Japanese and coordinated with the Japan Self Defense Force. After leaving active duty, he worked as a cost accountant in the construction industry for 10 years, and the pharmaceutical industry for 22 years.
Pat and his wife built, own, and operate a successful 50-seat restaurant and adjoining retail store in the Philadelphia suburbs for the past 18 years that has been consistently rated one of the best places to eat on the Main Line according to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Zagat, and The Mainline Times.
Patrick J. Hermesmann is a member of the Homecoming 250 Board. Patrick is a retired U.S. Marine Corps Major General, retiring in 2020 after 35 years of active and reserve service. As a General Officer he commanded Marine Forces Europe, Marine Forces Africa, Marine Forces Korea, and 4th Marine Logistics Group. He also served as the Deputy Commander (mobilization) Marine Forces Command, and as the Director of Reserve Affairs. He has served worldwide, to include commanding 6th Motor Transport Battalion during the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003.
In his civilian capacity Patrick currently serves as an AVP at Hanover Insurance Group, overseeing catastrophic litigation nationwide. He previously worked as a trial attorney, primarily defending high exposure lawsuits on behalf of individuals, partnerships, and corporate entities in New Jersey and Philadelphia.
Patrick is a Southern New Jersey native and continues to reside in South Jersey. He is a graduate of Rutgers University, Camden. He previously served on the Toys for Tots Board of Directors for 9 years, and also serves on the Advisory Board of other charitable organizations.
Leo A. Holt is a member of the Homecoming 250 Board. Leo is a native of Philadelphia with a forty-year career in the Port of Philadelphia and international transport community. He is President of Holt Logistics Corp., part of a family company founded in 1926 and now in its fourth generation, that owns, leases, and develops marine terminals and distribution centers, and provides logistics management and related services to materials handling and transportation companies. His family’s efforts have helped make the Delaware River the premier transport destination for millions of tons of industrial and consumer products.
Leo and Holt Logistics have helped coordinate transport and logistics support for the US Defense Department, including US Military Sealift Command and the recent Operation Allies Welcome, during which a Holt facility was temporarily repurposed to provide instant support to 20,000 refugees from Afghanistan. Holt Logistics and its affiliates aid the recruitment, employment, and professional development of current and former members of the US military. In addition, Leo and the Holt family are active in a wide variety of military family support organizations, including the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation, Navy Seal Foundation, Marine Raider Foundation, Marine Recon Foundation, US Army Special Forces Foundation, and Foundation for Exceptional Warriors.
Jay Jones is a member of the Homecoming 250 Board, and its Secretary. Jay joined the staff of the Battleship NJ Museum and Memorial in 2019 as the Director of Operations, overseeing Information and Communication Systems, Maintenance, Security, and Safety. Previously, he held several senior management positions with the South Jersey Port Corporation (SJPC), until retiring as the Port Corporation’s Acting Executive Director. During his 29 years with SJPC, he has also served as the Deputy Executive Director, the Assistant Executive Director, Public Information Officer, Chief Information Officer, Ethics Liaison Officer, OPRA Custodian, Facility Security Officer, and served as the agency’s Board Secretary.
Jay is a graduate of Wesley College and the Rutgers Camden South Jersey Regional Leadership Institute program. He is a certified Facility Security Officer through Hudson Trident.
Vice Admiral (Retired) Frederick J. Roegge is a member of the Homecoming 250 Board. Fritz is President of Holtec Government Services; he also serves as the Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of the parent, Holtec International, providing high technology goods and services to energy industry and US government customers. Fritz joined Holtec after a Navy career as a submarine officer and nuclear propulsion engineer. In his 30+ years of service he led organizations of progressively increasing size, budget, and complexity ranging from command of a single US nuclear-powered submarine to command of the entire US Pacific Submarine Force. His other experiences include human resources and diversity, equity, and inclusion responsibilities for Navy servicemembers, a Congressional liaison for the Secretary of the Navy, and senior responsibilities in joint and coalition organizations culminating as President of the National Defense University.
Fritz is an honors graduate of the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, and he earned a Master of Science in Engineering Management from the Catholic University of America and a Master of Arts with highest distinction in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. He was a fellow of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Seminar XXI program for national security leaders and of the Harvard University Kennedy School National Security Executive Program.
Philip P. Rowan is a member of the Homecoming 250 Board, and its Ships Committee Chair. Phil long served CEO of the Battleship New Jersey Museum & Memorial in Camden, NJ. He had a 44-year career in the fields of economic development, urban redevelopment, public administration, historic preservation, and executive leadership. He served as Executive Director and CEO of the New Jersey Urban Development Corporation, and Executive Director of the Camden County Improvement Authority. Earlier, he served as Project Manager and Director of Community Development for Cape May, and Director of Community and Economic Development in Bridgeton, New Jersey. Phil later established Economic Development Associates, LLC.
Phil is a native of Camden and was an Airman 1st Class in the US Air Force during the Vietnam War. He graduated from Stockton University with a BS in Environmental Science with a concentration in Land Use Management and Planning.
CAPT Duncan Smith, USN (Ret.) is a member of the Homecoming 250 Board. Duncan graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.S. in Finance and was commissioned through Navy OCS. He completed Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training in 1986 with Class 137 and served at SEAL Teams One and Five. Duncan later earned an MBA from UCLA.
Duncan's final deployment was in 2016 when he served as Chief of Staff for Commander, Joint Special Operations Task Force - Afghanistan. His military awards include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Combat Action ribbon, and both the Iraq and Afghanistan campaign medals.
Today, Duncan is the Executive Director of the SEAL Family Foundation (sealfamilyfoundation.org) which has provided over $14.6 million in support to active-duty SEALs, their families, and Gold Star families.
Duncan’s father was a Navy veteran serving in both World War II and the Korean War and Duncan has three children in the Navy – his oldest son is a SEAL Chief who was recently selected for commissioning, his younger son is a Surface Warfare Officer, and his daughter is a Naval aviator. Duncan’s wife Karen is an anesthesiologist at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego.
Stanley White is a member of the Homecoming 250 Board, and its Nominating and Governance Committee Chair. Stan served as Chief of Staff to Congressman Robert A. Brady (D-PA) from 1998 to 2019. Stan’s duties included supervising Rep. Brady’s five offices and overseeing his committee work, with an emphasis on the House Armed Services Committee. Stan also served as Vice President of the House Chiefs of Staff Association, on the Pew Charitable Trusts Bipartisan House of Representatives Chiefs of Staff Program Advisory Committee, and on the Senior Congressional Staff Advisory Council of the Congressional Study Groups.
In January 2019, Stan became the principal of the Lawrence James Group, a full-service firm for government affairs, community relations and business development, and a member of the African American Chamber of Commerce of PA, NJ & DE. Stan has developed an extensive bipartisan network on the Hill and in Philadelphia. He is a member of the US-Asia Institute’s Congressional Circle.
Clyde M. Woltman is a member of the Homecoming 250 Board, and its Aviation Chair. He is the Chief Executive Officer of AgustaWestland Philadelphia Corporation and Leonardo Helicopters USA, Inc. Based in Philadelphia, Clyde is responsible for sales, engineering, development, production, and supporting functions in the Americas and for US government and foreign military sales globally.
Clyde is a graduate of the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering, and the University of Paris Sorbonne with a Master of Arts degree in Geopolitical Studies.
Prior to entering the private sector, Clyde served in the United States Marine Corps, retiring as a Colonel. A career Marine and Naval Aviator, he served and commanded in multiple operational units and staff assignments. He flew more than 200 missions during Operations Desert Storm, Southern Watch, and Iraqi Freedom. And in addition to seven operational and combat deployments, he served in the Pentagon with Headquarters Marine Corps; and as a Spanish Navy Exchange Pilot; a student at the French Joint War College and University of Paris; a NATO Staff Officer in Naples, Italy; and a Secretary of Defense Corporate Fellow.
Clyde is married and has two sons.
Meghan Foley, CPA, is Homecoming 250's Treasurer. Meghan is a Philadelphia-based Manager at Your Part-Time Controller, LLC, which specializes in providing accounting services to non-profits.
Meghan has nearly two decades of experience serving a diverse range of clients, but now works exclusively with non-profits. She previously was an intern and then Manager with Zook Dinon Public Accountants in Moorestown, New Jersey, providing controllership and accounting services and serving as an auditor and consultant. She is a Certified Public Accountant in Pennsylvania and has over a decade of public accounting experience. She graduated from the Honors Program at La Salle University with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree.
Our National Advisory Board
The Homecoming 250 National Advisory Board includes former Navy Secretaries and retired leadership from the Navy and Marines.
Our Supporting Organizations
Numerous organizations and officials have endorsed Homecoming 250’s plan to celebrate the Navy and Marine Corps 250th birthdays in their birthplace.
This websites uses cookies to enhance your visitor experience. More Info >>
Quick Search
Full Search