AL Duke
President
A graduate of Davidson College and the Harvard Graduate School of Business, Al has spent his entire working career in commercial banking and the private equity sector. He joined American National Bank (later SunTrust) in Chattanooga in the 1970s and remained until June of 2000. Al served in a variety of capacities, including President and Chief Operating Officer. He has previously served on nonprofit boards including Goodwill Industries, The Creative Discovery Museum, St. Nicholas School and the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera. For the past two decades he has managed a variety of private equity funds at Tenth Street Capital, which he co-founded. He is a member of the North Carolina Society of the Cincinnati. He and his wife Joye live in Lookout Mountain, Tennessee.
John Eger
Chief Financial Officer
John was born and raised in High Point, North Carolina. He came to Chattanooga to play soccer at Covenant College, fell in love with the area and stayed after graduating with his Business Degree. He worked as an Accounting and Human Resources Manager with a local startup, found that he was looking for a greater challenge, and decided to pursue his Master of Accountancy. John is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Valuation Analyst, and an Advisor with HHM CPAs in Chattanooga. During his spare time, you will find him playing soccer (and walking the sidelines as an assistant soccer coach at Covenant College). He enjoys spending time outside, whether hiking or playing any sport that he can, as well as traveling.
Karen Bell
SECRETARY
A nurse by background, Karen and her husband of 34 years, Kevin, are the parents of five children including two military sons, one a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran and the other currently serving in the U.S. Air Force. She has been employed at HCA Healthcare in Nashville, TN, at their corporate office, for the past five years. She is very much involved in serving her community with a passion for Veterans and youth organizations.
Karen is a Rotarian with the Clarksville Sunset Rotary, and has served as both Secretary and President. She is a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters and served as Secretary from 2019-2021, and is a mentor with American Corporate Partners, mentoring military spouses. She currently serves on the Clarksville Community Development Committee for Operation Stand Down Tennessee, which helps Veterans through various stages of life and with crisis intervention such as food insecurity, homelessness, and employment.
At HCA Healthcare, Karen serves on the Caring for the Community, Employee Engagement and Veteran Colleague Network as a Community Involvement Co-Chair. In addition, Karen previously served as a mentor for tnAchieves, helping high school graduates to maintain eligibility for TN Promise money. She currently resides in Clarksville, TN.
Linda Houghton
Originally from Pomfret, Connecticut, Linda attended Annhurst College. For over 20 years, she worked as a preschool director and teacher. She and her husband James raised a family of three children. She actively volunteers with many charitable organizations in Chattanooga, including the Northside Neighborhood House and Ronald McDonald House. She enjoys reading, crafts and attending her four grandchildren’s sporting events. She lives in Ooltewah, Tennessee.
Tavis Salazar
Tavis Salazar is a senior brand strategy executive with 25+ years leading creative direction across digital and print channels at both full-serve advertising agencies and in-house creative teams. He has a proven ability leading projects from conceptualization through final production, including product development, brand positioning, brand voice, identity development, brand standards, visual language, design thinking, user experience design, digital experience, content development, video and collateral materials. Tavis strongly seeks to build successful teams with the goal of cultivating client relationships and driving brand awareness to foster return on investment and positive business results for clients. He and his family reside in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
William B. Raines Jr.
William is the sole owner and chief executive officer of The Raines Group, Inc. a commercial real estate management, leasing and brokerage company, based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He retired as a Major General from the Army Reserves in April 2000 after 32 years of service. His last assignment was to the Joint Forces Command (JFCOM) in Norfolk, Virginia as the Vice Director of Strategy, Requirements, and Integration (J8V). His prior assignment was as Deputy Commander, 125th U.S. Army Reserve Command in Nashville, Tennessee.
General Raines received his Second Lieutenant commission in 1968 at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York, where he also received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering. With 32 years of military service, he served in a variety of important positions on active-duty and in the Army Reserve. During the period June 1968 to June 1973, General Raines served in numerous active-duty assignments as Battery Commander on the Demilitarized Zone in Okinawa (Hawk), Vietnam, and Fort Bliss, Texas. After leaving active duty, General Raines accepted assignments within the 3397th U.S. Army Reserve Garrison in Chattanooga, TN and the 125th ARCOM Headquarters in Nashville, TN. He returned to active duty during Operations Desert Shield/Storm where he served as the Commander of the 3397th USAR Garrison Deployment Command from Chattanooga (the unit received the Army Superior Unit Award) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky during the period August 1990 to September 1991. He is a graduate of the Airborne School, Air Defense Artillery School, Command and General Staff College and the Army War College.
Awards presented to General Raines include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit Oak, the Bronze Star Medal with One Oak Leaf Cluster, Meritorious Service Medal with Four Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Medal, Army Commendation Medal with One Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Achievement Medal, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal with Three Oak Leaf Clusters, National Defense Service Medal with Service Star, and the Parachutist Badge.
In 2008, General Raines served as the Chairman of the Chattanooga Area Veteran’s Council and then served as Chairman of the Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center during its formation, design, construction, funding, and Grand Opening in February 2020. He is currently its Chairman Emeritus. General Raines resides in Chattanooga, Tennessee with his wife Jerrie.
Ben Boston
A native Texan and now permanent Tennessee transplant, Ben currently resides in the Walden Ridge area near Dunlap, TN since retiring from his career in automation engineering in 2018. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Electronics and Bachelor of Applied Arts and Science Degree in Business. He spent 41 years in petrochemical and energy industries designing and implementing digital automation control and monitoring systems for process control and production management information systems. During his career he designed and managed plant automation systems in countries around the globe including Spain, England, Germany, Italy, Hungary, The Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, India, and multiple sites in the U.S. and Canada. He was a Scout leader in the 1980’s and 90’s while his two sons were involved in Scouting. His oldest son became an Eagle Scout in 1990.
He is a combat veteran of the Vietnam War serving in the U.S. Navy from 1972 thru 1977 as an enlisted petty officer Sonar Warfare Systems Technician aboard the USS Brooke FFG-1, a guided missile frigate that served as a multi-mission vessel for assigned duties to the Pacific 3rd and 7th Fleets. He is a veteran of the Tonkin Gulf “Yacht Club” that participated in the blockade of North Vietnam in the early 70’s and is also a son of King Neptune’s court having been deemed worthy of the honor of “Shellback” seaworthiness. He holds the Vietnam Service Medal with Star, Vietnam Campaign Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Navy Sea Service Deployment Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation Medal, and multiple unit citations during his time on the Brooke. The Brooke was based out of San Diego and made multiple deployments to the South Pacific and East Asia.
Since moving to Tennessee from Texas in December of 2017, he has been involved with the local Dunlap food bank assisting with distribution of food to those in need. He also serves in The American Legion Post 190 as member and Post Finance Officer. In this capacity he is involved in all fundraising and community service events and support of local veterans and those at VA facilities in our area. He has been a volunteer with Friends Of The Troops since early 2020, and has participated in the morale and material support of our veterans and service personnel. Being a former military service member, he can attest to the importance of knowing that there is someone who cares and that they are not forgotten. The impact of the negative experience of his return from Vietnam in the mid-70’s and lack of support from a large part of the public at that time makes these present-day support efforts for our troops much more important.
AnGie Mackie
Angie was born and raised in Northern California. After serving in the U.S. Air Force, she moved to North Carolina, but has resided in Middle Tennessee since 1997. After earning her Bachelor’s Degree from Middle Tennessee State University, she worked for Bridgestone Americas, and for the last 15 years, she has been with HCA Healthcare.
At HCA Healthcare, Angie is an active member of the Veterans Colleague Network. She has volunteered for several organizations throughout the greater Nashville area over the years, has served on the Caring for Community Planning Committee, and has been Project Leader for numerous volunteer projects.
Angie and her husband, Terry, reside in Lebanon, Tennessee. They are parents to five grown children and grandparents to two. In her spare time, you will find Angie with a book, enjoying her grandchildren, or being outdoors.
Bryant Lewis
Bryant was born and raised in Madisonville, Tennessee, where he spent most of his childhood hunting and fishing in the East Tennessee mountains. During school, he served as a law clerk for the District Attorney General in Knox and Sevier counties. After graduating from the University of Tennessee and becoming an attorney, he practiced in the areas of civil litigation and corporate law for many years.
Bryant is the Assistant General Counsel at the National Rifle Association of America. He is a combat veteran of Iraq, having served in the United States Marine Corps reserves based in Johnson City, Tennessee, from 2000 - 2004, where he was in the infantry. Bryant is also a Life Member of both the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Marine Corps League.
JOHNATHON SCHLEICHER
A Cum Laude graduate of Middle Tennessee State University, Johnathon currently serves as Captain in the Tennessee Army National Guard. He enlisted in 2009, and throughout his military career, he has served as Company Commander, created the Recruiting and Retention Strength Management Program for a Tennessee Guard Unit, has helped to develop, execute and maintain battalion-level logistics budgets, and during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, he served as Program Manager for the Vaccination Call Center for the State of Tennessee and the Tennessee Army National Guard.
Johnathon has worked as a Government Contractor in several capacities, from serving as the Deputy Program Lead for a Tobacco Cessation Education Campaign and as a J9 Military Family Readiness Specialist, connecting Service Members and their families with external resources within their communities. He has trained Suicide Intervention Officers for the Tennessee Army National Guard, Joint Agencies and First Responders, and he is a Master Trainer and hosts ASIST workshops to help those become certified in Suicide Intervention. He holds a Secret Security Clearance, has attained several military certifications, and in 2022, was awarded the Armed Forces Service Medal for serving both the community and the Tennessee Department of the Military. He resides in Christiana, in Middle Tennessee.