Coast Guard Foundation adds six new trustees to its board

Coast Guard Foundation's new trustees © Coast Guard Foundation

The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education and welfare of all Coast Guard members and their families, announced today the addition of six new trustees to its board.

The Coast Guard Foundation Board of Trustees and Directors oversees management of the organization and helps to provide resources to advance the Foundation's mission to support the service of men and women in the United States Coast Guard. The new trustees include:

Fred Brodsky is a retired business manager and entrepreneur, and the founder of the Dallas-based International Investment Advisors, Inc./Fred Brodsky Company, a real estate investment and development corporation that managed land development projects for corporate and private clients around the world. During his more than 40 years in the business industry, Brodsky also worked in high technology, finance and venture capital. He is a graduate of Northeastern University and served on the school's Board of Trustees as an Overseer for more than 20 years and was elected Trustee Emeritus in 2011. He also holds an masters of business administration from the University of Michigan and served on its School of Business Advisory Board for 16 years. In their retirement, Fred and his wife Darla spend time in South Florida and Massachusetts.

Joseph Buss is the Vice President and General Manager, Mission Solutions for ASRC Federal, the government services subsidiary of Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, an Alaska Native Corporation. Buss previously served in a variety of roles at Lockheed Martin before joining ASRC Federal. He serves on the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation board of trustees and locally to his hometown of Moorestown, New Jersey, he serves on two boards that provide youth services and affordable housing opportunities. He is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and served in the United States Marine Corps for five years.

Charley Diaz is a Corporate Director for Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) where he is responsible for Small Surface Combatants and U.S. Coast Guard Programs. Prior to joining HII, he was President of Guardian Maritime Solutions, an independent maritime consultant firm that developed business solutions for a variety of maritime clients. As a retired U.S. Coast Guard Captain, he has over 30 years of operational and managerial experience across all Coast Guard mission areas. A skilled mariner with over 12 years of sea duty, he has commanded four Coast Guard cutters. In addition to his degree from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, he holds a degree with distinction from the U.S. Naval War College, a masters of public administration from Harvard Kennedy School and served as a Visiting Scholar at the Brookings Institute. Diaz is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Llwyd Ecclestone has been a driving force in Palm Beach County's real estate development and philanthropic community for 55 years. A graduate of the Taft School with a business degree from Wayne State University, Ecclestone began his construction career in Michigan, before relocating to Florida. Among his most notable achievements is building and developing PGA National, a golfing community that includes homes, five PGA golf courses, a resort hotel, shopping center and the administrative and golfing headquarters for the PGA of America. As an avid sailor and racer, he is a member of the New York Yacht Club, the Sailfish Club, Cruising Club of America and the Newport-Bermuda Race Foundation. Outside of his real estate developments, he and his wife Diana support many charities and non-profit organizations, and serve on boards and committees that contribute to the vitality and prosperity of their community in South Florida.

Mark Ross is president of Chevron Shipping Company. He earned a bachelors degree from the University of California at Berkeley, and holds masters degrees from the University of Illinois and the University of California at Berkeley. He is chairman of the Oil Companies International Marine Forum, a director of the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation, and is a member of the American Bureau of Shipping and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Ross is also a past president of the Society of International Gas Tanker and Terminal Operators.

James Sheridan is the Vice President and General Manager, Naval Combat and Missile Defense Systems at Lockheed Martin – Rotary and Mission Systems (RMS). In this role, he is responsible for leading the U.S. Navy's Aegis program and all derivative capabilities domestically and internationally, including maritime ballistic missile defense, the Common Source Library, and Aegis Ashore for the Integrated Warfare Systems and Sensors line of business. In addition, he also serves as the Moorestown, New Jersey site General Manager, working with employee populations across several satellite facilities including Lockheed Martin Canada. Sheridan is a former Naval Officer who retired as a Navy Captain following a 26-year career in both active and naval reserve capacities. Sheridan is a graduate of Villanova University and currently serves on the board of directors for the Chamber of Commerce-Southern New Jersey.

To learn more about the Coast Guard Foundation or to help support its work, please visit www.coastguardfoundation.org.