Our Board

One of RHF’s founding board members, he serves on the Fundraising Committee. Darren is the recently retired Founder of Alpine Training Services. ATS is a leading international specialty rigging (design/ build) & training company. For 20 years he served as the Chief Visionary Designer, Licensee & Business Developer for the Hit TV shows such as “American Ninja Warrior,” “Ultimate Beast Master,” “Titan Games” etc., also, stunt based games for shows like “ The Amazing Race,” “The Biggest Loser,” “Big Brother” and many more. Additionally, he serves as an advisor to the board for the Peak Rescue Institute and was previously a professional wild land firefighter.

Dick is Rick Herrema’s father. He has been VP and Treasurer of Great Lakes Painting and Decorating Inc. for 30 years. He has served as an elder at Forest Grove Christian Reformed Church for the last 9 years and Treasurer for 3 years and Chairmen of the building and grounds committee. Dick is also a board member at Hudsonville Christian School and a member of the building and grounds committee.

Joe is a Retired Lieutenant Colonel with 20 years of active duty service, 16 of which have been with Army Special Operations Forces. Army life has taken Joe and his wife Patty to duty stations in Europe and across the US, where they have weathered many peacekeeping and combat deployments while raising their 5 kids. Joe worked side by side with Rick Herrema in the 101st Airborne Division, and is honored to serve the vision of RHF by helping to create a sanctuary in Fayetteville where families like his can come to find respite and renewal.

Executive Committee Member. John is a passionate supporter of Rick’s Place and believes deeply in its core values, people, and impact on families. After serving in the Army, he spent several years in the financial services industry before returning to the service. He searched far and wide for a organization like Rick’s Place focused on empowering veterans and, through a combination of divine intervention and happenstance, discovered the group tucked away in a quiet corner of Fayetteville serving a grand mission that started with a mere whisper.

Executive Committee Member and Finance Committee Chair. A graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point (Engineering) and the University of Texas-Austin’s McCombs School of Business (MBA), John is an active-duty soldier. He, his wife, and four children serve military families through helping improve Rick’s Place infrastructure.

An active duty soldier who joined the Army before 9/11 and has been overseas multiple times since the start of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He currently serves on the board of directors and he along with his wife and the invaluable assistance of other dedicated supporters founded the Rick Herrema Foundation (RHF). RHF is dedicated to the memory of Josh’s best friend, Rick Herrema, who was killed in action in Iraq in 2006. Josh has six children and, as a father and husband, knows first-hand the challenges of full time military service, Josh wanted to create a place that would honor his best friend by creating a retreat for still serving military families where they can come and spend fun, quality time with each other.

Financial Director and Executive Committee member, Kimberly is an active duty military spouse. As a family, they have endured more than a dozen combat deployments. She is a mother of to two daughters and also a former Army kid whose late father served in the Vietnam War. She has a degree in accounting and has spent most of her professional career working as an auditor and finance manager for local governments located near Ft. Lewis, WA and Ft. Bragg, NC.

Landon is local to the Fayetteville community and currently works as a commercial risk specialist in the area. He has grown his business locally and internationally, specializing in the unique needs of defense contractors working around the world. Specifically, with the Defense Base Act. He has a bachelor’s degree in business and financial economics along with an MBA in organizational leadership. Landon previously has worked in non-profit fundraising for a local university where he was part of the leadership team for alumni groups and a $40 million capital campaign. He and his wife have two young children. His passion is connecting RHF to the local Fayetteville community and helping the foundation tell its story of service, family values, and community to the Military Family and beyond.

Michael has over twenty-seven years of accomplishment as a leader with a track record of managing highly complex projects in multi-cultural environments involving senior international executives. With past corporate experience at Lockheed Martin, Grayhawk Systems (now ManTech), and The Wexford Group (A CACI Company), his accomplishments are extensive. He has significant experience building and developing successful organizations from nothing with few resources, and stood up the only Army National Guard unit that supports the Joint Special Operations Command. Michael is a Special Forces Officer who has served in two different Special Mission Units, holds two Master’s Degrees, is a Project Management Professional and specializes in Lean / Agile Tech Product Development. Michael is conversationally proficient in Spanish, loves the outdoors, and resides in Cary, NC, with his wife and two children.

Currently serving with US Army Forces Command at Fort Bragg, NC BA in History, University of Delaware MS in Strategic Planning, National War College 30 year Army veteran, multiple combat tours, command at every level from Lieutenant to Colonel Married, father of eight daughters

Sam, immediate past Board President, currently serves as a consultant to the U.S. Military. He is a U.S. Army veteran who spent his career in Special Operations serving multiple combat tours. Sam is married to author, teacher, and counselor Kathy. They are the parents of nine children and three grandchildren. Sam served with Rick Herrema.

Scott has spent the majority of his career in healthcare investing and operations and has a passion for partnering with small businesses as they develop a strategy to scale. In 2018 Scott was fortunate to meet Josh at a philanthropy conference as he was presenting on RHF and Rick’s Place and, like many others who have met Josh, sought a way to get involved and support the mission. Scott lives in Chicago with his wife, Laura, and son, Finley.

Executive Committee and Fundraising committee Co-Chair. Trabue is an executive in the financial services industry. He is the President of ICE Futures US, a leading exchange for energy, agricultural and financial products. Trabue and his family live in New York.