Besa Pinchotti

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Besa Pinchotti is the Chief Executive Officer of the National Military Family Association (NMFA), an organization that works with families to identify and solve the unique challenges of military life. Drawn to NMFA’s mission of supporting the families who serve alongside those in uniform, Besa has held leadership positions at the Association since 2013.

In 2025, Besa was named to The Mighty 25, a national recognition honoring leaders driving meaningful impact in their fields. NMFA’s Chief Operating Officer, Raleigh Duttweiler, was also named to the 2025 Mighty 25, reflecting the strength of NMFA’s leadership team and the organization’s growing national influence.

An award-winning journalist and marketer, Besa’s passion for supporting military families began during her career as a reporter and television news anchor. From Jacksonville, North Carolina, to Austin, Texas, and across Eastern Europe, her assignments exposed her to the lived experiences of service members and their families. She covered post-9/11 deployments, war casualties, and highly contentious Congressional hearings examining the unanticipated impacts of military life, including the lasting effects of toxic exposure on military bases.

Now a nationally recognized expert on military families, Besa speaks across the country and internationally about the military family experience. She has been featured on CNN, CBS News, NBC News, Military Times, Military.com, NPR, and other national outlets. In 2021, she was named a Military Spouse Influencer to Watch by Military Spouse Magazine. In 2022, she spoke at the First Lady’s Luncheon and launched a partnership with the Congressional Club to support military spouses pursuing careers in public affairs and government. She has also co-chaired The Military Coalition’s Communications Committee, representing 35 organizations advocating for service members, veterans, and their families.

During her tenure at NMFA, the Association expanded programming for military children, incorporated Bloom: Empowering the Military Teen into its portfolio, and provided feedback to the Quality of Life Panel of the House Armed Services Committee.

To amplify NMFA’s work, Besa collaborates with leaders around the world to recognize the service and sacrifice of America’s military families. Most recently, she met with the Prime Minister of Kosovo, who publicly thanked American military families for their role in ensuring his country’s freedom and independence. While in Eastern Europe, Besa was honored with the Elena Gjika Award for her philanthropic work and the Madeleine Albright Award for her support of military families in the United States and for advancing freedom abroad.

During the five years she spent reporting in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Besa met and married a Marine who would later medically retire from service. Through that experience, she began her own journey as part of a military family, a perspective that continues to shape her leadership and advocacy.

Besa graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Journalism and a minor in Business. She also earned a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, focusing on the social, scientific, and humanistic dimensions of today’s world.

Besa lives in Washington, D.C., and is the proud mother of three children, including one currently attending Tulane University.

Raleigh Smith Duttweiler

Chief Impact Officer (CIO)

Raleigh spent her early career doing what good journalists do: finding the human being inside the headline. She covered communities, amplified overlooked voices, and learned how to take complicated policies and turn them into stories that average people could see themselves in — and feel compelled to act on. That instinct never left her. It just found a bigger mission.

Raleigh grew up in an Army family and came to NMFA in 2018, the way a lot of us come to the things that matter most — not because it was the plan, but because it was personal. As a Marine Corps spouse navigating deployments, moves, the diagnoses that all too often follow combat, and the invisible weight that military family life carries, she knew firsthand what it meant to feel unseen by the very institutions that depended on you. NMFA, she says simply, “saved my kid’s life.” So when the call came, the answer was easy.

What wasn’t easy — and what she has spent more than eight years mastering — is the work itself: translating the lived experience of military families into policy wins, programs that scale, and a national narrative that cuts across political divides.

As Chief Impact Officer, Raleigh oversees NMFA’s Research & Insights, Military Family Programs, grassroots advocacy, strategic partnerships, national events, and media relations. She is responsible for aligning NMFA’s mission delivery with national thought leadership, cross-sector collaboration, and sustainable impact.

She leads a cross-functional team while serving as one of NMFA’s principal spokespeople, taking the stories of our families to Capitol Hill, the Pentagon, national media, local leaders, and anyone who will listen. Because while NMFA’s mission is to identify the unique challenges of military life, all too often the work is about something more universal: helping families simply navigate being a family while dismantling the ways military life makes that harder. That means fighting for the financial stability of military spouses who piece together household finances despite unemployment rates over 20% and mandatory moves every two to three years. It means sounding the alarm on the mental health of military teens — a population facing disproportionate rates of anxiety, depression, and isolation, and one that is also, not coincidentally, the future of our all-volunteer force. And it means insisting that the best defense against veteran suicide isn’t just a list of resources — it’s a strong, supported family standing behind a service member before, during, and long after they serve.

She has been interviewed by CBS News, NPR, and the New York Times among others — outlets she once worked for, now seeking her out as a national expert voice on military family life. She has spoken about the experience of military families before the Veterans Affairs Committee, at national conferences, and in the offices of local county veteran service officers, because she believes the story has to be told at every level, in every room that will open its doors. And she has built the kind of trusted relationships — across administrations, across the aisle — that turn advocacy into action. In 2025, Raleigh was named to the Mighty 25, a recognition that reflects not just her own commitment but her belief that the most durable change happens in collaboration — with peers, partners, and the military families themselves. Living into the legacy of NMFA’s founders, she can frequently be found knocking on doors in Congress, military families by her side, their stories leading the way.

That instinct — to center the human being inside the policy — runs through everything she touches at NMFA. Raleigh has reframed the organization’s research work around the principles of Human-Centered Design, ensuring that insights are built with military families, not just about them. It’s a philosophy rooted in her journalism training and sharpened over years of social impact work: make complex systems understandable, let lived experience illuminate policy, and help people see themselves in solutions worth fighting for.

If you ask Raleigh what she’s most proud of, she’ll probably talk about the 3,500+ kids who participated in Operation Purple last summer, or the 662 military spouses who received scholarships in 2025, or the military teen whose artwork ended up in a White House exhibition. The big numbers matter. The individual stories matter more.

That’s the journalist in her — still showing up, still believing that when people understand what’s actually at stake, they’ll invest in it, fight for it, and show up for one another.

Raleigh lives in Shaker Heights, Ohio, with the three most important people in her life – Hunter, Sibby, and Woodsie, three military kids committed to making the world a better place, a dog, a cat, and the two lizards her son made a PowerPoint deck to convince her to buy. It worked.

Teresa Ndlovu

Chief of Staff

Teresa comes from a family with a long tradition of military service. Her father, grandfathers, uncles, and cousins have proudly served in all branches of the military. Her father, a retired Colonel and Vietnam Veteran, was the Army’s Chief of Morale Support Services.

She grew up understanding and seeing first-hand how important it is to support military families, and how to build and strengthen the community through programs and services. She benefitted not only as a military family member but also learned a great deal, following her father around to help out at military family events and engage in various programs offered on base. She was often volunteered by her father to help out at events and programs, including dressing up as an elf at the Santa booth every year or even going along to pick up touring USO entertainers at the airport. She understands and is passionate about supporting military families.

Teresa graduated from Virginia Tech with a B.S. in Management. She is always up for a walk with a friend, a good book, or anything else that keeps her moving!

Barbara Olson

Administrative Specialist

Kimberly Ryan-Edger

Senior Director of Advancement

Over the course of her 25-year tenure with the National Military Family Association, Kimberly has built and led enterprise-wide marketing and advancement systems supporting 1.3 million service members and their families. She has overseen the execution of more than 300 integrated campaigns annually, generating significant revenue while strengthening donor engagement, stewardship initiatives, and long-term sustainability. Her leadership spans budget management, vendor strategy, digital transformation, performance analytics integration into executive planning, and comprehensive donor lifecycle strategy.

Known for cultivating high-performing, inclusive teams, Kimberly translates strategic vision into measurable results through data-informed decision-making and collaborative execution. She has led four enterprise website redesigns, pioneered digital engagement initiatives that increased online participation by 45 percent, and developed award-winning campaigns that elevated national visibility.

A military spouse for 20 years with nine PCS moves, Kimberly brings both professional expertise and lived experience to her commitment to strengthening and empowering military families. She resides in North Carolina with her three children.

Kristen Stoll

Deputy Director of Development

With more than 15 years of fundraising experience, Kristen has built her career around fostering authentic relationships and connecting donors to causes that matter. She has supported a range of community-focused nonprofits and institutions of higher education, with a consistent focus on thoughtful engagement and lasting impact. She is especially passionate about work that creates tangible, positive change in people’s lives.

Kristen lives in a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin with her husband, two children, and their cat. Outside of work, she loves spending time on the water whenever she can, whether on a lake in Northern Wisconsin or sailing on the Atlantic Ocean. Time with family is at the center of her life, both at home and on the water.

Megan Jennings

Development Officer

Megan is a strategic and relationship-driven development professional known for building meaningful partnerships and delivering impactful fundraising results. With experience spanning donor engagement, campaign strategy, and event management, she brings both discipline and creativity to advancing organizational goals. In her role at the National Military Family Association, Megan combines her professional expertise with lived experience as a military family member and former service member, deepening her commitment to serving those who serve.

Originally from Chicago, Megan returned to the Chicagoland area after spending several years around the states, including stretches in Colorado and Florida. She is driven by a belief in the power of philanthropy to strengthen communities and create lasting change, and she approaches her work with energy, empathy, and a focus on results.

Outside of her professional work, Megan leads an active and purpose-driven life. She enjoys traveling, camping, and hiking with her partner, her bonus son, and their two rescue dogs. An avid runner, she participates in races that support a variety of charitable causes. She is also a dedicated advocate for animal welfare, volunteering with local cat rescues and caring for her four rescue cats. When she is not outdoors or supporting a cause, you can find her cheering rinkside as a devoted hockey fan and proud “hockey mom-ager” for her six-year-old’s youth hockey team.

Hailey Padelford

Database and Development Coordinator

Melissa Greer

Strategic Implementation + Email Manager

Enas Osman

Graphic Designer

Enas is a lover of all things design! She joins NMFA with the hopes of using her design skills to impact military families in a meaningful way. Her design approach to all projects includes research, searching for inspiration, creating a template layout…and coffee! While she has lived in Gainesville, Florida for more than 10 years, she is originally Sudanese & was born in Shendi, Sudan. She received both an Associates of Art & Associates of Science degree from Santa Fe College, followed by a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Art & Technology from the University of Florida. Go Gators! 

MJ Boice

Digital Audience Manager

A passionate connector and collaborator, MJ also serves on the Stafford County School Board’s Military Family Advisory Committee and is a proud member of the National Military Spouse Network. Her efforts have always focused on elevating the collective voice of the military and veteran families to drive meaningful change for our community.

Alex Roys

Website Coordinator

Olivia Brinsfield

Content Manager

She began her career in higher education, supporting military-affiliated students across institutions including the University of Alabama, the University of Texas at San Antonio, and Galen College of Nursing, before expanding her work nationally with Student Veterans of America, where she supported more than 375 campus chapters. Across these roles, Olivia focused on strengthening the systems that drive student success, building and scaling programs that addressed barriers such as food insecurity, financial instability, and access to essential academic resources.

At Student Veterans of America, she further advanced this work by developing content and professional development initiatives for higher education professionals, equipping institutional leaders with practical tools and best practices, and leading the design and delivery of the organization’s inaugural virtual trainings for higher education professionals to scale support for military-affiliated learners nationwide.

Building on this work, Olivia has delivered talks at multiple national conferences, including Supporting Those Who Serve: The True Meaning Behind Being a Veteran-Inclusive Campus and Amplifying Care: Empowering the Voices of Military Caregivers in Higher Education and Beyond. The latter remains one of the most meaningful moments in her career, shaped not only by her professional experience, but by her own experience navigating caregiving while pursuing her graduate education.

As Content Manager at the National Military Family Association, Olivia leads strategic storytelling efforts that connect lived experience to systems, policy, and public understanding. Her work is grounded in a core belief that community begins with communication, and that the words we choose shape how people understand a mission, how they see themselves within it, and whether they recognize themselves as part of the work. This perspective is rooted in part in her upbringing, shaped by her late mother, an English teacher, whose influence continues to guide how she understands and uses language today.

Olivia holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Alabama and a Master of Business Administration from Louisiana State University. She lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, with her husband, Zachary, and their two dogs, Banjo and Willow. Outside of work, she can often be found at Orangetheory or at home, enjoying time with her family.

Eileen Huck

Director of Government Relations

Prior to joining the Association, Eileen volunteered as a case worker with the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society in Mayport, Florida and served as adviser to the USS HALYBURTON Family Readiness Group. She earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Georgetown University and served two tours overseas as a Foreign Service officer. A Navy spouse, Eileen has lived in Virginia, California, Florida, and Rhode Island. She currently resides in Alexandria, Virginia with her husband, CAPT Michael Huck USN (ret).

Becca Garrison

Director of Military Family Programs

She oversees NMFA’s flagship family programs, including Operation Purple® Camp and Operation Purple Summer Challenge, the Joanne Holbrook Patton Military Spouse Scholarship program, and Bloom: Empowering the Military Teen, collectively reaching thousands of families each year through both in-person and virtual experiences. In this role, she leads a high-performing team, drives complex partnerships, and aligns program strategy with organizational priorities, funding, and long-term growth.

Becca leads program expansion, strengthens evaluation and data systems, and drives operational improvements that enhance both participant experience and organizational effectiveness. In her time at NMFA, she has worked cross-functionally to build programs that prioritize transformation over transaction. In addition to her leadership at NMFA, she served three years as a subcommittee Co-Chair for the Hidden Helper Coalition and is a frequent presenter on program strategy, partnerships, and impact.

Before joining NMFA, Becca held leadership roles across the education, nonprofit, and consulting sectors, specializing in launching and scaling programs, designing learning and development initiatives, and supporting organizations through growth and transformation.

A proud military brat, Becca brings both professional expertise and personal dedication to her work supporting military families.

Christy Brown

Program Manager, Operation Purple Program

With a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Mary Washington and a wealth of experience in various volunteer leadership roles, Christy has dedicated the past six years to creating and running impactful programs for military families. A lifelong camper and lover of the outdoors, she is excited to bring the joy of summer camps to military youth across the country through Operation Purple Camp.

Coming from a family with a rich history of military service, Christy is proud to continue this legacy by supporting service members and their families. She currently resides in Alexandria, VA, with her husband, a retired Coast Guard member, and their two children.

Julie Falls

Program Manager, Scholarships

Julie joins the team with tons of military life experience. She’s the daughter of a Marine and the spouse of a retired Airman. During their 27 years in the Air Force, her military family moved 11 times, even spending 4.5 years in Germany. Despite her many moves, she remains committed to volunteering—giving her time to Girl Scouts troops, swim teams, Air Force Spouse Clubs, even recruiting others to volunteer their time, too. Julie hails from North Carolina, graduated from NC State University, is a proud Carolina Panthers fan, and enjoys kayaking, snorkeling, bike riding, swimming, and traveling.

Nakita Fowler

Outreach and Evaluation Coordinator

Outside of work, Nakita volunteers with her husband, Dean, as a coach for MCCS Youth Sports. What began as family time with their sons, Cal and Ace, grew into a passion for supporting youth programs in their direct community. They also enjoy exploring hiking trails at every duty station and look forward to continuing their journey as a military family.

Harper Garcia

Operation Purple Summer Challenge Project Lead

Harper has worked with nonprofits for several years, developing programs and mentoring youth. She also recently worked as an Educational Presenter at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Having grown up closely with a USMC/Navy grandfather and Air Force grandfather, she is excited to be connecting with military kids and families around the world this summer!