OFFICIAL GOVERNING AND ADVISORY BOARD

EXPERTISE | ADVICE | CRITICAL THINKING | GUIDANCE | CONFLICT RESOLUTION

The Lions Circle consists of our governing and advisory board of the Academy of United States Veterans. The members of the Lions Circle are leaders and experts who provide knowledge, critical thinking, and analysis to increase the confidence within the organizational structure of the Academy of United States Veterans and the Academy of United States Veterans Foundation.

Our Lions Circle members receive a consistent update on financial, community, and organizational matters.

This volunteer group of public servants support and protects the vision of AUSV:

Mental Health through community engagement.

MEET THE LIONS CIRCLE

PETER GEOVANES

U.S. NAVY

CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

Peter Geovanes received his J.D. from Northwestern University, his MBA from the University of Phoenix, and his B.S. from the University of Illinois and is based in the Chicago metro Area.

Peter is head of data strategy, AI, and analytics officer and has been a scientist and business executive with over 25 years of experience. He provides a unique hybrid background that combines deep data and analytical capabilities along with proven technical, project management, legal and business consulting skills. Peter specializes in applying state-of-the-art analytics, business intelligence tools, and modeling techniques to generate legal insights and improve firm performance. Prior to joining Winston & Strawn, Peter was a senior director with Alvarez & Marsal, a Director and Analytics Market Leader with PwC, a Principal for a regional consulting firm, a senior project manager for SPSS and proudly served as a commissioned Officer in the United States Navy.

KEVIN CARDWELL

U.S. NAVY

BOARD MEMBER

Worked extensively with banks and financial institutions throughout the Middle East, Europe, and the UK. Served as leader of a DoD Red Team with 100% success rate of compromise. Some recent consulting projects include the Petroleum Development Oman and the Central Bank of Oman. Designed and implemented the custom security baseline for the existing Oman Airport Management Company (OAMC) airports and the two new airports.

ROBERT HESS

U.S. ARMY

BOARD MEMBER

Robert is an Army veteran with service in Vietnam, Europe, the Pentagon, and the Department of State. He is an advocate for disabled veteran awareness and suicide prevention. He is the CEO of Weavy and Founder of Rally4Vets.

VetsRally4Vets is the first-ever inter-Service military motorsports competition. The Rally's missions are raising awareness of veteran suicide and generating funds to support veterans dealing with PTSD.

Weavy is a complete white-label framework for in-app messaging and collaboration. Instantly add Activity Feeds, Secure File Sharing, Document Collaboration, Microsoft Teams, Conversational Bots, Instant Messaging, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, and Zoom Meetings to your app and boost your users' productivity.

SUTRA BORGESON

U.S. NAVY

BOARD MEMBER

Sutra Borgeson is a master networker and business professional who specializes in business strategies harmonizing processes, building relationships, and mentoring new inspiring small business owners. She is a United States Navy Disabled Veteran. She currently is the Founder of Creative Travel & Events LLC where she acts as an International Travel and Event Specialist helping busy people create special events and travel trips of their dreams. She was deemed the 2020 American Society of Travel Advisors, “Travel Advisor or the Year” and has held the position of #1 Travel Agency of Tucson, Arizona.

ASSAL RAVANDI

U.S. ARMY

FOUNDER | CEO

A former U.S. Army intelligence analyst and language instructor, Ravandi trained as a combat-qualified linguist and cultural affairs adviser and served in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. Among her military honors and awards were the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, two Army Commendation Medals, the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the NATO Medal, and the Combat Action Badge. However, Ravandi would say that her proudest distinction was simply serving with the 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment.