April 16, 2018

Welcomes Luke’s Wings beneficiary, caregiver, military spouse and long-time supporter to board.

Washington, D.C. – Luke’s Wings is excited to announce the addition of four new members to the 2018 Luke’s Wings Board of Directors. These new members come from varying backgrounds and bring new insight and perspective to the current board. Members will join Co-Founder and CEO, Fletcher Gill, U.S. Navy Veteran and co-author of 2012 Los Angeles Times Bestseller “In the Shadow of Greatness”, John Ennis, and Defense News Senior Media Consultant, Jason Sickels.

Welcomed to the Board are Luke’s Wings beneficiary, U.S. Army Staff Sergeant James Pierce (Ret.), former employee and long-time supporter, Matt Suttmiller, military spouse and former PR consultant, Chastine Bobbitt and wife of Luke’s Wings beneficiary, Emily Fletcher. “We are thrilled to reflect the growth of our organization over the past ten years with these new additions to our board” Lindsay Gill, Executive Director of Luke’s Wings says. “These are friends, beneficiaries and loyal supporters who will bring a unique perspective on each of our stakeholder groups. With their support, we can continue to look forward to supporting our wounded, ill and injured for years to come.”

U.S. Army Staff Sergeant James Pierce (Ret.) was a member of the North Carolina National Guard for over 14 years before retiring in 2015.  James was with the 514th Military Police Company when he was injured by a suicide bomber in the Khost Province in Afghanistan on October 1, 2012; killing three of his teammates and wounding three, including himself.  He spent three years recovering at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where he was introduced to Luke’s Wings. Today, James serves as a National Parks Service Park Ranger and Volunteer Coordinator for the National Mall and Memorial Parks.

A native of Chesapeake, VA, Matt Suttmiller earned his bachelor’s degree in Sports Management at James Madison University, and his M.B.A. at Old Dominion University. A former Luke’s Wings employee, Matt moved to the DC metro area in 2010 to begin his professional career. Since then, his job experience has included Major League Baseball Advanced Media, JMU Athletics, ODU Athletics, the Washington Nationals, and an independently-owned beverage company, Vita Coco. He currently works in Alexandria, VA for RedPeg Marketing, an experiential marketing agency.

Born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, Chastine Bobbitt initially moved to Washington, D.C. to work on a local Virginia political campaign before securing a job on Capitol Hill. Bobbitt was first introduced to Luke’s Wings while serving as the Chief of Staff for a small boutique public relationships firm where she managed Luke’s Wings pro-bono relationship. She is an active duty Army spouse and is expecting her first child in Fall of 2018.

Emily Fletcher is the Marketing and Business Development Coordinator at the Winston-Salem, NC based law firm, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP. Her husband, USMC Corporal Jessie Fletcher (Ret.) was severely wounded while on deployment to Afghanistan in 2011. While at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Emily and Jessie came to know the Luke’s Wings team very well, receiving several flights over the course of his 14-month recovery. Now settled back at home in Winston-Salem, Emily looks forward to furthering the impact, reach and mission of Luke’s Wings.

To learn more about Luke’s Wings and their Board of Directors, visit www.lukeswings.org or contact [email protected].

April 30, 2018