Leadership Team

Haley D. Uthlaut 

Executive Director   

Haley received a B.S. from the United States Military Academy in Business Management and an MBA at the University of North Carolina, where she concentrated in Nonprofit Management and was a Paul Harvey Fellow.  Before attending graduate school, Haley served as a Combat Engineer Officer in the Army and was stationed out of Fort Bragg, NC.  After deploying to Afghanistan for a year as a Platoon Leader, Haley was selected to serve as General Petraeus’ Operations Officer in Iraq and subsequently at Central Command.  Haley was a Finalist for Army Military Spouse of the Year 2012 for her inspirational advocacy and ground breaking efforts in establishing In Gear to support Professional Military Spouse Employment. She is a Military Spouse and currently lives in West Point, NY with her husband Major David Uthlaut and sons Jackson and Caleb.

Randi Koepf Klein 

Director of Development  

Randi Koepf Klein, Principal of VORTEXX Consulting, has led a life of many adventures in many different places, and has been involved with the military since she was one year old: Army dependent, Navy veteran, Navy spouse and Air Force mom.  As an Army “brat,” she lived in Asia twice (Japan and Taiwan), Western Germany, and around the United States.  As a Navy veteran and spouse, she lived and traveled in regions of the country and the world that she missed as a child.  She currently lives in Norfolk, Virginia, by the Chesapeake Bay with her husband, Rear Admiral Mike Klein, USN (Retired).   They have three children, including a daughter who is an Air Force pilot.  Randi’s work experience is as varied and diverse as her travels.  With a B.A. in College Student Personnel from Michigan State University and a Master’s in Management and Supervision from Central Michigan University, she has held training, management and leadership positions in the Navy, higher education, military spouse, nonprofit and business organizations.  A Navy Manpower, Personnel and Training Specialist, her most interesting assignment in the Navy was in the White House Liaison Office of the Secretary of the Navy.  She was awarded the Department of the Navy’s Superior Public Service Award in 2009 for her work with Navy spouses, specifically the COMPASS Mentoring Program.

Melanie Brassfield

Director of Programs  

Melanie graduated from the Australian Defense Force Academy with a B.A. in History and later received her M.A. in International Relations from Deakin University. She served as both an Intelligence Officer and an Air Combat Officer on P-3C Maritime Patrol Aircraft and completed two deployments to the Middle East during her 14 year military career.  After moving permanently to the United States in 2007, Melanie has worked extensively in the career counseling field and specializes in Military Spouse and Veteran Employment Programs.  During 2010 she administered the Family Employment Readiness Program for NSA Naples, Italy and she currently serves as a Facilitator for Insignia Federal Group, leading Career Workshops for separating and retiring service members.  Melanie is a Military Spouse and lives in Hawaii with her husband Lieutenant Commander James Brassfield and daughters Sophie and Camille.

Board of Directors

Rodney Faldyn

Rodney Faldyn is the CEO and President of Academy Sports + Outdoors.  Prior to his promotion to CEO, Rodney served as President and Chief Financial Officer.  Prior to joining Academy Sports + Outdoors, Rodney held various executive roles over three years at N. F. Smith & Associates, a privately-held, international electronics distributor. Additionally, he spent eight years at Enron Corp.
in several capacities including Vice President in International Finance, Chief Accounting Officer for a publicly-held subsidiary and Vice President in Accounting. Prior to Enron, Rodney spent seven years at Deloitte & Touche LLP working in the energy, wholesale trade and construction sectors.  Rodney is a graduate of Texas A&M University. He has twin daughters and is a native Houstonian.

Jacob "Jake" McFerren

Jacob McFerren is the Senior Advisor (Futures) to Commander Allied Joint Forces Command. During over 30 years of commissioned service in the Army as an Infantry officer, he held various staff and command positions in Infantry units, serving at Fort Bragg, Fort Lewis, and Quantico and overseas in Germany, and Italy. He attended graduate school at the University of Virginia and served on the faculty of the United States Military Academy at West Point as Associate Professor of English Literature. He has deployed several times to Central America and the Middle East including twice to Iraq as well as to Bosnia, Kosovo, and Macedonia.  He has served at various times in Albania, Croatia and Serbia. He recently completed a year tour in Afghanistan serving on the ISAF Staff.  He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from the United States Military Academy and a Masters Degree in English Literature from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is married to the former Anne Pollard, and they have three grown children and two grandchildren.