Our Board of Directors
Stand Beside Them, Inc. is fortunate to have a Board of talented, creative, connected, and enthusiastic members who care about veterans and are willing to share their ideas and expertise.
(Please hover your mouse over each member to view their bios.)
STEPHANIE
RICHMOND
President and CEO
Stephanie Richmond has had a multifaceted career: attorney, journalist, talent agent, entrepreneur, and life coach are all roles she’s held. Her most rewarding position to date, however, is Founder and CEO of Stand Beside Them, Inc. (SBT), our nonprofit that provides free coaching services to military service members and their spouse/caregivers transitioning back to civilian life. Stephanie worked with Naval Commander (ret.) Everett Alvarez, Jr., former POW, Vietnam, 9 ½ years) during her three-year stint as Assistant General Counsel at the Peace Corps. Decades later that friendship/mentorship would be the primary motivating force behind her founding of Stand Beside Them. In 2011 Stephanie had completed training/certification at NYU as a personal coach, specializing in coaching people through transitions (career change predominantly). One fateful day she came across an in-depth, eye-opening report entitled: “A Needs Assessment of NY State Veterans”. Realizing instantly that many of the unmet needs of transitioning veterans could be helped with coaching, she gathered up seven other certified and experienced coaching colleagues from her coaching classes at NYU. Stephanie also contacted her old Peace Corps colleague Everett Alvarez for advice, and with the group’s encouragement the nonprofit Stand Beside Them was born in 2013.
RANDALL
CHASE
Vice President
Randy Chase is a retired US Army Colonel who served for 25 years in multiple leadership positions, including commanding a 450 person Artillery Battalion. He is also a certified leadership and development coach. For many years at the UBS Leadership Institute, Randy provided support to the firm’s top 600 global leaders through leadership programs, cultural change initiatives and coaching. From 2009 until 2012, Randy had global responsibility for Executive Coaching and Managing Director development programs. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and Sociology from Northern Illinois University, a Master of Arts in Sociology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. Randy has also served as a President/Board member of several nonprofits.
SHEILA
WALL
Treasurer
Sheila Wall, MSW, (owner of In Synchrony LLC) is a Certified Executive and Life Coach assisting individuals in career transitioning and work/life integration, facilitating personal transformation and greater engagement in work and life. Sheila is also a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) consultant. Formerly a Vice President and Senior Risk Management Consultant, Sheila worked 18 years in domestic and global risk management with AIG, Sedgwick and Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. She has worked with senior management within global and domestic client companies. In the non-profit sector, Sheila was a therapist and served on several non-profit boards. She holds a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from New York University and a BA in Psychology from Penn State University. Her coaching certification was awarded in 2005 by the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC). She is a GetFive Certified Career Coach and holds a PCC credential from the International Coach Federation. In 2007, Sheila completed DISC assessment training. Currently a member of the International Coach Federation, CT Chapter, she served as President from 2015-16 and Past President from 2016-17.
JENNIFER
LAMB
Secretary
Jennifer Lamb, LMSW, is a Marine Corps veteran. After leaving the service, Jennifer earned a Master’s degree in Social Work from the
University of Loyola, Chicago and a Master’s degree in Child Development from the Erikson Institute. As a mental health counselor, she worked at Mott Children's hospital and later with the University of Michigans Military Support Programs and Network where she implemented many nationally recognized research projects that provided positive psychology to spouses and significant others of service members and veterans. She also helped co-create the nationally acclaimed program, After Her Service, that worked to empower women military veterans in their personal and professional success upon leaving the military. It was in this program that Jennifer first collaborated with Stand Beside Them and was exposed to the power of professional coaching services. Jennifer worked as the strategic manager for military veteran engagement for the State
of Michigan, working to build state initiatives that would draw
military veterans to Michigan as their forever home.
Jennifer is currently certified as an Executive Coach and a Life Coach working with individuals who are trying to feel as successful as they are. She focuses on high-achieving individuals and managers who have been promoted to the point where they have no professional peer groups and with individuals who are transitioning from one career to the next. Her hobbies include painting, gardening, picking up after her two teenage daughters, spending time with her husband, also a Marine Corps veteran, working to empower girls and women to build a more equitable worldview, and snuggling with her two dogs.
JERE
WILE
Fundraising Chair
A U.S. Army veteran, Jere has been a coach/mentor with SBT since its inception. After serving as a First Lieutenant (Vietnam in 1968), he worked for forty years as a psychotherapist in New York, where in addition to his clinical practice, he mentored veterans. Retired in 2014, Jere lives in Salt Lake City. Jere is also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and does pro bono work with veterans and their families.
MARK
SACHS
Coach & Board Member
Mark Sachs is an Air Force veteran who for many years has been a leadership coach and organization consultant. In his work he believes that people have much more potential than they give themselves credit for. As a coach, he helps leaders and managers identify their strengths, communicate more effectively, collaborate better, manage others, and handle stress. He has a particular interest in helping people set better boundaries with others. Before starting his work as a coach he had a career in public radio and television. He holds BA and MA degrees in Sociology from Rutgers University and an MS degree in Organization Development from American University. He is also an International Coach Federation, Professional Certified Coach (PCC).