William Thielemann, Brigadier General USAR (Ret)
Chairman of the Board
Brigadier General Thielemann was born in Akron, Ohio and raised in Georgia and Florida. He was commissioned Second Lieutenant Infantry through ROTC at Mercer University and entered active service in October 1967, serving in the US Army Southern Command, Panama. After attending the School of the
Americas’ Jungle Operations Training Course, receiving the designation of Jungle Expert, he was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 5th Infantry, 193rd Infantry Brigade, Panama. Duty assignments included Heavy Mortar Platoon Leader and Headquarters Company Commander.
General Thielemann joined the Georgia Army National Guard in March 1972 as Platoon Leader of Troop C, 196th Cavalry, Griffin. He served as Commander of Troop E, 348th Cavalry, Griffin, from 1974 to 1978. He also served as Tactical Intelligence Officer on the 48th Infantry Brigade Staff in Macon. In 1980, General Thielemann was assigned as S2 Intelligence Officer, 1st Battalion, 108th Armor in Calhoun. This was followed by Operations Officer and Executive Officer in the Armor Battalion. In April 1987, General Thielemann assumed command of 1-108th Armor Battalion. He was reassigned to commander of 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry (Mechanized), Dublin, in November 1987, and held that command position until July 1991. Other assignments included State Senior Intelligence Officer, State Chief of Training, and Deputy Commander of the 48th Infantry Brigade (Mechanized). In April 1993, General Thielemann assumed command of the 48th Infantry Brigade (Mechanized). Four years later he passed command of the Brigade at ceremonies at Fort Stewart, Georgia, on July 25, 1997.
General Thielemann commanded 1-121st Infantry Battalion (Mechanized) during its mobilization for DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM (1991). He served as Operations Officer of 1-108th Armor for the first reserve battalion rotation to the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, CA (1983), and commander the 48th Brigade for the first brigade level reserve rotation to the National Training Center (1996). He led the Armor Battalion through transition to M1 Abrams tanks (1987), and led the Infantry Battalion through transition to M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles (1989). General Thielemann served as Ground Forces Commander during OPERATION CRESTED RIVER, the Georgia floods of 1994. In addition, he served in a variety of positions during support for natural disaster and civil disturbance missions including security of Centennial Park after the Olympic Park bombing.
General Thielemann is a graduate of Infantry Officer Basic Course, Armor Officer Advanced Course, Military Intelligence Advanced Course and the Army Command and General Staff College. He received a BA degree in Economics from Mercer University and a MBA in Management from Georgia State University. Decorations include the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Army Service Ribbon and Army Overseas Ribbon. General Thielemann is married to the former Wanda Stewart of Griffin. They have four children and four grandchildren. General Thielemann is retired from the Technical College System of Georgia. He worked in economic development programs focused on attracting industries to Georgia, in the area of export assistance as part of a multi-agency organization (USEAC), and coordinator for state certification programs. He and Wanda are longtime residents of Griffin.
MG (Ret.) Robert C. Hughes Jr.
Director
MG (Ret.) Robert C. Hughes Jr. is presently employed as a consultant by Oberon Associates, Inc. working on the Warfighter Information Capabilities Assessment (WICA) at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. He is also a partner in C34D, a 3D HoloProjection company in middle Georgia. In December
2009, he completed a tour serving as the initial Human Terrain Research and Analysis Cell Team Leader at 18th Airborne Corps HQ at Camp Victory, Iraq. He served both the active and reserve components of the U.S. Army for 37 years commanding at all levels to include both Georgia’s 78th Troop Command and the 48th Infantry Brigade. He retired as the Deputy Commanding General, Reserve Component, First U.S. Army, Fort Gillem, Georgia. In September 2004, he completed a one year assignment as the Project Manager for Science Applications International Corporation’s Center for European Security in Tirana, Albania focused on reform of the Albanian armed forces. His civilian career was focused in federal law enforcement, and he served the U.S. District Court System for over 30 years as a U.S. Probation Officer retiring as Chief, U.S. Probation Officer, Middle District of Georgia. He has also worked as a management consultant, teaching and developing leadership skills within civilian government and military services, as well as private industry. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia and completed a graduate degree at Fordham University. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Army War College.
MG (Ret.) Hughes’s awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit Medal w/1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, Meritorious Service Medal w/3 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Commendation Medal w/1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal w/1 Silver and 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, National Defense Service Medal w/1 Service Star, Southwest Asia Service Medal w/Star Device, Humanitarian Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal w/”M” Device and Gold Hourglass, Army Service Ribbon, Army Reserve Component Overseas Training Ribbon w/3 Devices and the Kuwaiti Liberation Medal. He is also the recipient numerous State of Georgia military medals and ribbons.
Major John Burrescia
DirectorCPT Burrescia, a native of Dickinson, Texas, graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Distribution in 2000. CPT Burrescia was commissioned a 2LT in the United States Army upon graduation and attended the Engineer Officer Basic Course in Fort Leonard Wood, MO.
Upon arriving at Fort Hood, CPT Burrescia was assigned to Bravo Company, 20th Engineer Battalion (Lumberjacks) where he would spend the next 3 years in a variety of positions ranging from Combat Engineer platoon leader, and Combat Engineer Company Executive Officer. During this time CPT Burrescia would also deploy to Baghdad, Iraq in support of OIF II where he served in several staff positions to include 20th EN BN Asst S-3, and 1st Brigade EN.
Ryan Housley
Executive DirectorRyan co-founded HeroBox in 2008 so that overseas troops could quickly and easily customize their support packages. He realized the need for such a solution after receiving special requests from his youngest brother who was deployed to Iraq in late 2007 with the 25th ID. Ryan launched a basic web page to field these requests from his brother and other soldiers. As word spread, the demand soon outweighed the supply and the little web page soon became a non-profit organization. Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn
George Dillard III, Ph.D
Director
Dr. George Dillard is the Senior Minister at Peachtree City Christian Church where he has been preaching since 1993. He graduated with his Bachelor of Science degree from Atlanta Christian College in 1983. He received both his Masters of Ministry in 1995, and Dr. of Philosophy in Theology in 2001
from Evangelical Theological Seminary. George has been happily married to his wife Renee for 19 years and they have three children; Tiffany, Alexis, and Stewart. George and his family live in Peachtree City, GA.
Senator Ronnie Chance
Director
Ronnie is a native Georgian and was first elected to the State Senate from Georgia's 16th District in 2004. He serves as chairman of the Government Oversight Committee, secretary of the Finance Committee and is a member of the Higher Education and Economic Development committees.
In 2006, Ronnie was appointed Senate Floor Leader by Governor Sonny Perdue. Ronnie is a 2007 graduate of Leadership Georgia and was recently named to James Magazine’s list of Most Influential Georgians. He has been named Georgia EMS’s Legislator of the Year for 2008 and recently received the Pathfinder Award from the Georgia Brain and Spinal Injury Trust Fund Commission.
Charlotte Gooding
TreasurerCharlotte is an Assurance and Advisory Manager for The Home Depot where she leads multiple resources focused on driving performance initiatives within key areas of the business. Charlotte's previous roles at The Home Depot included Southern Finance Manager and Sr. Financial Analyst.
Evan Housley
Director EmeritusEvan is the inspiration behind HeroBox. It was Evan's late night (or early morning?) talks with his brother that eventually led to HeroBox. Evan is a US Army Scout with the 25th ID and was deployed to Taji, Iraq in 2007. Evan is a graduate of McIntosh High School in Peachtree City, Georgia.
