Sixteen accomplished individuals who have distinguished themselves through their military
and civilian careers comprise the USAA Board of Directors. Board members conduct regular,
formal evaluations of the CEO and corporate performance.
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John H. Moellering
Lt. General, USA (Ret.)
- Member since 1959.
- Elected 1996.
- Chairman of the Board; Chair, Governance and Executive committees; ex officio
member, Finance and Audit, Compensation and Workforce, and Marketing and Programs committees
The former president and chief executive officer of Lear Siegler Services Inc., Moellering
is the founder of management consultancy JM Associates, the board vice chairman for Village
Gardens Realty and Village Gardens LLC, and is a member of the adjunct faculty of the
Kenan-Flagler Business School of the University of North Carolina. He also serves on the boards of the Research Triangle Institute International and the
National Defense Industrial Association.
Moellering retired from the U.S. Army as a lieutenant
general following 28 years of distinguished service. After early formative assignments in
combat and engineering units, which included combat in Vietnam, his key command assignments
included command of an engineer district in Vicksburg, Mississippi; assistant division
commander of the 9th Infantry Division and High Tech Test Bed in Ft. Lewis,
Washington; commandant of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point; and commanding general of
the U.S. Army Engineer Training Center at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri.
Key staff assignments included service as a White House Fellow on the White House staff;
teaching on the engineering and history department faculties at West Point; executive to the
Army Chief of Staff in the Pentagon; and finally, assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
of Staff. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, Moellering holds a master’s degree in
engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and is a graduate of the Stanford
Business School Marketing Management Course for Senior Executives. Since joining the USAA board
in 1996, Moellering has served on various committees and chaired the Finance and Audit
Committee for six years before becoming the Chairman in late 2007.
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Josue Robles Jr.
Maj. General, USA (Ret.)
- Member since 1967.
- Elected 2007.
- Member, Governance and Executive committees
Robles is president and chief executive officer of USAA. He also served as the executive
vice president, chief financial officer and corporate treasurer. From 1990 to 1994, Robles was
a member of the USAA Board of Directors. He joined USAA in 1994 as an employee after 28 years
of distinguished military service, which included serving in Korea, Vietnam, Germany and the
Middle East.
He was the director of the Army Budget and was the commanding general, 1st Infantry Division
(The Big Red One). During his military career, Robles was recognized numerous times for service
and honor. He received the Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Legion of
Merit with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster and the Meritorious
Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster.
Robles holds a bachelor of business administration degree in accounting from Kent State
University and a master’s degree in business administration from Indiana State
University. In addition, Robles also serves on the boards of DTE Energy and several nonprofit
organizations.
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John P. Abizaid
General, USA (Ret.)
- Member since 1973.
- Elected 2007.
- Vice Chair, Marketing and Programs Committee
Abizaid is an independent consultant on international and strategic issues, a director of
RPM International Inc. and Defense Venture Group, and an advisory board member of several
corporations. He also serves as the Distinguished Chair of West Point’s Combating
Terrorism Center.
Abizaid’s 34-year Army career included serving as the Commander of the United States
Central Command, overseeing American military operations in a 27-country region, from the
Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula and South and Central Asia, covering much of the Middle
East while supervising 250,000 U.S. troops. He commanded troops during the invasion of Grenada,
the Gulf War and in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Abizaid was also the executive assistant to the
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, director of strategic plans and policy on the Joint
Staff and director of Joint Staff.
A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Abizaid holds a master’s degree
in area studies from Harvard University, and was an Olmsted scholar at the University of
Jordan. As a member of the USAA board, Abizaid served on the Finance and Audit Committee before
becoming a member and then vice chair of the Marketing and Programs Committee.
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Patricia C. Barron
- Member since 1972.
- Elected 2000.
- Chair, Compensation and Workforce Committee; member, Governance and Executive committees
Barron is the lead director of Quaker Chemical Corp. and a director of Ultralife Corporation
and Teleflex Inc. She is a former professor at the Stern School of Business, New York University.
She serves as a trustee of several nonprofits that focus on her interests in education and
health. She also served as president of two Xerox divisions and as vice president, Business
Operations Support.
Barron graduated from Bedford College of Physical Education in the United Kingdom and holds
a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard Business School. As a member of
the USAA board, Barron served as vice chair of the Finance and Audit Committee, and chair of
the Compensation and Workforce Committee.
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Herman E. Bulls
Colonel, USAR (Ret.)
- Member since 1977.
- Elected 2010.
- Member, Finance and Audit Committee
Bulls is the founder and chief executive officer of Jones Lang LaSalle’s Public
Institutions division, specializing in delivering real estate solutions to government entities,
nonprofit organizations, transportation facilities and higher education institutions. He is
also president and chief executive officer of Bulls Advisory Group LLC. He co-founded and
served as CEO of Bulls Capital Partners LLC, a commercial mortgage company which included
SunTrust and Goldman Sachs as successive partners. The company was sold to a Wall Street entity
in 2010. He is on the boards of directors of Comfort Systems, USA and Rasmussen Inc. and is
vice chair of the West Point Association of Graduates Board of Directors.
Bulls completed almost 12 years of active duty service with the United States Army. His last
active duty assignments were working in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for
Financial Management at the Pentagon and as an assistant professor of economics and finance at
West Point. He has completed the Army’s Airborne, Ranger and Command and General Staff
College courses and served overseas in the Republic of Korea. He retired as a colonel in the
U.S. Army Reserves in 2008.
He is a member of the Executive Leadership Council, an organization of senior African
American business executives from FORTUNE 500® companies, and former chairman
of the board of directors of the Executive Leadership Foundation.
Bulls received a bachelor of science degree in engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at
West Point and a master’s of business administration degree in finance from Harvard
Business School.
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Thomas P. Carney
Lt. General, USA (Ret.)
- Member since 1963.
- Elected 1997.
- Chair, Marketing and Programs Committee; member, Governance and Executive committees
A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, Carney is an independent consultant to the defense
industry and chairman of CALIBRE Systems Inc.
He held a variety of key command and staff
positions, including director, program analysis and evaluation, Office of the Chief of Staff,
Army; commanding general, 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Polk, Louisiana;
commanding general, U.S. Army Recruiting Command; assistant division commander, 82nd
Airborne Division; executive to the vice chief of staff, Army; commander, 3rd
Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Korea; and commander, 2nd Battalion
(Mechanized), 87th Infantry, Mainz, Germany. Carney also served two infantry tours
in Vietnam.
After a 31-year military career, he served as Deputy Librarian of Congress, where he was
chief executive officer.
Carney earned a master’s degree in operations research and systems analysis from the
U.S. Naval Postgraduate School.
As a member of the USAA board, Carney served on the Finance and Audit Committee, as vice
chair of the Personnel and Membership Committee, and chair of the Marketing and Programs Committee.
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Eileen M. Collins
Colonel, USAF (Ret.)
- Member since 1978.
- Elected 2007.
- Member, Marketing and Programs Committee; Chair, USAA Advisory Panel
A former military instructor and test pilot, Collins was the first female pilot and first
female commander of a space shuttle. She has logged more than 6,700 hours in 30 different types
of aircraft and more than 850 hours in space as a veteran of four space flights.
She currently serves as chair of the Space Operations Committee on the NASA Advisory Council
and is a consultant in the aerospace industry.
Collins earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and economics from Syracuse
University, a master’s degree in operations research from Stanford University, and a
master’s degree in space systems management from Webster University.
As a member of the USAA board, Collins has served on the Finance and Audit Committee and the
Marketing and Programs Committee.
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Stephen B. Croker
Lt. General, USAF (Ret.)
- Member since 1963.
- Elected 1996.
- Member, Finance and Audit Committee
Following retirement from active duty, Croker trained officers and their staffs from the 26
nations of NATO, as well as all U.S. military services, in joint warfare. Currently, Croker
assists the local school superintendent and area small businesses with strategic planning and
assessment, and is an apprentice furniture maker.
During his Air Force career, Croker served with the Air Combat Command and the Strategic Air
Command, and commanded the 8th Air Force at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. He
served in the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and was the military
assistant to the president’s special emissary on POW and MIA affairs. He was a senior
mentor at U.S. Joint Forces Command, responsible for developing Joint Task Force commanders and
staffs. For the U.S. Air Force’s Operational Command Training Program, he mentored Joint
Force Air Component commanders and senior officers assigned to air operations centers. Croker
headed NATO’s senior mentor program and has also mentored with the U.S. Army Battle
Command Training Program, as well as with officers at Air Mobility Command’s Warfare
Center, Joint Forces Staff College, Air University and the Marine Corps University.
A U.S. Air Force Academy graduate, Croker earned a master’s degree in international
relations from Georgetown University and a master’s degree in business administration
from Golden Gate University.
As a member of the USAA board, Croker served on the Personnel and Membership Committee and
the Finance and Audit Committee.
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Thomas B. Fargo
Admiral, USN (Ret.)
- Member since 1970.
- Elected 2006.
- Vice Chair, Compensation and Workforce Committee; Executive Committee
Fargo, former commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, joined the private sector in 2005. He
currently serves on the boards of directors of Northrop Grumman and Hawaiian Electric
Industries, among other companies and nonprofits.
His 35-year Naval career included six assignments in Washington, D.C., and five commands in
the Pacific, Indian Ocean and Middle East. He was the 20th officer to hold the
position of Commander, U.S. Pacific Command, and also served as the 29th Commander in Chief of
the U.S. Pacific Fleet. His service as a leader in the Pacific was preceded by his command of
the U.S. Fifth Fleet and Naval Forces of the Central Command during two years of Iraqi
contingency operations. As the senior U.S. military commander in East Asia and the Pacific, he
led the largest unified command while directing the joint operations of the Army, Navy, Marine
Corps and Air Force. He was responsible to the Secretary of Defense, and was the U.S. military
representative for collective defense arrangements in the Pacific.
Fargo earned a bachelor of science degree from the U.S. Naval Academy and has additional
business and related training from Harvard University and Stanford University. As a member of
the USAA board, Fargo served on the Finance and Audit Committee, and as a member and vice chair
of the Compensation and Workforce Committee.
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Tracy L. Garrett
Maj. General, USMCR
- Member since 1987.
- Elected 2010.
- Member, Marketing and Programs Committee
Garrett is currently commanding general of the 4th Marine Logistics Group, Marine Forces
Reserve, United States Marine Corps. During her distinguished career she has served as
commander of both Marine Forces Europe and Marine Forces Africa and as Inspector General of the
Marine Corps, the first woman to hold that top post. She has served on the Secretary of the
Navy’s Marine Corps Reserve Policy Board.
Garrett is a graduate of the Reserve
Amphibious Warfare Course, Reserve Command and Staff Course, Reserve Intelligence Officers
Course and the Advanced Logistics Officers Course. She received her bachelor’s degree in
English from the University of Washington and attended the Naval War College, Newport, Rhode
Island, receiving her master’s degree in national security and strategic studies.
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Frederick M. Hamilton
Captain, USCG (Ret.)
- Member since 1965.
- Elected 1998.
- Member, Finance and Audit Committee; Vice Chair, USAA Advisory Panel
Hamilton was a recognized leader in the telecommunications infrastructure industry and
played a major role in shaping that industry’s new competitive market. He was formerly a
vice president of network construction and maintenance for Tyco Telecommunications in
Morristown, New Jersey. The company designed, manufactured and installed, as well as owned and
operated, fiber optic telecommunications submarine cable systems. Hamilton has more than 30
years of experience as an executive, manager and technical professional. He serves on the
board of Forward Industries.
During almost 27 years of military service, Hamilton held key command and staff positions in
the U.S. Coast Guard. An honors graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Hamilton holds a
master’s degree in naval architecture and marine engineering and a master’s degree
in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He also earned a
master’s degree in management from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
As a member of the USAA board, Hamilton has at various times served on the Personnel and
Membership Committee and the Finance and Audit Committee.
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Lester L. Lyles
General, USAF (Ret.)
- Member since 1968.
- Elected 2004.
- Vice Chairman of the Board; Vice Chair, Governance and Executive committees; member, Compensation and Workforce Committee
Lyles is a director of General Dynamics Corp., KBR Corp., Dayton Power and Light and
Precision Castparts Corp. He is a member of the NASA Advisory Council and the President’s
Intelligence Advisory Board.
During his 35-year military career, this distinguished graduate of the Air Force ROTC
program served as commander of the Air Force Materiel Command, Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S.
Air Force, director of the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization and commander of the Space
and Missile Systems Center. His awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal,
Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal and Legion of Merit.
Lyles received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Howard University.
He received a master’s degree in mechanical/nuclear engineering, as well as an honorary
doctor of laws, from New Mexico State University.
As a member of the USAA board, Lyles served on the Finance and Audit Committee, as vice
chair of the Marketing and Programs Committee, as a member of the Compensation and Workforce
Committee, and as vice chairman of the board.
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Michael E. Ryan
General, USAF (Ret.)
- Member since 1964.
- Elected 2002.
- Vice chair, Finance and Audit Committee
Ryan was the 16th Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, responsible for
organizing, training and equipping a force of more than 700,000 active duty, reserve and
civilian members. He is now the president of the consulting firm Ryan Associates, focused on
national defense. He is chairman of the boards of CAE USA and SELEX Galileo Inc. and is a
director on several other boards.
During his Air Force career, he flew more than 150 combat missions and commanded at all
levels, from squadron through major command. As commander of the 16th Air Force and Allied Air
Forces Southern Europe in Italy, he directed NATO air combat operations in Bosnia and
Herzegovina, which directly contributed to the Dayton Peace Accords. He also served in staff
assignments at the major command level, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, and the Joint Staff.
Before assuming his position as chief of staff, Ryan was commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe
and commander, Allied Air Forces Central Europe.
A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Ryan earned a master’s degree in business
administration from Auburn University and completed the National Security Program at Harvard
University.
As a member of the USAA board, Ryan has at various times served on the Finance and Audit
Committee, the Personnel and Membership Committee, the Compensation and Benefits Committee, and
as the vice chair of the Finance and Audit Committee.
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Joseph C. Strasser Sr.
Rear Admiral, USN (Ret.)
- Member since 1964.
- Elected 1998.
- Chair, Finance and Audit Committee; member, Governance and Executive committees
Strasser is the former executive director of the Naval War College Foundation in Newport,
Rhode Island, and currently serves as a trustee. He is the former dean of Pennsylvania State
University’s Commonwealth College. Strasser had a long and successful 32-year career in
the U.S. Navy, culminating in his selection for rear admiral. He commanded the U.S.S.
O’Callahan, Destroyer Squadron 35, Cruiser-Destroyer Group 3 and the U.S.S. Enterprise
Carrier Battle Group. He also served as executive assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
of Staff and as president of the Naval War College.
A U.S. Naval Academy graduate, Strasser earned master’s degrees in international
relations and international law and diplomacy and a doctorate in political science, all from
Tufts University.
As a member of the USAA board, Strasser served as a member of the Personnel and Membership
Committee and has at various times served on the Finance and Audit Committee as a member, vice
chair and chair.
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Daniel W. Christman
Lt. General, USA (Ret.)
- Member since 1965.
- Elected 1995.
- Retired 2010.
Christman served as the senior vice president, international affairs, for the U.S. Chamber
of Commerce and is currently a senior counselor to the Chamber’s president and CEO. He is
on the board of Entegris Corp., Teradyne Inc., and several nonprofits.
During his 36-year military career, Christman served as assistant to the Chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. representative to the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization’s Military Committee and member of the National Security Council staff in
the Office of the President. As a combat veteran of Southeast Asia, he commanded a company of
the 101st Airborne Division. During the Gulf War in 1991, Christman headed a strategic
planning group that advised the Army’s Chief of Staff on war prosecution policies. He
also served as Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. During his
stewardship, Christman launched the first-ever capital campaign for West Point — a $150
million initiative that was key to rebuilding the infrastructure and leadership development
programs.
He graduated first in his class from the U.S. Military Academy, and holds master’s
degrees in public affairs and civil engineering from Princeton University and a juris doctorate
degree from George Washington University.
During his tenure as a USAA director, Christman served as a member of the Marketing and
Programs committee and as vice chair of the Finance and Audit and the Personnel and Membership
committees. His leadership and experience have directly contributed to the success of USAA.
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Leslie G. Denend
Colonel, USAF (Ret.)
- Member since 1962.
- Elected 1996.
- Retired 2010.
A director of Exponent Corp., McAfee Inc. and VeriFone Corporation, Denend is the former
president and chief executive officer of Network General Corporation.
During his 20-year Air Force career, he served on President Reagan’s economic
policy staff, and flew more than 190 combat missions in Southeast Asia. Denend had
responsibilities for the defense budget, space, the Middle East and intelligence matters for
the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as the Air Force member of the Chairman’s Staff
Group. In the Carter administration, Denend shared responsibility for nuclear nonproliferation
policy, human rights and refugee matters, and the issues associated with conventional arms
transfers as a member of the National Security Council staff. In 1979, he became the special
assistant to the President’s National Security Advisor. In the Ford administration,
Denend received a White House Fellowship, serving as executive assistant to the director of the
Council on International Economic Policy.
A distinguished graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, he holds a master’s degree in
business administration and a doctorate in economics, public policy and business from Stanford
University. He was a Fulbright scholar in economics at the University of Bonn.
During his tenure as a USAA director, Denend served as chair of the Finance and Audit
Committee and vice chairman of the Board of Directors. He also served on the Personnel and
Membership and Marketing and Programs committees. Throughout his tenure Denend demonstrated
excellent leadership during a period of great change and growth for USAA.
While other
companies struggled against economic headwinds, USAA maintained its reputation for the best
customer service, added members, strengthened its financial foundation and offered new products
and services to help members work toward their financial security.
