BBB Announces Military & Veterans Initiative Advisory Board

BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust is excited to announce the Military & Veterans Initiative Advisory Board. This Initiative, sponsored by Zelle® in partnership with the Association of Military Banks of America (AMBA), aims to educate and empower our Nation’s active-duty military, veterans, and their families about safely navigating the marketplace, and to empower their financial security.

The advisory board will play a crucial role in guiding the development of the Military & Veterans Initiative. Through a year-long “train-the-trainer” program, BBB Institute will prepare a select cohort to deliver in-person and virtual training to military families and veterans across the U.S.  Participants for this program will include community outreach professionals from local U.S. BBBs as well as credit counselors from the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) and Accredited Financial Counselors from the Association for Financial Counseling & Planning Education® (AFCPE). The train-the-trainer program is expected to launch in Q3 2024.

The program’s curriculum is tailored to the military and veteran community with guidance from subject matter experts serving on the BBB Military & Veterans Initiative Advisory Board. Members include:

• • Kris McBride, Chief Operating Officer, Air Force Aid Society
  • Eldon Mullis, COO, Army Emergency Relief
  • Valerie Richards, Education Programs Manager, Association for Financial Counseling & Planning Education^®
  • Andia Dinesen, EVP – Communications & Operations, Assoc. of Military Banks of America
  • Shelley Polansky, CEO, Better Business Bureau-Northern Colorado/Wyoming
  • Fredlena Cosby, Marketing & Communications Manager, Better Business Bureau-SE VA/NE NC
  • Jason Wong, COO, Coast Guard Mutual Assistance
  • Edward Carr, Military Affairs, Comcast NBCUniversal
  • Shay Cook, Financial Readiness Manager, FINRA Investor Education Foundation
  • Tara Alderete, Director Enterprise Learning, National Foundation for Credit Counseling
  • Tammy Barlet, VP Government Affairs, Student Veterans of America
  • Monica Rivera, Chief-Stakeholder Engagement & Organizational Change Mgmt., U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs
  • Ben Chance, Chief Fraud Risk Management Officer, Zelle^®
  • Nolan Ashton, Senior Partnerships Manager, Zelle^®

For more details about the Military & Veterans Initiative, visit https://bbbmarketplacetrust.org/military-veterans-initiative/.