Governance
The Board of Directors of the Defense Forum Foundation
Ambassador J. William Middendorf, II, has been Chairman of the Defense Forum Foundation since 1988. He previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to the European Communities from 1985-1987; Ambassador to the Organization of American States from 1981-1985; Secretary of the Navy from 1974-1976; and Ambassador to the Netherlands from 1969-1973. In 2002, he received the Maritime Security Lifetime Excellence Award. Middendorf helped start the Marine Corps Marathon and the trophy is named in his honor. In addition to serving as Chairman of DFF, he also serves as a trustee for the Heritage Foundation and on the Board of the International Republican Institute. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1944-1946 in the Pacific Theater.
Suzanne Scholte has been President of the Defense Forum Foundation since 1989 and was one of its founding Board members. She formerly served as Chief of Staff for former Congressman Mac Sweeney, who served on the House Armed Services and the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committees. At the time she was the youngest Chief of Staff on Capitol Hill. Scholte also served as Political Director of the Fund for a Conservative Majority and Projects Director for the American Conservative Union. She is also the Chairman of the U.S.-Western Sahara Foundation, Chairman of the North Korea Freedom Coalition, Vice Chairman and a Founding Board Member of the U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, and a Board member of Christian Solidarity Worldwide-USA.
Tidal W. McCoy, DFF Vice Chairman, is Chairman of Washington Capital Partners and a former Vice President of Government Relations for Thiokol Corporation. Prior to joining Thiokol, McCoy was appointed by former President Ronald Reagan as the Acting Secretary of the Air Force. He also served as the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Readiness Support and Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower, Reserve Affairs, and Installations. Before these appointments, McCoy was assistant for National Security Affairs for Senator Jake Garn. He is a Vietnam Army Veteran.
Dr. Fred C. Ikle, Board Member, is a Distinguished Scholar with the Center for International and Strategic Studies. He served as Undersecretary of Defense for Policy for former President Ronald Reagan from 1981 through 1988. Previously, he served as Director of the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. Dr. Ikle continues to consult for the U.S. government on national security issues and is the author of many books and articles on defense, foreign policy, and arms control, including Every War Must End and How Nations Negotiate. He is a founding Board Member of the U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea and served as its first Chairman.
Ambassador Frank Ruddy, Board Member, is a partner in the law firm Ruddy & Muir. He previously served as Deputy Chairman of the U.N. Peacekeeping Referendum for Western Sahara; Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Sierra Blanca International; and General Counsel of the Department of Energy. He was appointed by former President Reagan as Ambassador to Equatorial Guinea and as Assistant Administrator of the Agency for International Development. Ambassador Ruddy was a founding Board of Advisor for the U.S.-Western Sahara Foundation.
Ambassador Holly Coors, Board Member, is the President and Founder of Women of Our Hemisphere Achieving Together. In addition to serving on DFF’s Board of Directors, Coors serves on the Boards of the Heritage Foundation and the Inter-Collegiate Studies Institute, and is a Trustee of the Coors Foundation. She has an endowed chair (first woman) at the U.S. Air Force Academy and served as an Ambassador to the National Year of the Americas from an appointment by former President Ronald Reagan.
Admiral James L. Holloway, III (USN, ret.), Board Member, retired in 1978 as the twentieth Chief of Naval Operations after thirtynine years of active service in the U.S. Navy. He currently serves as Chairman Emeritus of the Historic Annapolis Foundation, Chairman of the Naval Historical Foundation, Chairman of the U.S. Naval Academy Endowment Trust, as well as a Director of the Olmsted Foundation and a Trustee of the George C. Marshall Foundation. He served on the Commission on Merchant Marine and Defense and on the Defense Commission on Long Term Integrated Strategy. From 1981 until 1988 he was the President of the Council of American-Flag Ship Operators.
Chadwick R. Gore is the founder of DFF and a member of the Board of Directors. Currently, he serves as a Staff Advisor for Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE). He has served as Senior Human Rights Advisor at the Department of State and a Senior Policy Advisor at the United States Information Agency. He is a Vietnam Navy veteran.
John Mucci serves as the Treasurer of the Defense Forum Foundation. He is the President of Mission Group Kansas, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit company that provides post-secondary training, and an expert in federal regulations pertaining to Federal Financial Aid. He is a veteran of the United States Coast Guard where he served as a communications specialist.
JEB Carney, Board Member, is Chief Executive Officer of Stratmark. A marathon runner, he organized the first international marathon between the three major refugee camps of the Sahrawi people. He has served as the Executive Director of GOPAC, President of both the Concord Group and the National Leadership Council and worked with former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole and the Senate Majority Leader’s Joint Trust.
Robert R. Sparks, Jr. of Sparks and Craig serves as the Corporate Counsel for DFF.
Rubino & McGeehin serve as the Certified Public Accountant for DFF.