About
THE PREMIER LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
FOR TRANSITIONING VETERANS 

ABOUT US

 Providing U.S. Veterans With A Direct Path To Longterm Career Success In The Private Sector

OUR MISSION.

To honor our veterans of war through a continuous program of education, community, and mentorship that develops carefully selected individuals into long-lasting, impactful, and significant leaders in the private sector.

WHY?

To provide the opportunity for a prosperous transition into the business community. To serve those who have served… we owe it to them.

HOW?

Valor Bridge  provides a full encompassing process including resources, networking opportunities, and a partnership of coaching and learning. A mentoring partnership between the business community and veterans.
How We Got Started
Founded in 2015 to provide U.S. veterans with the opportunity for a prosperous transition into the business community, the Valor Bridge Foundation created a unique leadership transition program specifically addressing the common need identified across veterans: effective preparation.

Valor Bridge founders, Ted Brown and Link Wifley, recognized an untapped demographic of veterans who had the ability to become long-lasting, impactful, and significant leaders within the private sector, but without the right resources, training, and mentorship, they were fighting against the stiff current of military to civilian transition.

In response, Denver-based Valor Bridge created a leadership transition program to support troops stepping out of a known community like the military and attempting to navigate a
path toward a new industry.

Without proper partnership and guidance, this transition can be confusing and isolating -- leaving countless, talented leaders underutilized and underappreciated in the private sector.

OUR TEAM

The Board of Directors represents a cross-section of executives and veterans who have leveraged their networks, business skills, and personal understanding of effective military transition to solicit funding, mentors, and trainers, and build the program curriculum.

Our Director

Jen Burch

Director
Jen Burch is the Director of Valor Bridge. She has an incredible journey both in and outside the military. She spent over 6 years in the United States Air Force, where she served one deployment to Kandahar, Afghanistan. She medically retired in 2014 and headed back to school. Jen brings a wealth of nonprofit, military, local and vertical experience, which Valor Bridge will benefit from her talent and dedication! She's in active leader in the veteran community in Colorado and the nation. She serves on two boards, Colorado Veterans Project and Center for Law and Military Policy. She is originally from the DC/ Maryland area. She loves to spend her spare time outside enjoying the backcountry of Colorado and traveling the world with her camera in hand. 

Our Executive Board Members

Ted Brown | Co-founder

Chairman
Co-chair Development Committee
Business: Executive Vice President, Lockton Companies; Corporate and Commercial Insurance, risk finance and management for real estate, construction, private equity and manufacturing clients.
 
Why Valor Bridge: Because it’s our duty.
 
Likes: Family (wife and 3 kiddos), hunting, shooting, mixed martial arts, travel, mountain biking, good friends, cold beer and service to our community.
 
Dislikes: Inauthenticity.
 
What you think about walking around
: Be a warrior for who and what I believe in. Build authentic relationships that inspire greatness in myself and others. Persistence and Determination alone are omnipotent. Make good things happen.

Link Wilfley | Co-founder


Co-chair Development Committee
Business: A.R. Wilfley & Sons, Inc., Heavy Duty Centrifugal Pump Manufacturer. Western Foundries, Hard Iron and Stainless Steel Foundry.
 
Why Valor Bridge: Because we owe it.
 
Likes: Wife, kids, hockey, rugby, hunting, shooting, skiing, travel, and an occasional drink.
 
Dislikes: Dishonesty.
 
What you think about walking around: Do it right. Never satisfied. Be authentic. Do what you say.

Alex O'Brien | USMC Veteran

Executive Board Member
Co-chair Veteran & Fellow Relations
Business: Cardinal Group Management, national real estate management.
 
Why Valor Bridge: My mentor in the Marine Corps made me the leader I am today and I want to be able to pay that back.
 
Likes: Family, food, football and “Merica!
 
Dislikes: Injustice. People who let the door slam without looking behind them to see if anyone else is there. Loud chewing.
 
What you think about walking around: Never quit, never give up. America has been and still can be a light for this world and loving this country means loving your fellow man. Fight the fight. Run the Race until we hear “well done, good and faithful servant.”

Shane Dottenwhy | USMC Veteran

Executive Board Member
Chair Finance Committee
Business: Pride Construction LLC, Executive
 
Why Valor Bridge: I want to aid fellow veterans with their transition from military to business and do my part to help them succeed and prosper.
 
Likes: Family (wife and son), travel, fishing, shooting, enjoying the outdoors.
 
Dislikes: Dishonesty.
 
What you think about walking around: Be a man of principle. Fight for what you believe in. Keep your word. Live with integrity. Be brave. Believe in something bigger than yourself. Serve your country. Teach. Mentor. Give something back to society. Lead from the front. Conquer your fears. Be a good friend. Be humble and be self-confident. Appreciate your friends and family. Be a leader and not a follower. Be valorous on the field of battle. And take responsibility for your actions. Never forget those who were killed, and never let rest those who killed them. – Maj. Doug Zembiec (Lion of Fallujah).

Mike Andrews | USMC Veteran

Executive Board Member
Co-chair Programs Committee
Business: Project & Implementation Manager at Tact.global
 
Why Valor Bridge: Exiting the military and transitioning into the civilian business world can be incredibly overwhelming. For most veterans, from the day they arrive at recruit training, to the day they transition out, they always have leaders and mentors to look to, and a structured, progressive path to success. For many veterans, entering the civilian life is the first time they have stepped into a new arena, alone, with no training or rehearsed standard operating procedures to fall back on, and no trusted leader to turn to for guidance. Helping fellow veterans bridge that gap and have a trusted business leader to turn to is what Valor Bridge is all about.
 
Likes: Hockey, the Green Bay Packers.
 
Dislikes: Brussels sprouts, waiting in lines, pessimism.
 
What you think about walking around
: I’m a bit obsessive, and now a commercial real estate broker, so I’m usually thinking about office leases and how to drum up new opportunities.

Nick Schubert | Attorney, Flatiron Construction

Executive Board Member
Co-chair Programs Committee
Business: Attorney, Executive
 
Why Valor Bridge: There is a clear opportunity to support America's veterans and improve the business community. Veterans bring a fantastic breadth of experience and deep capability as both leaders and team players. They are looking for opportunities to contribute and succeed. Many businesses have a strong need for contributors with maturity, personal integrity, self-awareness, confidence, and the initiative and follow through to get things done and help motivate others within their organizations. They often struggle to find people with these attributes. Valor Bridge supports veterans transitioning into the business community in a way that satisfies needs and creates opportunities for both. I believe in this mission.

Likes: Family, friends, trail running, skiing, competitive shooting, fast motorcycles, whiskey and time above tree line.
 
Dislikes: Lack of character, people who avoid personal responsibility.
 
What you think about walking around: What’s possible; Appreciating what’s good; Creating opportunities and strong relationships; Never forgetting to ask: “What can I learn from this?”; Being present and living with heart; My people (family, friends, colleagues, my dogs).

Izzy Abbass | US Army Veteran

Executive Board Member
Co-chair Veteran & Fellow Relations
Business: Strategic telecommunications consultant and veterans advocate.
 
Why Valor Bridge
: Veterans are not looking for a handout – they are looking for an opportunity and Valor Bridge provides that opportunity.
 
Likes: Family, international travel, history and single-malts.
 
Dislikes: Hypocrisy and surface dwellers.
 
What you think about walking around: I fluctuate between wondering what my hounds got into and how best to react to an ambush in my current location – yes I know, strange habit.

Reid Page | Attorney, Kutak Rock LLP

Executive Board Member
Chair Corporate Partnerships Committee
Reid Page is an attorney with the law firm Kutak Rock LLP, where he focuses on litigating and trying business disputes for a wide range of companies. Mr. Page also serves as primary outside legal advisor for a number of small and mid-sized Colorado companies, consulting on everything from day-to-day issues to large-scale strategic business needs. In his free time, Mr. Page lends his expertise to the Colorado business and veterans' communities, chairing the corporate Partnership Committee of the Valor Bridge Foundation. In that role, he works to leverage the mutually beneficial connections between Colorado's veteran-focused businesses and the state's robust veteran community, fostering long-term, embedded relationships within the private sector that drive awareness, vision and financial support for the nonprofit. Mr. Page is also co-founder of the Denver Brown Water Society, a whiskey-focused charity that raises funds for Colorado's children and veterans. He enjoys every minute he can spend with his children, Neely and Declan, and his wife, Allison, as well as pursuing his summer and winter passions of golf and skiing.

Jen Asbury | Strategic Marketer

Executive Board Member
Co-chair Marketing & Strategic Communications
Jen Asbury is a veteran strategic communications and marketing practitioner with the ability to boil down complex issues, identify differentiators and communicate messages to the right audiences. For 15 years, Ms. Asbury has effectively connected brands with consumers and customers, while quickly earning the trust of leadership and colleagues through patient listening, strategic recommendations and hard work. Prior to founding Ace Group Denver, a public relations / marketing stop focused on Colorado-based businesses, she spent seven years at Edelman Chicago, cutting her teeth on the world’s biggest and most innovative brands, still calling on those skills and media relationships on a daily basis. Ms. Asbury has extensive travel, tech, healthcare and lifestyle experience, having held positions in agency, quasi-governmental and Fortune 50 companies. She consistently and effectively consults C-suites on business and operational decisions, and works with staff to execute decisions across departments and audiences. Ms. Asbury also is a true-blood communications professional who believes communications can not only support every business unit, but at times, it can help drive initiatives from BD to press release to guerilla marketing. She joined the Valor Bridge Foundation board in 2018 as a working member, guiding and executing its marketing and communications initiatives. 

Benjamin Wullschlager, VP Shea Properties

Executive Board Member
Ben Wullsclager is Vice President of Shea Properties, a nationally recognized commercial real estate development company. In this role, Ben is responsible for strategic planning, design and execution of new multi-family and retail developments within the state of Colorado. During his 16 years in the construction and development industry, Ben has planned and built over 3,000 dwelling units, multiple retail centers as well as several municipal and office buildings. Ben holds a BSBA from Bucknell University as well as a LEED AP designation and serves on the Board of Valor Bridge.
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