Leadership Program Faculty & Staff

Staff, Historians & Facilitators

Leadership at the Battle of Gettysburg led to truly dramatic outcomes that changed the course of history, and the lessons left behind are timeless. The fundamental challenges of leadership remain as relevant for organizations today as they were then. Our experienced team of historians and facilitators will connect you to the leadership experiences of the battle and immerse your team in the art of leadership during your customized leadership experience with us.

We are pleased to introduce you to our team of leaders.

Nancy Barr, Ph.D., NREMT
Gettysburg Foundation Leadership Program Director

Nancy earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Lake Superior State University and master's and doctorate degrees in Rhetoric and Technical Communication from Michigan Technological University.

A former newspaper reporter and editor, author of three mystery novels (The Page One trilogy) and communications instructor, Barr has spent her career studying how language shapes our daily lives, especially in team settings. She has taught advanced communication skills at three universities, primarily in undergraduate and graduate engineering programs. She has also volunteered as an EMT and as a training officer for a search and rescue team. A nearly lifelong American Civil War history aficionado, she has a particular interest in how language was used (or misused) to recruit soldiers, build civilian support for the war and achieve objectives on the battlefield. In her current role, she works with companies, non-profits, governmental agencies and K-12 to develop leadership programming that connects the past with present leadership challenges.

William Griffith
Gettysburg Foundation Leadership Program Assistant Manager

A native of Branchburg, NJ, William received his bachelor's degree in History from Shepherd University (2014) and MA in Military History from Norwich University (2018). He is a historian for Emerging Revolutionary War and has been a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg since 2018. William previously served as a historic interpreter for Fort Frederick State Park and the Prince William County (Virginia) Office of Historic Preservation.

William is the author of two books, The Battle of Lake George: England’s First Triumph in the French and Indian War (2016) and A Handsome Flogging: The Battle of Monmouth, June 28, 1778 (2020).

Joel Cymerman
Gettysburg Foundation Leadership Program Associate

Joel possesses a keen interest in history, specifically the American Civil War and the Battle of Gettysburg. In 2016, he received his bachelor's degree in Organization and Management Studies from Gettysburg College.

Over the course of his career, Joel has held numerous management positions in a variety of industries, from retail and hospitality to tourism and marketing. These experiences allow him to connect and relate with a wide range of organizations. In his spare time, Joel enjoys playing drums, watching sports and traveling. 

Rob Abbott

Retired Marine Corps Colonel Rob Abbott is a Licensed Battlefield Guide specializing in battlefield studies and leadership. He has conducted seminars for the U.S. Military, U.S. Forest Service, First Responders, as well as annual staff rides for Princeton and George Mason Universities. 

Rob taught military history, strategy and leadership for the U.S. Marine Corps Command and Staff College and Counterinsurgency and Interagency Coordination for the Marine Corps Small Wars Center in Quantico, Va. He has led from the platoon to regimental level and is a combat veteran of Desert Storm, Somalia and Iraq.

Gene Barr

Gene Barr is president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, the largest broad-based business advocacy group in Pennsylvania. Barr joined the Chamber in 2003 and became president in 2011. He has more than 45 years of experience in politics, government affairs, public policy and business operations including work with BP America, Associated Petroleum Industries of PA, and the Harrisburg law firm of McNees Wallace & Nurick.

He is a member of the US Chamber Board of Directors and the board of the United Way of the Capital Region, and a board member and past chair of the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg. Gene has been named to various state commissions by both Republican and Democrat governors.

Gene has been ranked number ten on City and State PA’s Power 100 list of the most influential people in the public and private sectors statewide. He was also named by his peers as “The Most Effective Association Lobbyist” in the Capitol in a poll conducted by Pennsylvania Legislative Services and was also included in the Pennlive/Patriot News list of the 17 most influential people in Pennsylvania politics in 2017.

He is the author of a non-fiction work on the American Civil War, A Civil War Captain and His Lady: Love, Courtship, and Combat from Fort Donelson through the Vicksburg Campaign.

Gene is a graduate of St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and received a Certificate in Leadership Development as a participant in the 2017 National Security Seminar at the U.S. Army War College. 

Dave Donahue

Dave Donahue has been a Licensed Battlefield Guide since 2009. He was born near Springdale, Pa. Dave is a graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He holds a Masters Degree in History from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Dave was a career Army officer from 1974 to 1994. Upon retirement from the Army, he lived in Colorado where he enjoyed skiing for 12 years. Then, he returned to Pennsylvania to study for the Licensed Battlefield Guide exam.

In 2011, he married Andie Custer Donahue, also a Licensed Battlefield Guide, to whom he refers all questions about horses and Civil War cavalry.

Doug Douds

Col. Douglas G. "Doug" Douds, USMC (ret), is a graduate of Wake Forest University with degrees in history and political science and a master's degree from the United States Army War College in strategic studies. Col. Douds was a graduate of Navy Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun) and was an F/A-18 pilot who deployed multiple times before his retirement. He also served as a strategist and senior speechwriter in the Chairman's Action Group on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

He is now a professor at the United States Army War College. He is also a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg National Military Park and has appeared in documentaries as a subject matter expert on the American Civil War by the American Battlefield Trust, CSpan History, and the History Channel.

John Fitzpatrick

John Fitzpatrick has been a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg since 2004 bringing his life experiences as an Attorney, Arbitrator, Aviator and Veteran to Leadership tours here. An Honors Graduate of Villanova University and the University of Georgia School of Law, he co-authored a Note on the legal issues involved in the recognition by the United States of the Peoples’ Republic of China.

An Active-Duty USMC Tank Platoon Commander, Pilot and Jet Navigation Instructor, including a combat tour of duty in Vietnam in support of USMC, US Army, Australian and South Vietnamese allies, he then entered Law School. He was Senior Counsel in the Chevron Corporation Law Department for thirty-two years focusing on Administrative, Antitrust, Arbitration and Mediation, Environmental, Franchise, Political Law, recruiting and contract matters.  He was a Facilitator in Chevron’s Management and Leadership Forum also serving, for an additional twenty-three years, as an Active citizen-soldier USAF Reservist.  He held a Top-Secret Clearance earning several decorations and the rank of Colonel.

He divides his professional time, between Gettysburg and his other conflict-resolution passion with an active docket of national and international aviation, commercial, construction, energy, securities, and securities employment arbitration cases.  An Arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, he is a Member in Good Standing before the highest Courts in CA, PA, DC, and SCOTUS.

Jean Howard Green

Jean Howard Green has lived in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, all her life. The Howard family has been in the Gettysburg area since the late 1890s.

Jean’s love of history started more than 20 years ago while visiting the National Archives in Washington, DC, and spending three years gathering historical facts on Adams County and surrounding areas. Since then, Jean has been a Cub/Boy Scout den leader, a cheerleading instructor, a tour guide and president of the Historic Church Walking Tour. She was in the 2005 graduating class of LEAD, Leadership Adams and Leadership Hanover. Jean has written a book on her ancestors, My Ancestor’s Journey. Jean is President of the Lincoln Cemetery Project Association and a board member of the Adams County Historical Society. She also holds the title of “Church Historian” of Gettysburg United Methodist Church where she attends services.

Jean has been sharing her scholarship and historical insight with the Gettysburg Foundation's Higher Ground Leadership at Gettysburg programming since its inception.

James Hessler

James Hessler is a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg National Military Park. He has led leadership tours for corporate, educational and law enforcement organizations. He also held leadership roles in the financial services industry for more than 30 years. Jim’s professional executive experience includes change management, risk management, sales, vendor oversight and operations strategy for large and small companies.

Jim has authored or co-authored four books on the Gettysburg campaign: Sickles at Gettysburg (2009), Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg (2015), Gettysburg’s Peach Orchard (2019) and The First Day at Gettysburg (2025). His published work has received several distinguished awards. Jim has made numerous media appearances, co-hosts the Battle of Gettysburg Podcast and served as primary content designer for American Battlefield Trust’s mobile Gettysburg application. He is a frequent guest speaker for historical organizations and has taught adult education courses at the college level. Jim has held leadership positions with the Association of Licensed Battlefield Guides and the Little Big Horn Associates.

Jasan Hileman

Jasan Hileman is a Licensed Battlefield Guide and an avid American Civil War historian, as well as past president of the Cumberland Valley Civil War Round Table. Jasan serves as a member of the management team for First Energy’s Potomac Edison Company in Williamsport, Md.

A volunteer fire fighter with a specialty in advanced rescue, Jasan incorporates into his battlefield tours his knowledge and his background in quick decision making, emergency response and the use of available resources to protect lives

Jeff Kluever

Jeff Kluever has spent more than a decade facilitating leadership professional development for dozens of for-profit and nonprofit organizations, as well as schools, universities and athletic teams. He specializes in helping companies shape their culture and operationalize their values to positively impact performance.

Jeff also served as a museum professional, including a stint as the Education Supervisor at Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier. He has published a novel, with a second coming soon, serves on the Board of Directors for the West Des Moines Historical Society and when not leading professional development workshops, Jeff delivers historical tours and presentations across the country.

Lawrence (Larry) Korczyk

Larry Korczyk is a Licensed Battlefield Guide with 30 years of service as a manager in the logistics and distribution field. With his background in physical resource management, Larry helps connect today’s leadership issues with challenges Gettysburg leaders faced in the timely planning, coordinating and deploying of soldiers and resources during the battle. 

A Civil War reenactor and author, Larry co-authored the book Top Ten at Gettysburg in addition to publishing articles in the Civil War Monitor magazine.

Elaine McLoughlin

Elaine McLoughlin is a transformative leader recognized for empowering change among clients and communities. With more than 25 years of experience, she specializes in helping clients understand technology risks in their financial and business processes. She leads diverse, multi-disciplinary teams to address complex issues while delivering exceptional client service. Elaine's professional experience includes working with multi-national financial services companies, broker-dealers and the secondary mortgage market. She has led initiatives such as External Audits, SOC 1/2 reports and IT Risk Assessments/Gap Analysis. She serves as a PCAOB liaison and is part of the team performing internal inspections for KPMG's Latin America member firms.

Elaine has made significant contributions to the DC-area community by developing young professional committees at major art organizations and establishing student mentoring programs at Georgetown McDonough School of Business.

Therese Orr

Licensed Battlefield Guide Therese Orr has worked at Gettysburg National Military Park since September 2016.

A 30-year veteran of the United States Navy and Navy Reserve, Orr retired as a Senior Chief Intelligence Specialist in 2007. Prior to earning her guide license, she served as Lead Assistant at the former Rupp House History Center in Gettysburg, interpreting the story of the civilian experiences during the three-day battle. Therese frequently presents programs for Gettysburg Foundation sponsored educational events.

Therese enjoys researching and providing specialty tours for visitors to the battlefield and is especially interested in guiding descendants of Civil War soldiers. Therese’s husband, children and grandchildren are descendants of a Union soldier who died in the Battle of Gettysburg and is now buried in Gettysburg National Cemetery.

Michael L. Patterson, Ph.D.

Michael L. Patterson, Ed.D., is a distinguished scholar, pastor and community leader who serves as an adjunct professor at Morehouse College. He earned his B.A. and M.A. in History from Florida State University. His master’s thesis, From the Cotton Field to the Battlefield, is an oral history of African American World War II veterans, showcasing his dedication to amplifying historically underrepresented voices. His academic specialty is U.S. history from Reconstruction to the present, with a particular focus on the struggles and triumphs of African Americans during this period.

Michael holds a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Abilene University. Over the past 12 years, he has focused on community engagement, specializing in fostering collaboration between faith-based organizations, local governments and grassroots initiatives. His innovative work addresses critical issues such as economic empowerment, educational equity and youth mentorship, earning him widespread recognition as a bridge-builder across diverse sectors.

Carol Reardon, Ph.D.

Carol Reardon is a military historian, specializing in the study of the American Civil War and the Vietnam conflict. She takes a broad approach to the study of military history, expanding from traditional battle and campaign analysis, to include social, cultural and economic forces that shape the way we understand war and conflict.

Carol is the George Winfree Professor emerita of American History in the College of Liberal Arts at Penn State’s University Park campus and serves on the Gettysburg Foundation Board of Directors. Her many publications include A Field Guide to Gettysburg: Experiencing the Battlefield through its History, Places, and People (with Tom Vossler); Pickett’s Charge in History and Memory; and Soldiers and Scholars: The U.S. Army and the Uses of Military History. 

She served as Visiting Professor of History at the United States Military Academy in West Point, and has twice been named the General Harold K. Johnson Visiting Professor of History at the United States Army War College in Carlisle, Pa.

Jim Santos

James (Jim) Santos has more than 40 years of experience in property management. As Director of Property Management for Dreyfuss, Mr. Santos supervises a staff of professional Regional Managers overseeing residential and commercial properties located in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia and Pennsylvania.

Over the years, Mr. Santos has accumulated extensive experience in all aspects of multi-family and commercial real estate. From management and operation to redevelopment and acquisition, he has encountered a variety of scenarios. His strengths include financial analysis, communication, personnel management, contract negotiations, project management, mechanical systems, internal auditing and problem-solving. At the core of Mr. Santos’ philosophy, he believes in providing unsurpassed customer service, continuous mentoring of his staff and pursuing efficiency in operations. Mr. Santos has managed real estate at the site level, through portfolios and in a regional capacity. He has also accrued construction management and commercial landscape knowledge from regional positions held with organizations in the property management field. Some of his most rewarding experiences have been from the recruitment of staff, providing guidance and support, and observing their accomplishments and success in their positions. He is a student of leadership and believes in a servant-style method of guidance with staff.

Doug Shupinski

Doug Shupinski is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., and served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps. Doug resigned his commission as a captain in 1989, serving at various duty stations around the world.

Doug retired after his more than 30-year career at a Fortune 100 company, having held various positions in manufacturing, sales, marketing and human resources. He spent his last ten years as Global Director of Leadership Development, responsible for the professional development of some 10,000 managers located in more than 100 countries.

As an Adjunct Instructor at Temple University, Doug has taught classes on the American Revolution and the American Civil War. He speaks extensively on a wide variety of historical topics at numerous seminars and venues. Doug is the author of two books, A Glimpse of Freedom and Absolved From Allegiance.  

In addition to his undergraduate degree from Annapolis, Doug earned his MBA from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, and he has taught college-level management and marketing courses.

Mary Turk-Meena

Licensed Battlefield Guide Mary Turk-Meena is a retired attorney. She specialized in employer-sponsored employee benefit plans and executive compensation for a broad range of companies, from Fortune 100, to mid-size companies, to start ups. 

Mary was consistently recognized as one of the best lawyers in America by Best Lawyers. Designing and implementing change management strategies driven by acquisitions, divestitures and economic cycles and their effect on employees were a constant in Mary's practice. 

Mary is a member of the ALBG Executive Council and a frequent speaker on Gettysburg and Civil War topics.