In the Footsteps of Leaders® Historians, Facilitators & Staff
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. Travel in the footsteps of leaders with an experienced team of historians and facilitators who will connect you to the leadership experiences of the battle and immerse your team in the art of leadership.
We are pleased to introduce you to our team of leaders.
Brian Klinzing
Gettysburg Foundation Vice President of Philanthropy & Leadership Program Executive Director
Brian Klinzing has more than 20 years of experience managing teams and leading campaigns for a variety of nationally-significant nonprofit organizations, including the New-York Historical Society, National Audubon Society, Humane Society International and Orbis International. Early in his career, he spent several years as an Adjunct Professor of History at Fordham University, where he holds an MA in History. He holds a BA in History from the University of Florida. He recently completed an MBA at George Washington University with a concentration in Corporate Responsibility and Strategic Management. He also completed an Executive Leadership Development Course at the Ivey Business School Asia in Hong Kong.
Brian lives outside Frederick, Md. with his wife and young son.
Britt Isenberg
Gettysburg Foundation Leadership Program Manager
Britt Isenberg is a graduate of Millersville University of Pennsylvania. His professional leadership experience prior to joining the Gettysburg Foundation spanned several industries, including transportation and food production. He has utilized that experience for leadership programming at Gettysburg since he became a Licensed Battlefield Guide in 2014.
Britt has also worked in research and interpretive development at Civil War sites since 2010. He is the author of more than a dozen articles about various aspects of Civil War history and has also authored two non-fiction books about the Civil War, The Boys Fought Like Demons (2016) and The 21st Pennsylvania Cavalry (2022). He co-authored Gettysburg’s Peach Orchard with James A. Hessler (2019).
William Griffith
Gettysburg Foundation Leadership Program Associate
A native of Branchburg, New Jersey, William received his BA 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 Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide since 2018. Previously, William had 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).
Paul Semanek
Gettysburg Foundation Spangler Farm Site Coordinator
Paul Semanek has been the site coordinator for the historic George Spangler Farm & Field Hospital for the past six years. The historic site is owned and operated by the Gettysburg Foundation. He also volunteered for the Foundation for three years. Prior to relocating to Franklin County, Pennsylvania, Paul was in the residential real estate business for 21 years. He held a variety of positions including salesperson, trainer, broker-owner and director of career development.
Prior to entering the real estate business, Paul was a sworn uniform member of the New York State Police for 23 years and retired as Director of Public Information. He also served in the United States Marine Corps and is a Vietnam Veteran.
He lives in Fayetteville, Pennsylvania, with his wife of 44 years, Janice. He has two grown children and one granddaughter who are living in New Jersey.
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.
Christopher Army
Licensed Battlefield Guide Chris Army is an executive trainer for Johnson Controls. The position allows Chris to utilize his battlefield guide talents and experience for presenting engaging content in developing live and eLearning courses on product features, configuration and sales.
Author of a Blue & Gray Magazine feature on the North Carolinian Brigade of Alfred M. Scales, Chris continually works on Gettysburg-related projects. He is also a past president and board member of the Adams County Historical Society.
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.
Paul Bailey
Licensed Battlefield Guide Paul Bailey is a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel and Operation IRAQI FREEDOM veteran. He currently serves as an exercise support / training assessment specialist for the Department of Defense for the Joint Staff J7 in Suffolk, Va.
Paul previously served as a facilitator for the National Defense University CAPSTONE program—the senior leader education program for newly promoted General and Flag Officers. Through his experience in preparing individuals for coalition operations, Paul provides insights to corporate leaders on the Gettysburg lessons of teamwork, decisions and strategies.
Howard F. Burrell
Howard Burrell has served as a Facilitator with the Gettysburg Foundation’s leadership program, In the Footsteps of Leaders®, for several years. Howard has been working with groups from higher education, government, military and the private sector. A retired United Methodist pastor, Howard spent thirty years training both clergy and laity in the areas of professional leadership, personal growth and development, group dynamics, and organizational development. He has taught Classics at Duquesne University and earned degrees from Geneva College, Asbury Theological Seminary and Duquesne University.
Howard is a contributing writer for the Gettysburg Foundation newsletter, Preservation & Progress and author of the Women and the War series. He is a docent at the George Spangler Farm & Field Hospital and a Trustee of the Adams County Historical Society.
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 Sates 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.
James Hessler
James Hessler has two decades of experience as a Licensed Battlefield Guide. A vice president in the financial services industry, Jim brings a background of leadership in change management, risk management and operations strategy to his battlefield presentations.
A member of the ALBG Executive Council, Jim authored and co-authored three books on the Gettysburg campaign, Sickles at Gettysburg;(2009), Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg (2015) and Gettysburg’s Peach Orchard (2019).
Co-host of the Battle of Gettysburg Podcast, Jim has appeared on national media, written articles for national publications, is a frequent speaker at Civil War Round Tables and taught courses at the Harrisburg (Pa.) Area Community College.
Jasan Hileman
Licensed Battlefield Guide Jasan Hileman is an avid Civil War historian and past president of the Cumberland Valley Civil War Round Table. He 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 a background of quick decision making, emergency response and the use of available resources to protect lives in his battlefield tours.
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.
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.
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.
Mary Turk-Meena
Licensed Bafield 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.
Tom Vossler
Retired Army Colonel Tom Vossler is a Licensed Battlefield Guide specializing in battlefield studies and leadership. He has conducted seminars for the U.S. military as well as military units from Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Canada.
Tom taught military history, strategy and leadership at the U.S. Army War College and is a former director of the U.S. Army Military History Institute at Carlisle Barracks, Pa. He has participated in two productions for The History Channel as well as appearing on C-Span3's American Artifacts and numerous appearances on the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN). Tom has co-written two books on Gettysburg and the Civil War, The Gettysburg Campaign and A Field Guide to Gettysburg.
David Weaver, Ph.D.
Licensed Battlefield Guide Dave Weaver is a veteran of the guide force since 1986. He is also a veteran of the war in Iraq. Dave served as a captain (staff officer) in an infantry unit. He is currently a professor of 20th Century U.S. Government and Military History at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania.
Dave is an avid birder, wildlife artist and map maker. He is the expert on Dwight D. Eisenhower’s first assignment at Camp Colt, Gettysburg during World War I.