Wounded Warrior Project Names Senior VP of Government and Community Relations

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) named René Carbone Bardorf to the role of Senior Vice President of Government and Community Relations today. The move will strengthen WWP and reinforce its commitment to service members, veterans, and their families. 

As the organization's senior representative in the National Capital Region, Bardorf will work collaboratively with federal agencies, including the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs; congressional leaders; businesses; and other nonprofit organizations. This effort will enhance the impacts of WWP's direct programs and charitable investments to empower this generation of wounded veterans and raise public awareness of the needs of our nation's warriors and their families.  

"René's experience in nonprofit and military sectors will further connect Wounded Warrior Project with leaders in Washington and extend the reach of our programs and services so we can serve and empower more veterans across the country," said WWP CEO Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Mike Linnington. "René has a long history of working for those who have served our nation. She has the passion and energy to ensure Wounded Warrior Project can take a leading role in building strategic partnerships to enhance the way injured warriors and their families are cared for. I'm pleased to have her on board to work alongside and complement our policy team and to intensify the contributions we are making in the community."

Bardorf joins WWP from the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA), where she served as the Chief Communications Officer for the largest and longest-standing global defense industry association and led the organization's corporate relations, community outreach, and communications strategy.  

"I am honored to join the Wounded Warrior Project team, which has long been dedicated to making positive impacts in the lives of so many and works tirelessly to meet the needs of our service members and their families," Bardorf said. "I look forward to amplifying our warriors' voices, forming strategic alliances, and creating a lifelong community for warriors and their families to lead fulfilling and meaningful futures."

Prior to NDIA, Bardorf held the appointed position of Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, where she served as a principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense on matters related to public affairs and community outreach. Through policy change and proactive relationship cultivation across industry sectors, she established an unprecedented level of collaboration and transparency to support both the department's initiatives and the needs of the nation's all-volunteer force. 

Bardorf also served as the founding Executive Director of the Bob Woodruff Foundation, where she led a venture-philanthropy model for grant-making that found and funded the most effective programs to address the wide spectrum of challenges that service members and their families face after war. She was the Senior Advisor to the United States Marine Corps on Injured Support and was a founding member of the Marine Corps' Wounded Warrior Regiment. In partnership with a small group of Marine Corps spouses, she was a co-founder of the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund. 

About Wounded Warrior Project
Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) connects, serves, and empowers wounded warriors. Read more at https://newsroom.woundedwarriorproject.org/.

WWP connects nearly 100,000 warriors to life-saving programs and services, which empower them to live life on their terms. Programs and services are free of charge for veterans through the generosity of American donors. WWP also considers advocating for veterans an important part of ensuring warriors receive the care and benefits they deserve. WWP maintains a robust Policy and Government Affairs team that promotes WWP's legislative and regulatory agenda. Read about those efforts at woundedwarriorproject.org/programs/policy-government-affairs.

SOURCE Wounded Warrior Project