Capt. Bill Heard, USNR (ret.)

Bill Heard, CAPT, USNR (Ret.) served as the Foundation’s Public Information Officer for 13 years.  He is a retired Navy Reserve captain with almost 30 years’ experience in Navy public affairs. Earlier, he served eight deployments in Vietnam from October 1966 to May 1968, while his ship was operating along the coast of Vietnam. Heard’s decorations include the Combat Action Ribbon, Meritorious Unit Citation, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, and Naval Reserve Medal.

Heard’s professional background includes 40 years’ experience in public relations counseling in government, corporations, and advertising and public relations agencies. Early in his career, he was a newspaper, television and radio reporter and editor.  He is a journalism graduate of Texas [Continue Reading]

Richard T. SellsSecretary / Chief Financial Officer

Richard Sells graduated from Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., in 1961. He served in the U.S. Army, Armor Corps from 1962 until 1969, attaining the rank of Captain, USAR.

Sells qualified as a Certified Public Accountant in California, and worked for Arthur Anderson & Co. He also worked for thirty-three years as an executive in the Cemetery Industry. He retired from Service Corporation International (SCI), the world’s largest owner of funeral homes and cemeteries, having served as a Senior Vice President for Domestic and International sales, and President of SCI’s Western States operations.

Sells devised and constructed the traveling replica Vietnam Memorial Wall and introduced the Homeless Veterans Burial program for San Diego [Continue Reading]

Jeff Simonides

Jeff Simonides was born and raised in San Diego. He graduated from Herbert Hoover High School in 1976, and attended Miramar College, San Diego City College and National University studying fire science and criminal justice.

Simonides is a former fire chief and earned several life saving citations. He is the owner and operator of an electrical contracting business. Simonides has been a certified mediator and has served with the Restorative Justice Program and San Diego Legal Aid, where he also works on conflict resolution within the juvenile justice system, both criminal and civil.

Simonides is a certified firearms instructor, and coordinates a program that helps rehabilitate veterans in the Wounded Warriors program. He also volunteers with the following Organizations: [Continue Reading]

Fiorelli attended the University of Arizona, and is a graduate of Northern Arizona University, where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree of Science with a double major in Criminal Justice and Psychology, graduating Magna Cum Laude.

She worked as a Court Clerk at the Flagstaff Municipal Court in Flagstaff, Ariz., before moving to San Diego in July 2000 to pursue a Masters Degree in Forensic Science. She currently is General Manager of Evergreen Mortuary, Cemetery & Crematory in Tucson, Ariz.

Fiorelli is a Licensed California Cemetery Manager, Cemetery Broker and Funeral Director. She enjoys spending her free time with her miniature schnauzer, Bella, and her Goldendoodle, Fozzie Bear, who currently is in training to be a therapy dog for Evergreen Mortuary.

Fiorelli is the [Continue Reading]

A Vietnam era veteran, Victoria A. Nenner served four years as a staff and charge nurse in an Air Force hospital at Tachikawa AFB, Japan, where she treated soldiers wounded in battle. She met her late husband, Paul, while serving in Japan. She left active duty as a captain, and continued in the reserves until 1977.

Nenner comes from a long line of nurses – her grandmother, mother, uncle and sister were all nurses, and another sister is a physician. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in nursing science at Texas Woman’s University, Denton, Tex., and a Master’s degree in family health nursing from the University of San Diego.

Following military service in 1974, Nenner was named Director of Continuing Education at Scripps [Continue Reading]

George Fellows

George Fellows is a native of the Pacific Northwest. He graduated from Yakima High School in 1947, and received a congressional appointment to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, N.Y., that same year. He graduated from Kings Point in 1951, receiving a BS degree in Nautical Science, a commission in the U.S. Navy Reserve, and a Coast Guard license to sail as an officer on any steam or motor vessel of unlimited tonnage in any ocean.

He sailed as a deck officer with American Export Lines until late 1952, when he volunteered for active Navy duty during the Korean War. He was assigned to the Special Projects Office of the Military Sea Transportation Service at the [Continue Reading]