National Executive Council (NEC)


Joanne M. Elliott, National President

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YNC Joanne Elliott is currently the President, Managing Editor and Wounded Warrior Advocate of NERA. Joanne also held the offices of National President, Vice President, Treasurer and Deputy Executive Director of NERA.  During her 28 years with the Navy, Joanne drilled mainly out of NASJRB Willow Grove with various units. In 1999, she was mobilized during the Kosovo operation and was assigned as the Joint Universal Lessons Learned Coordinator for Joint Task Force Noble Anvil. She was then assigned as the Navy Cell Chief at Da Molin in Vicenza, Italy. In 2001, she was recalled again to Washington, DC as the Admin LCPO of the OPNAV Mob Cell, where she was responsible for processing and tracking over 15,000 Navy Reserve billets. YNC Elliott was then sent to CINCUSNAVEUR, London to head a team of Volunteer Income Tax Assistants (VITA). In 2003, YNC Elliott was again mobilized in support of Iraqi Freedom to Norfolk, VA where she not only processed individual personnel on and off active duty but supervised the Admin department of the Transient Personnel Department for the Norfolk active duty personnel. She also became one of the Casualty Assistance Calls Officers for the Mid-Atlantic Region as well as a Command Financial Specialist for the active duty station. As a civilian, YNC Elliott is a licensed realtor with over 38 years of experience and was affiliated with several law firms from 1970 to 2009, as a secretary, paralegal, and as an administrator of an immigration department. From January 2009 to February 2011 she worked at the Pentagon.

 

Curtis DeYoung, National Vice President

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Curtis DeYoung is currently the National Vice President of NERA.  This is his first position on the national level. He is a life member of the Naval Enlisted Reserve Association (NERA) with the Minnesota Chapter.  The Minnesota Chapter hosted the 1996 National Conference outside of Minneapolis in Bloomington, Minnesota. His naval career started with his enlistment into the Naval Reserve in 1986 serving on many active CG's out of San Diego, CA. He retired with an Honorable Discharge from the Navy Reserves in 1994 after serving several active CVN's. 

In 2019 Curtis was appointed the Deputy Executive Director of NERA, he served that position until 2022 when elected Vice President at the National Conference.  In civilian life Curtis works as Union Laborer. He has been a life member of the Minnesota chapter since 1994, at the chapter level he has serve as Vice President for three years and at large member for three years. 

Curtis currently resides in Stanchfield, Minnesota with family.


James M. Frierson, National Secretary

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LNC James (Jim) M. Frierson, USNR (Ret) is currently the National Secretary of NERA. This is his first position on the national level. Chief Frierson is a life member of the Naval Enlisted Reserve Association and currently serves as the president of the Mid-Carolina Chapter. In this capacity, he also manages a NERA-sponsored coffee/donut mess on drill weekends at NOSC Columbia, SC.

Frierson enlisted in the Navy Reserve in October, 1966 under a contract known as the 2x6 program (two years active duty/four years reserve obligation). He served aboard the USS MacDonough (DLG-8) during 1967-1968 first as a non-designated seaman on the deck force. Later he was assigned to the Supply Division and served first as a storekeeper striker and then as a ship's serviceman (laundry) striker. Swapping duties with another seaman, Frierson then became a communications yeoman (CYN) striker in the ship's Communications Division where he served out the remainder of his sea duty.

Returning to selected reserve status in 1969, Jim had to choose between striking for radioman or communications yeoman and he chose CYN. When this rating was disestablished, he became a yeoman. After advancing to YN2, Jim served in several units until deciding to affiliate with a newly stood-up legal service unit. Upon his assignment to a legal unit, he was approved for an in-rate conversion to the legalman rating. Since there is no legalman “A” school, Jim completed a total of six weeks of training at legal clerk school at Naval Justice School, Newport, RI after which he soon converted to LN2 and was later advanced to LN1. In September, 1987 he was advanced to LNC.

During his tenure as a drilling legalman reservist, Jim performed many annual training/mutual support periods at various legal commands including Naval Legal Service Office, Orlando; Navy-Marine Corps Appellate Review Activity, Wash, DC; Naval Legal Service Office, Charleston; Naval Legal Service Office, Norfolk; NCIS Headquarters, Wash, DC; USS Simon Lake (AS-33) Legal Office; Naval Legal Service Office Det., NSB, Kings Bay; Station Legal Office, Naval Weapons Station, Earle NJ; and Staff Judge Advocate's Office, National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, MD among others.

Jim drilled with legal service units at Naval Reserve Centers (now NOSCs) at Columbia, SC; Miami, FL; Charleston, SC; and again at Columbia, SC where he closed out his naval career with a total of 35 years of active and reserve service in October, 2001.

Jim has been married to his wife, Patti, for 40 years and they have two children (Andrew, a professional archeologist in Oregon and Sarah, an artist in Charleston, SC).

Retiring in June of 2018, Chief Jim Frierson completed 30 years of service with the South Carolina Department of Transportation in the Office of Public Transit where he was responsible for monitoring compliance with state and federal requirements for the state's public transit providers.

 

Dennis L. Hunt, National Treasurer

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Dennis Hunt is currently the National Treasurer.  This is his first position on the national level.  He is the current President and Secretary of the League Island Chapter located in Philadelphia, PA.  He and his fellow chapter members hosted the 2017 National Conference outside Philadelphia in Cherry Hill, NJ.  His Naval career started with his enlistment into the Naval Reserve in 1965 serving on Reserve DD's out of Philadelphia and then into the Gator Navy serving on an LST out of Little Creek, VA.  After completing his active requirements he transitioned back into the Reserve component first as NAS Lakehurst, NJ and then onto various units in and around the Naval Base Philadelphia ending his reserve career as part of the reserve crew on the USS Clark (FFG-11) in 1991.  In civilian life after attending college on the GI bill he worked for a public accounting firm auditing School Boards and Municipalities in New Jersey.  He then went to work for a City in New Jersey as Internal Auditor, Deputy Finance Director, Finance Director, Comptroller and Chief Coffee maker for his staff.  Although he has been a Life Member since 1988 he became actively involved with the League Island Chapter of NERA after the passing of his wife in 2012.

 

Eugene (Geno) Koelker, National Counselor

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Eugene (Gene) Koelker is currently the National Counselor, he held the position of National President from 2013-2015.  Geno joined NERA in 1987 and is a Lifetime Member. After serving 4 years in active duty (’65-‘69), he drilled for 22 years at VP-90 until the squadron was de-commissioned and Glenview was closed. He is associated with NERA’s Windy City Chapter, and was the Treasurer for this chapter.  He served on several other NERA committees for regional and national conventions and participated in numerous chapter events and programs. 

Geno is a member of the Navy League, the American Legion, Vietnow, Winnebago County Veterans Association (local) and the Navy Club of the USA.  He served as the National Commandant of the Navy Club USA. Geno currently lives in Rockford, IL.


Stephen R. Sandy, Past National President

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Master Chief Stephen R. Sandy is the National Past President (2015-2019) of the Naval Enlisted Reserve Association (NERA), after having served as the Executive Director of NERA for nine years. Steve is a retired 32 year veteran of the United States Navy Reserve.  His career spanned from 1967 and the Commissioning Crew (Plank Owner) on the John F. Kennedy (CVA 67) thru his retirement in 2003.  He was the Command Master Chief of Navy Reserve Navy Command Center 106,  in support of the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV) N3/N5 under the command of (at the time Captain) now Rear Admiral Jeffrey A. Lemmons. During his navy career, Master Chief Sandy was awarded numerous awards and ribbons the last and highest being the Meritorious Service Medal (MSM). 

Master Chief Sandy’s civilian career with the District of Columbia Fire Department was equally as long as his naval career.  Beginning on March 17, 1974 and ending with his retirement as a Lieutenant on March 17, 2007 (33 years), Sandy qualified for just about every certification in the fire service from Firefighter/ Emergency Medical Technician to Homeland Security’s Weapons of Mass Destruction “COBRA” program.  Sandy also graduated from the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute’s Fire Service Instructor program and taught Basic and Advanced Firefighting at the D.C. Fire Department Fire Training Academy.