Bill Draper: Co-Chair
Department: Audit, Risk & Compliance
Military Branch: US Air Force
Email Contact: [email protected]
A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Bill received his Bachelor of Science, Dual Major, Computer Information Systems and Business Management from Park College. He holds a Lean Management Certification from the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University and is a Certified Change Management Professional (CCMP™).
Brian Seale: Co-Chair
Department: College of Business
Military Branch: US Navy
Email Contact:
[email protected]
Brian served as a Fleet Marine Force (FMF) Hospital Corpsman in the United States Navy from 2006 to 2014, dedicating eight years to active duty. His service included a deployment to the Helmand Province in Afghanistan with the 1st Medical Battalion, where he provided essential medical care to local nationals, U.S. military personnel, and allied forces. Following his honorable discharge, Brian earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the University of Phoenix.
Willie Elfering: External Communications Coordinator
Department: Military Veterans Resource Center
Military Branch: US Army
Email: [email protected]
Willie Elfering joined the team at Oregon State University in June 2015 as the Military and Veteran Resources Advisor. In this position, he served as the main student services point of contact for veterans, current service members, military spouses & children. Fall Term 2022 his position was upgraded to Director, Military and Veteran Resources Center.
Willie served in the Oregon Army National Guard from 1986 - 2011, including two deployments, one to Iraq and one to Afghanistan. He graduated from the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy at Ft Bliss. TX in 2007. Willie completed his service with over 22 years of active duty service and achieved the rank of Command Sergeant Major.
Bernie Wang: Internal Communications Coordinator
Department: School of Communication
Military Branch: US Navy
Email: [email protected]
Retired from the Navy in 2021, Bernie served as a Surface Warfare Officer for 20 years and a Foreign Area Officer for 13 years. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Washington, a Master of Arts degree from the Naval War College, and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. In addition to his work at the School of Communication, Bernie is actively involved in the community and serves on the Corvallis School Board.
Jonathan Rich: Social Co-Chair
Department: College of Engineering (EECS)
Military Branch: US Marine Corps
Email: [email protected]
Jonathan retired from the United States Marine Corps in 2017 after completing 20 years of active-duty service. His career included multiple deployments, humanitarian missions, and several special duty assignments, including serving as a Marine Corps Drill Instructor, an Officer Candidate School Instructor, and an Assistant Marine Officer Instructor with the Naval ROTC unit at Oregon State University.
He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration from American Military University. In addition, he has earned a graduate certificate in Organizational Management and a certification in Organizational Change Management.
Brandon Christensen: Members At Large
Department: Public Safety
Military Branch: US Navy
Email: [email protected]
Brandon Christensen has been the Oregon State University Emergency Planner since April 2021 and is responsible for Emergency Preparedness programs across the three OSU campuses (Corvallis, Bend, Newport) and 36 extension/experiment stations throughout Oregon. He is an instructor for advanced training courses within the Incident Command System (ICS) framework, CPR/First Aid for American Heart Association, and Psychological First Aid for Oregon Health Authority as well as fulfilling any position on the OSU Incident Management Team.
Brandon is a retired naval officer with extensive leadership and teaching experience. While teaching preparedness and crisis response seminars he enjoys sharing his knowledge and insights on incident response.
Brandon holds degrees in Global Leadership from University of San Diego and Nuclear Engineering from University of Arizona as well as numerous certificates from the Emergency Management Institute.
Brandon has lived in Corvallis, Oregon since 2012 with his wife and three children.
Erica Stillwagon: Treasurer
Department: College of Business
Military Branch: US Air Force
Email: [email protected]
Erica served from 2001 to 2004 at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska, initially with the 3rd Civil Engineering Squadron and later with the 611th Civil Engineering Squadron. In 2004, she was deployed to the Green Zone in Baghdad to support the reconstruction of military, police, and border stations in Iraq. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting (2009) and Business Information Systems (2010) from Oregon State University. After graduating, Erica joined Oregon State University as an employee in 2011 and has held her current position as Associate Director of Financial Planning and Analysis since 2016.
Nick Deeds: Social Co-Chair - Newport Campus Representative
Department: Transportation
Military Branch: US Navy
Email: [email protected]
Nicholas served as a Naval Gunners Mate Surface Warfare Specialist from 2008 to 2014, dedicating six years to active duty. His service included deployments aboard two US Navy Cruisers, one Destroyer and an Individual Augmentee tour with the 3d Marine Littoral Regiment. Nicholas deployed to multiple continents serving both on land and sea. His skill set in heavy and light Naval artillery, crew served weapons systems and small arms provided both Navel and Fleet Marine units with support and training. Following his honorable discharge, Nicholas earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Oregon State University’s College of Business. He currently works for OSU’s Transportation Services department, holding a Parking Enforcement & Compliance Professional (PECP™) certification. Go Beavs!!
David Keeton: Social Co-Chair - Cascades Campus Representative
Department: Financial Aid
Military Branch: US Marine Corps
Email: [email protected]
David served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2016–2023 as a Bulk Fuel Specialist, stationed at MCB Hawai‘i (Kaneohe Bay) and Quantico, Virginia. During his service, he traveled to multiple locations across the Pacific and took part in several joint and multinational exercises supporting large-scale operations. After his service, David earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Oregon State University-Cascades.