Leadership Team - Board Of Directors

  R.M. Cowan, or Richard as he is known, is a retired electronics engineer, educator, entrepreneur, and business executive and currently serves as BFAM USA’s Chairman Of The Board.

He is a veteran of the U.S. Army and is the recipient of two Purple Hearts from wounds received in combat while serving in the Vietnam War. He also served in the U.S. Air Force as an instructor and supervisor of air traffic control radar.

He is an accomplished author and has been married since 1977 and resides in the greater Austin area.

 Richard is the principal Broker for the HomesAroundAustin team. 

A graduate of a UK college, he took a job as a contractor instructor working on World Bank funded projects around the world for 12+ years living in multiple countries including Middle East, Africa & Europe.   He serves as President and is a Board Member of BFAM USA. 

He moved to USA in 1989 and a few years later proudly became a US citizen. With his extensive travel, corporate relocation & ex-pat background, Richard is a great choice for relocation clients from the USA and International Transfers/assignments in the USA. 

Richard is also a certified Military Relocation Professional.

When not working for his clients Richard enjoys all facets of Woodworking, Wood Turning, Construction Remodeling, Fishing , Travel & Family Activities. 

"Big Bill" as he is known is a retired auto executive with Volvo Car USA.  He serves as BFAM USA's Secretary & Treasurer and also serves on BFAM's Board.  He earned a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration and played college basketball at Marist University in Poughkeepsie, NY.  He also earned his MBA in Marketing/Finance from Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA.

He lives in Austin with his wife Lisa and devotes his spare time to various Veteran activities.  He also serves on the Planning Committee of the Dripping Springs Wild Game Dinner; a charity fundraiser and community event.  His hobbies include cars, college sports and staying young chasing his four Grandchildren.

 Vincent K. Brooks is a career Army officer who retired from active duty in January 2019 as the four-star general in command of over 650,000 Koreans and Americans under arms.

General Brooks, who goes by “Vince,” is a 1980 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, the first class to include women, and he led the 4,000 cadets as the cadet brigade commander or “First Captain.” A history-maker, Brooks is the first African American to have been chosen for this paramount position, and he was the first cadet to lead the student body when women were in all four classes (freshman or “plebe” to senior or “first classman”). He is also the eighth African American in history to attain the military’s top rank – four-star general, in the United States Army. He is a warrior-diplomat, twice awarded the State Department Meritorious Honor Award, and a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point; a Master of Military Art and Science from the prestigious U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; was a National Security Fellow at the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government; and also holds an honorary Doctor of Laws from the New England School of Law as well as an honorary Doctor of Humanities from New England Law | Boston.

In retirement, General Brooks is Vice Chairman of the Gary Sinise Foundation; Chairman and President of the Korea Defense Veterans Association; a Principal Consultant with WestExec Advisors; and a Director on three public company boards of directors (Diamondback Energy, Jacobs, Verisk Analytics). He is also a visiting Senior Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs; and a Distinguished Fellow at the University of Texas, with both the Clements Center for National Security and also the Strauss Center for International Security and Law.

Major General Robert Lee Halverson graduated from Colorado State University in 1963 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Construction Management. During his time at Colorado State University, he participated in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in Military Intelligence after earning recognition as a Distinguished Military Graduate.  After commissioning, he attended the Infantry Officer Basic Course and Intelligence training and served in positions typical of a young officer including company command in Germany and as an Intelligence / Infantry Advisor in Vietnam.  His Major years included service as a Battalion Operations Officer at Fort Hood, TX and as the Special Security Officer to the US Military Representative to NATO in Brussels, Belgium.  After 15 years, he left Active Duty and continued his Army career for a short time in the Reserves before moving to the Texas Army National Guard in 1985. In addition to his military service, he served in various positions in the Texas State Government culminating after 20 years of service as the Deputy Commissioner for Safety for the Department of Insurance. General Halverson’s military career concluded as the 49th Armor Division Commanding General from 1998-2002.   Under his command, the 49th Division served as the Multi-National Division Headquarters for 11 nations conducting peacekeeping operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina as the first Active and Reserve component integrated headquarters. He received many awards during his 39-year career including the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal with 1 bronze service star prior to retiring in 2002. In 2006,  General Halverson was inducted into the US Army Military Intelligence Hall of Fame. In 2016, he was awarded a Congressional Veteran Commendation. In 2018 he was inducted into the Texas Military Hall of Honor.   Always a supporter of the Ram Battalion, General Halverson created the Major General Robert L. Halverson Army ROTC Scholarship in 2018 to award Army ROTC students that show exemplary leadership skills.  In 2021, he spearheaded the creation of the ROTC Class of 1963 Scholarship in Memory of Colonel Robert W. Patterson, Assistant Professor of Military Science. 

John Augustine was born on January 12th 1944. He was raised on a cattle ranch in Sterling County, Texas and attended schools in Sterling City. There, he excelled in academics and athletics. He attended and graduated from Abilene Christian University in 1966. After college, John joined the US Marine Corps where he attended Officer Candidate School at Quantico, Virginia. After graduation from OCS he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the US Marine Corps Reserve. In February 1968, he was deployed to the Republic of Vietnam and served as an artillery officer in the Second Battalion, 11th Marines. He participated in Operation Hue City, followed by nine other major combat operations. He was wounded in action in April 1968, medevac’ed and treated for his injuries and returned to duty. While attached to 2/5, he served as a forward observer and the battalion fire support coordinator. When he returned to his home unit, he served as executive officer and commanding officer of Echo Battery, a direct support 105mm artillery battery.

After completing his tour of active duty, John attended law school at the University of Texas in Austin. He graduated in 1972 with a Juris Doctor degree. John spent four years as a prosecutor with the Travis County County Attorney's office. His last two years he was the First Assistant County Attorney, responsible for all operations and trials in the County Attorney's office.

Then, John went into private practice as a civil trial lawyer. In 1985 he was certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Civil  Trials. John spent 45 years in the courtroom, trying many cases involving primarily business litigation. In addition to his specialty in civil trials, John was appointed as a Special Deputy Receiver for the Texas Insurance Commissioner. On behalf of the insurance commissioner, John was responsible for the rehabilitation or liquidation of insurance companies that were found by the Department of Insurance to be insolvent.

During John's career and afterward in retirement, John devoted much of his time and assets to support charitable organizations. He was invited to become a member of the Texas Bar Foundation, where he serves as a Life Member. Also, he volunteered to participate in fundraising for the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association. John's primary charitable focus has been directed toward veterans. He currently serves on the board of directors for BFAM,Inc. and TBS-4-67, Inc. ( a nonprofit organization supporting his Marine Corps OCS and TBS class members). Previously, he served as Vice President for Out of the Shadows, Inc., a nonprofit corporation, formed for the purpose of serving and assisting veterans who suffer from PTSD. Also, John has served two terms as Commander of Texas Capitol Chapter 1919 of the Military Order of the Purple Heart.

John had the good fortune to convince Marian Koehler to become his wife in December of 1966, one week after his graduation and commissioning from OCS. They are the proud parents of three caring and successful children, and grandparents of six outstanding youngsters, ranging in age from 23 to 6. In his spare time, John enjoys fishing hunting and playing golf. But, most of all, he enjoys getting together with his family.

 Kerry Orr was born in 1948 in Baltimore, Maryland.  He attended Patapsco High School and University of Baltimore.  He was inducted into the Army July 7, 1967.

Kerry was wounded in Vietnam February 11, 1969.  He was awarded the Bronze Star for heroism for his actions on March 24, 1969.

In July 1969, his term of service being up, Kerry rotated back to the United States, was discharged at Oakland, California, and returned to his parental home in Baltimore.  In 1974 he went to work for Control Data Corporation in computer sales, and Kerry was with them for twelve years.  In 1988 he began a twenty-five year career with Zenitel USA as a Regional Sales Manager in the Southeast.  In 1997 he was promoted to Regional Vice President, then Vice President of Sales in 2005.  Kerry retired from Zenitel in July 2012.

While all that had been happening, in 1995 Kerry married Monika, a girl from Kansas City who agreed to join him in Atlanta, but the deal was that when the time came for them to retire, she got to pick where they would live.  She picked here.  So, they had a house built in Lakeway and moved into it in 2009.

In the brief time since his arrival in Texas, Kerry has been active with the Vietnam Veterans of America, especially in supporting the now nearly complete “Build the Monument” project.  He joined as a life member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart.

Kerry has a daughter, two grandchildren, and a 3-year-old great grandson.  He rides motorcycles once a week at least.  He made a 3800-mile ride with Ride For The Wall to honor the 58K vets that died in Vietnam, along with the MIA/POW's. 

Kerry was on the executive committee to build the Vietnam Veterans Monument on the grounds of the Capitol in Austin and the Touring Dog Tag exhibit for the 3417 Texans that died in Vietnam.  He does peer counseling for current Veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and raises money for Wounded Warriors Families at the San Antonio Military Medical Center.