Leadership & advisory council
Strong Leadership. Strong Governance.
The team responsible for scaling a proven program into a national movement.
Governing board 4 members
Governance oversight.
The President, Vice President and Secretary of the Board, and board member Jim Curry. Governance oversight, implementation planning and institutional partnerships that meet the standards expected by government agencies and major funders.
Meet the board →Executive leadership 3 officers
Runs the organization.
The CEO, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Strategy Officer lead program delivery, operations, strategy and governance administration. All three also serve as officers of the board.
Meet the founder →Strategic Advisory Council 3 advisors
Counsel across sectors.
Leaders from corrections, nonprofit, military, and financial sectors who strengthen RETI's strategy and institutional relationships.
Meet the council →
01Founder · CEO- 20yrsU.S. Navy SEAL officer
- Ph.D.Industrial/Organizational Psychology
- 9yrsDelivering the curriculum at Bay County Jail
Founder
Dr. Ed Naggiar
Founder, CEO & President of the Board
Dr. Ed Naggiar combines military leadership, behavioral science, and nearly a decade of direct program delivery inside correctional facilities. As RETI's founder, he developed the organization's resilience curriculum through repeated implementation and refinement with justice-involved participants, creating a practical framework grounded in both research and real-world application.
- Military background
Retired U.S. Navy SEAL Officer (Lieutenant Commander) with 20 years of service leading high-performance teams in complex, high-stress environments.
- Academic credentials
His Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology grounds RETI's curriculum in validated behavioral science and organizational research.
- Proven track record
9 years delivering the in-person curriculum at Bay County Jail (FL): 38 classes, 400+ participants.
- Curriculum authorship
Developed 25 validated resilience tools through direct iteration with justice-involved participants. He is also the author of The Suit & The SEAL: Your Guide to Becoming Mission Resilient.
- Correctional experience
Credible with both corrections professionals and funders because he has done the work himself — alongside the population, not theorizing about it.
Governing board & core operations
The people who run RETI.
Officers of the board lead RETI's day-to-day operations. Together the board provides governance oversight, implementation planning, and institutional partnerships that meet the standards expected by government agencies and major funders.
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02Hali Naggiar
Chief Operating OfficerVice President of the Board
Hali Naggiar serves as RETI's Chief Operating Officer, leading organizational operations, program infrastructure, and implementation planning, providing the continuity needed to scale the platform nationwide. Outside RETI, she manages enterprise-wide strategic initiatives for Commander, Navy Installations Command. There she oversees cross-functional programs, organizational change initiatives, and performance reporting supporting military personnel and their families. She holds an MBA from Troy University and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of San Diego. Her experience aligning strategy, operations, and execution helps RETI build the organizational systems required for sustainable growth.
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03Stephanie Patton
Chief Strategy OfficerSecretary of the Board
Stephanie Patton serves as RETI's Chief Strategy Officer, supporting RETI's governance, organizational administration, and strategic initiatives. With experience in organizational leadership development, change management, and large-scale program initiatives, she supports Department of War quality-of-life programs as a Strategic Analyst consulting on critical organizational management projects that drive measurable results. She is currently pursuing a degree in Global Business Management. Stephanie’s experience ensures RETI's effective governance, regulatory-compliance tracking, and organizational continuity.
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04Jim Curry
Board Member
Jim Curry is a retired U.S. Marine Corps logistics officer, Professor and former Department Chair at the Defense Acquisition University specializing in program management, acquisition, risk management, and federal operations. He previously led life-cycle management at General Dynamics and is a certified Enterprise Chief Risk Officer (George Mason University). He holds an MBA and DAWIA Level III certifications. At RETI, Jim provides governance oversight, implementation planning, and institutional partnerships that meet the standards expected by government agencies and major funders.
Strategic Advisory Council
Counsel from corrections, nonprofit, military and finance.
Leaders from corrections, nonprofit, military, and financial sectors who strengthen RETI's strategy and institutional relationships.
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05Colin McKee
Leadership & nonprofit experience
MilitaryNonprofit
Colin McKee is a retired U.S. Navy Commander and Naval Aviator, executive coach, and nonprofit leader with more than 25 years of leadership experience in military and mission-driven organizations. He previously led regional operations for the Navy Wounded Warrior–Safe Harbor Program at Walter Reed. He currently serves as Director of Programs for a national foundation supporting Special Operations veterans and their families through survivorship and resilience programming. He is a Certified Executive Coach and holds a B.S. from San Diego State University and an MBA from the Naval Postgraduate School. At RETI, Colin advises leadership development, organizational strategy, and executive coaching.
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06Brian Conroy
Sustainability & resilience programs
Financial services
Brian Conroy spent more than three decades leading global financial services organizations, including executive leadership positions at Fidelity Investments, Liquidnet, and Goldman Sachs. Today he advises growth-stage organizations and invests in businesses focused on leadership, resilience, and long-term value creation. He is the founder of Grinders Win, a global coaching platform dedicated to building mindset continuity and sustainable resilience in high-adversity environments. His commitment to resilience and leadership development aligns closely with RETI’s mission. At RETI, Brian advises financial sustainability and long-term capital strategy.
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07Michelle Smith
Corrections reentry & operational scaling
CorrectionsGovernmentNonprofit
Michelle Smith is a strategy and operations executive with experience leading organizational growth across correctional systems, government, and mission-driven nonprofits. She currently provides fractional executive leadership to founder-led organizations and advises companies in the corrections and government markets on capture strategy and market entry. Most recently, she served as Director of Business Development for Aramark Correctional Services, where she led enterprise growth strategy for state Departments of Corrections. Previously, she served as President and COO of Concordance, a reentry nonprofit dedicated to dramatically reducing reincarceration, where she helped scale the organization from a $3M to $40M operation while securing more than $150 million in philanthropic support and $20 million in government contracts. She holds graduate degrees in economics and project management from Georgetown University and George Washington University and undergraduate degrees in economics and business from Gettysburg College. At RETI, Michelle advises organizational strategy, operational scaling, and sustainable growth.