Officers of The Friends of U.S. Military Families, Inc.

The board of directors of Friends of U.S. Military Families, Inc., are volunteers who do not receive compensation. The board meets monthly to determine donation recipients.

 
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Kent Paro, PRESIDENT

Kent retired from the US Navy after more than 30 years as a Navy SEAL Captain.  Having served with the best sons and daughters our nation can produce, he’s proud to be part of the Grow Financial Team and excited to serve as President for Friends of U.S. Military Families, Inc. His involvement in the organization gives him the opportunity to continue promoting and supporting military personnel and their families.


John Flores, 1ST vICE president

John Flores is a Business Relationship Manager for Grow Financial Federal Credit Union headquartered in Tampa, FL.

John serves on the board of directors for Friends of U. S. Military Families, LLC a national non-profit that serves our military families in need and the YMCA in Trinity, FL.  John is also an Assistant Scout Master with the local Boy Scout Troop and previously volunteered as a mentor for Take Stock in Children through the Pasco Education Foundation.

He is a proud father of 3. His 2 oldest children Kane and Taylor both recently enlisted and now serve with the U.S Military. Kane serves with the U.S. Air Force and his younger sister, Taylor serves with the U.S. Army.

John enjoys spending time with his family, camping with the Boy Scouts, traveling, and running with his friends.

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ROLAND L. RODRIGUEZ, Treasurer

Roland was born and raised in Ybor City, Florida, attending local schools and graduating with a BA from the University of South Florida.  He currently resides in Tampa.

He is a retired banker, working for 34 years at Bank of America and its predecessor companies in both Operations and Corporate Audit.  He then went on to work in Internal Audit at Grow Financial FCU, leaving the organization as Audit Director in early 2019, after a 13 year tenure.  He held CFE and CBA professional certifications.

 In 1999, he was sent to Moscow and Omsk, Siberia by a USAID-funded project to help various Soviet era banks adopt contemporary risk management models.

Roland is currently on the Board of the Centro Asturiano de Tampa as well as the Finance Committee of Mary Help of Christians Church in east Tampa.

He is quite proud of his father’s service to the USMC, who was seriously injured in the 1945 assault on Iwo Jima.  His sister’s family gave 20 years of service to the US Army.


Dan Ballister, 2nd Vice President

Dan is currently the co-founder and CEO of Smoke Hall Foods L3C, makers of The General’s Hot Sauce.  SHF places special emphasis on creating employment opportunities for Veterans, and donating a meaningful percentage of their profits to help military and Veteran families.

Previously, Dan spent 20+ years in the digital media and Internet advertising technology industries, as an operator, investor, and consultant.  He has held executive positions with Over The Wall Ventures, TRAFFIQ, and the National Basketball Association, among others.

Dan served five years as a Surface Warfare Officer in the US Navy, completing two deployments to the Western Pacific.   He is a 1986 graduate of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD.

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Amber Morris, secretary

Amber Morris served in the US Air Force for nine years. She was honorably discharged as a Security Forces member in 2009. Following her honorable discharge, she worked for two years as a contractor with the FBI and then transitioned to the Department of Defense - Air Force where she thrived as a Program Manager and then a Security Manager. Following her move to Florida, she was hired by Grow Financial Federal Credit Union as the Manger of Business Continuity and Physical Security.   

Amber is active in several associations and volunteer organizations, these include the Greater Tampa Bay Association of Continuity Professionals, Florida West Coast, Chapter 30 of ASIS, Friends of US Military Families, School Advisory Council at Oakstead Elementary School and the Health and Wellness Committee at Grow.  

Having been active duty and married to an active duty airman, while raising two small children, Amber knows the importance of organizations like FUSMF. She is eager and excited to give back to the military community.