AMY SCRUGGS
FOUNDER/PRESIDENT
Recording Artist, TV Host, Veteran Activist
Amy uses her twenty years as a TV host, corporate spokesperson, recording artist, media professional and business executive to help others learn how to present a polished and professional image while communicating a concise and impactful message. She is the Bestselling Author of “Lights Camera Action”; Media Coaching for Any Professional in Today’s Digital World. Virtual Presentation Skills have become one of the most important tools to have as a businessperson and has become the primary mode of branding, marketing and messaging today. As a Media Coach, Amy provides practical advice and techniques to help anyone achieve greater confidence & skills to master today’s digital world. Amy has an impressive twenty-year career bridging both the entertainment world with today’s digital business world. She is the current Host of a national TV Show, “Financing the American Dream” on CNBC. She is a Media Executive with Mutual of Omaha Mortgage and also advises private clients, entrepreneurs and startup companies on messaging, branding and how to develop a successful on-camera presence.
After years of serving and performing for the military and veteran community, Voice For Heroes was founded to use Media resources for outreach to highlight great organizations and individuals. Amy has been passionate about serving our nation and continues to empower others to support our communites. She is a wife and mother of 6 with a full time career. Through the use of her extensive network and resources, from both her music and business careers, she is able to bring together professional world class talent and media resources together for service for impact.
AMY SCRUGGS
PAULA SHAW
Public Relations/Podcast Host
PAULA SHAW, is a Life Transitions Coach and Grief Specialist. She is also a Best-Selling Author, Keynote Speaker and Media Host on her own show, Change It Up Radio with Paula Shaw.
For more than 25 years, Paula has been dedicated to helping people navigate the stress of Change and Challenge using mind/body tools and techniques. She is a founding member of the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology.
She has degrees in Education and Communications from Long Beach State University, as well as graduate counseling credentials in Grief and in Addictive Disorders, from Loyola Marymount University.
Paula is the author of several books, including Chakras, The Magnificent Seven, Grief...When Will This Pain Ever End? and her latest book, Saying the Right Thing When You Don’t Know What To Say.
ANGELICA “ANGIE” HENRY
Secretary
Broker/Owner New Palace Realty
Angie first became interested in Real Estate at the age of 15 when she helped negotiate the sale of her parent’s first home. Her oldest Brother had joined the U.S Navy and dedicated himself to saving up all his money for his mother to use as the down payment on a home purchase. His dedication was able to get his family out of the tiny, crammed house they lived in and into home ownership. This transition shaped and molded Angie for years to come, and it created a passion and understanding for Real Estate. As Angie worked hard, she became an entrepreneur at 25 years old and eventually pursued a career in Real Estate in 2006 and achieved great success. In 2014, she opened her doors to her own Real Estate Brokerage Firm New Palace Realty.
With her Brokerage, she is able provide the opportunity to do more for others through inspiration, mentorship and education. Her success has been documented in Nely Galan's New York Times Best Seller book "Self Made" where Angie's story is featured. Angie Henry was also selected by Coca-Cola as a 5by20 Global Women Leader and was awarded Entrepreneur of the Year 2015 by SDCH Chamber. She was also a former President and Founder for the NAHREP North County San Diego Chapter. Angie currently has multiple offices, has hired many agents and continues to grow, achieving Top 5 % of Sales for San Diego County in 2016 and 2017. Her main goal is to continue to help families through opportunities knowledge and patience. Angie is a strong believer of the American Dream and values. Angie’s son is a former U.S Marine and her husband is a 20 year U.S Navy Retiree.
DR. ELIZA BIGHAM
Treasurer
Psychologist
Eliza has had a keen interest in serving in a meaningful way since she was a little girl, helping her mother, an active volunteer in the Orange County Harbor Key, and continued on to serve as a “Keynoter” (youth member). The Harbor Key was a charitable organization that benefitted Fairview State Hospital for persons with disabilities. Eliza did not know at the time that these experiences, both related to diversity and volunteer service, would serve as the framework for the rest of her life.
As a young adult, Eliza became the proud parent of a lovely daughter with Down Syndrome. In raising her daughter, she became personally aware of the strong connections of mind and body, as do many parents of persons with disabilities, along with the unique discrimination that this population faces. She was determined to find a role in helping and so she returned to school to pursue her bachelors, masters, Ph.D. in Health Psychology and license as a psychologist.
At California State University San Marcos, Dr. Eliza Bigham is a member of the faculty in the Department of Human Development. She has served as a Counselor, Lecturer, Program Director, Advisor, and Member of numerous committees since joining the campus in 2001. She has presented her work on the interactions of mind and body at numerous conferences and leads hundreds of students through community research projects. Her involvement and support of veteran projects, such as the healing arts and mental health projects, are close to her heart as her husband, like her father, served in the U.S. Navy. Between semesters, she leads groups of undergraduate students on humanitarian trips around the globe – and is inspired by how many of them go on to serve in meaningful ways.
LAURA MACKINNON
Administrative Executive
Laura expressed a passion to make a difference in people’s lives at an early age. At just fourteen years of age she volunteered at the Special Olympics and played piano concerts at the CECUT- Centro Cultural de Tijuana to help raise funds for children and under-served families. She received an education through an academic and athletic scholarship, for soccer, at Notre Dame de Namur University and pursued a double major in Political Science and History. In 2006 Laura co-founded and became the Chief Financial Officer for a small wealth management firm focused in the San Francisco Bay area. In 2010, Laura returned to her roots and for the past six years has dedicated her career to helping non-profits in the San Diego area. Specifically focusing on children and military families. She formerly served as the Chief Development Officer for SYEVF, an educational nonprofit, where she assisted Retired Admiral William Rodriguez in building a foundation. Her responsibilities included developing and implementing financial strategies to build sustainable primary and ancillary revenue streams to support growth and innovation. She was responsible for the relationship management of grants and donations and created transparent annual budgets with yearend reports so donors, board members, and managing partners where aware of the progress and program implementation. She assisted the grassroots nonprofit in more than doubling their budget attaining both government, local and state wide grants from community partners such as: SDG&E, WalMart State Giving, Esperanza, Wells Fargo, San Diego Foundation, etc. and creating effective programs to assist both the youth and the San Ysidro School District. Similarly she served as Director of Development for Support The Enlisted Project. Laura oversaw the organization’s development for, grant writing, communication and marketing strategy. Her duties also included organizing fundraising events, including but not limited to, golf tournaments, gala events and friend-raisers, which build awareness and strengthened the foundation’s brand. She oversaw and requested millions of dollars’ worth of grants, assisted the foundation in attaining grants such as: Neighborhood Builders grant by Bank of America (invitation only), Patriots Connection (invitation only), and hundreds of others. She lead the assimilation of communication and fundraising content and used marketing avenues such as Social Media, content marketing, and other strategies to broadcast the message.
In addition to her dedication to nonprofit organizations, Laura is also involved in community organizations throughout San Diego County and currently is a member of the Rancho Santa Fe Rotary club, in which she served as the President of the Rancho Santa Fe Rotary Foundation Board. Previously, she served as Vice President of the RSF Rotary Board, and Chair for the Grant Committee for the Rancho Santa Fe Rotary Club. She also serves on the board of Coma Survivors Foundation and is a member of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Currently Laura is a member of The Country Friends and serves on their Art of Fashion Committee, an event that has been raising funds for nonprofit agencies for the past 65 years. It is her passion as a mother and dedicated community member to see families and youth reach financial independence and it is her goal, that by building strong relationships with community partners it will empower those to give back and make a positive social impact.