Serving Military Families Since 1879

 Mike Meese is the President of Armed Forces Mutual, leading the Association to help ensure the financial security and independence of the American Armed Forces Community. He joined in 2013 as Chief Operating Officer and later became Executive Vice President. A retired U.S. Army Brigadier General, he concluded a 32-year career as Professor and Head of the Department of Social Sciences at West Point, with deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Bosnia. He chaired the 2016–17 VA Transition Team and has authored numerous works, including the Armed Forces Guide to Personal Financial Planning. Mike is a graduate of West Point, the National War College, and holds a PhD, MPA, and MA from Princeton.

Dan joined Armed Forces Mutual in 2026 as Chief Operating Officer, where he leads the organization's life insurance operations – underwriting, policy services, member benefits, and survivor assistance – translating strategy into execution to ensure an exceptional experience for Members and their families. He brings more than 30 years of leadership across technology, defense, and financial services, and is known for building high-performing, people-first cultures grounded in accountability and service. Dan has led global teams of more than 1,000 personnel and managed multi-billion-dollar operations. Prior to Armed Forces Mutual, he held executive roles at Microsoft, Accenture, and Lumen Technologies, beginning his career as a U.S. Air Force officer. He holds degrees from Johns Hopkins University and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

Mark Matsuura is Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Armed Forces Mutual. He oversees the organization's financial and risk management operations, including stewardship of its $1.3B investment portfolio. A CPA with over 20 years of experience in accounting, finance, and management consulting, Mark previously worked with government agencies on World Bank-sponsored projects, leading process reengineering, risk management, and credit guarantee initiatives. He also spent time at Deloitte auditing public and mid-market companies across multiple industries. Mark holds a BA in Business Economics from UCLA and an MBA from Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business.

Charlene Wilde is the Senior Vice President and Assistant Secretary of Armed Forces Mutual, where she provides strategic leadership in product development, life insurance innovation, and enterprise-wide process improvement. She is responsible for overseeing the design and enhancement of insurance products, driving operational efficiencies, and managing corporate contracting and support services to strengthen organizational performance. A former Officer in the United States Army Chemical Corps, Wilde combines mission-driven focus with corporate leadership to advance Armed Forces Mutual’s long-term growth and support to the military community. She is a Fellow of the Life Management Institute (FLMI®️) and holds degrees from Pittsburgh State University, Webster University, and the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Steve Mannell is the President of AAFMAA Wealth Management & Trust (AWM&T). From the North Carolina headquarters office, he leads the team’s work to help ensure the financial security and independence of the American Armed Forces Community by being their premiere provider of financial planning, investment management, and trust services. Steve joined AWM&T in 2012 as the founding Chief Financial Officer . He retired from the United States Army Special Forces Command (Airborne) as the Chief of Operations after twenty years of service. He earned an MBA from Duke, an MPP from Harvard, and a BS from the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he later served as an Assistant Professor of Economics.

Jeff Havener is President of AAFMAA Mortgage Services LLC (AMS). Jeff has 30 years of financial industry experience, including real estate, consumer and commercial lending, and commercial operations. As President of AMS, he leads the organization in executing its strategic vision and achieving its goals of ensuring more members of our military community have access to superior mortgage solutions.

Before coming to AMS, Jeff served as Chief Lending Officer for Heartland Credit Union in Hutchinson, Kansas where he was responsible for all of the lending programs. Previously, he was the Senior Vice President and Chief Lending Officer for Allegiance Credit Union in Oklahoma City. Jeff holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Linfield College.

Charlie joined AAFMAA in 1999 as an Investment Assistant, eventually taking responsibility for the Association’s real estate investment portfolio. After the sale of the Association’s real estate portfolio at the end of 2006, he returned to his native Philadelphia. He re-joined AAFMAA in 2012 as General Manager of AAFMAA Property, responsible for the operations of AAFMAA’s real estate portfolio. Charlie holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Colgate University and a Master of Science in Real Estate from Johns Hopkins University.

Tiana joined Armed Forces Mutual’s Executive Staff in 2004 as Assistant to the President where she worked on policy issues and coordination with the Board of Directors. Tiana currently leads the Human Resources team at Armed Forces Mutual. She is responsible for the overall coordination and evaluation of Armed Forces Mutual’s personnel function including recruitment, benefits administration, payroll, and employee development and recognition programs. Tiana earned her Bachelor’s degree in Management, with a minor in Spanish, from Gettysburg College.

Kevin joined Armed Forces Mutual in 2014 and is responsible for strategic direction and leadership of the integrated marketing team. Prior to joining Armed Forces Mutual, Kevin was the Manager of Marketing and Corporate Communications for the Federal Home Loan Banks Office of Finance, where he led internal and external communications efforts. Kevin began his career at the NASDAQ Stock Market where he spent almost nine years in Worldwide Marketing, holding various roles from execution to management. Kevin earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Mary Washington College and holds a M.B.A. in marketing and a M.S. in finance from the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Nira Serpa joined Armed Forces Mutual in 2019 as Assistant Controller and currently serves as Controller. She is responsible for coordinating and overseeing the accounting activities of Armed Forces Mutual and its subsidiaries. Nira holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from George Mason University and is a CPA. Before joining Armed Forces Mutual, Nira served as the Corporate Controller of a 42-location, multi-state company generating over $100M in revenue.

A Naval Academy graduate, Mitch served as a Cryptologic Officer for over 12 years. He began his Naval career as Operations Officer for the Classic Wizard Program Operations Coordination Group at the National Security Agency. From 1989 to 1992, he served as Electronic Warfare Office and Tactical Action Officer in USS MERRILL (DD-976), which deployed twice to the Persian Gulf, including a deployment to help clear the mines from the Persian Gulf in the later stages of Operation Desert Storm.

After earning his master's degree, Mitch served at the National Reconnaissance Office as Deputy Director, Operational Support Office (OSO), from 1994-1998.

He was responsible for managing software development of several intelligence software applications used by all services, as well as OSO’s complex IT infrastructure of over 500 computers on networks at four different classification levels.

Mitch left the Navy to pursue career opportunities in technology. From 1999-2002, he stood up a commercial e-Business practice for a consulting firm in Arlington, VA. From 2002-2006 he led the Web and Programming Department at ECPI College of Technology in Manassas, VA, as well as teaching web development, programming, and computer and network technologies.

From 2006-2015, Mitch directed all web and email activities for the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), while serving on the executive team planning and implementing strategy for HSLDA. From 2016-March 2023, Mitch was the Senior Director, Information Technology for NDIA, where he had the responsibility of leading all IT infrastructure and web activities for America’s leading defense industry association.

Mitch holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the US Naval Academy and a master’s in Systems Technology (Space Systems Operations) from the Naval Postgraduate School. He has been a certified Project Management Professional since 2005.

A recipient of many governmental awards including the Defense Meritorious Service, Joint Service Commendation, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation, and Kuwait Liberation Medals, Mitch, his wife Cheryl, and five of their eleven children live in Hamilton, VA.

 Amanda Gertel has served as Executive Assistant at Armed Forces Mutual since 2019, providing support to the President, Treasurer, and executive team through scheduling, event coordination, and organizational management. She also serves as the liaison between the Board of Directors and staff, helping ensure effective communication and smooth operations. Amanda holds a bachelor's degree in Health Services Administration from James Madison University and an Associate Professional in Human Resources (aPHR®) certification. She lives in Ashburn, Virginia, and enjoys gardening, interior design, and spending time with family and friends.