Meet The Team
Board Of Directors
Randi Cairns, Founder/Executive Director.
It was Randi's personal experience that led her to found Home Front Hearts and her professional experience that gives her the knowledge and skills to manage and develop this organization dedicated to helping military families.As a military spouse and mother of four (Katie, PJ, Connor and Sara), Randi knows firsthand the challenges of military families both when their loved ones are deployed and when they are home. She has been the Family Readiness Group (FRG) Leader for her husband's last several deployments, also served in that role during her husband's time as a Company Commander and has worked continuously with military family support efforts throughout their years together. Randi says that her "hero husband" and her children have been the driving force behind Home Front Hearts.
Randi's professional strengths of community building and advocacy have been the backbone of Home Front Hearts. She has a Masters in Human Services with a specialty in Not-for-Profit Management. She has committed over twenty years of her life to serving vulnerable populations in numerous capacities. She has provided direct care and case management services, hired and trained staff, and prepared individuals for the workforce through supportive employment services.
In appreciation of the important work that Randi does with Home Front Hearts, Randi has been honored with a Chamber Choice Award from the East Brunswick Regional Chamber of Commerce Charitable Foundation for Randi and Ian's outstanding contributions and service to community and country (2009) and with the Chairman's Award from the NJ Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) in recognition of her exceptional support of service members and their families (2010).
Randi knew as a young child that she wanted to be "a champion for others". Today, as our military protects us on several fronts, she has dedicated herself to ensuring that our country's service members and their families get the much needed support and resources they deserve.
Elijah Dornstreich, Treasurer.
Elijah Dornstreich has a fifteen-year career as an entrepreneur and business executive in both the financial and entertainment industries. He was President of NationsFirst Financial from 1999 to 2007, and is an owner of Capital Business Partners, which partners with banks and institutions to offer funding solutions to small businesses. He is President of Aorta, Inc, an artist management company, and is also a founder of the non-profit Fourth Wall Arts Salon, a platform for independent artists to gain exposure and support in the Philadelphia region. In 2007 Elijah became President of the Alumni Advisory Board of The Bronfman Youth Fellowships in Israel. He travelled to Israel in July 2006 as a member of ROI-120, an initiative of Birthright Israel, which sends 120 Jewish leaders between age 20 and 35 from around the globe for a 3-day conference in Jerusalem to discuss and strategize on Jewish philanthropy and continuity. In 2007 Elijah helped produce the short film Have You Ever Heard About Vukovar?, which has won numerous awards and screened at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, and has a production credit for the film The Ordinary Radicals. Elijah grew up working on his family's organic vegetable and herb farm in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.Barbara Harbison, Secretary.
Barb is a military Public Affairs specialist and Photojournalist in the New Jersey National Guard. During the week, Barb serves in the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Public Affairs Office, interfacing with civilians, veterans, Army and Air National Guard members and their families, media, and local, state and federal government. Barb also served as a member of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard in a variety of positions. Barb first joined the military in 1982 and served in the active duty Army for seven years, more than three years were spent in Germany during the Cold War on a NATO base with AWACS airplanes and Pershing missiles. Barb was selected to participate in a military exercise in June 2008 in Croatia that involved the New Jersey Air Guard Civil Engineering Squadron, Army Guardmembers from Vermont and Minnesota and members of the Albanian, Croatian and Macedonian armies. Barb is married to James Harbison who works for HUD, Philadelphia office and is the mother of one daughter, Jennifer, and the grandmother of three great kids, Tanya, Sebastian and Dominque.A. David Adesnik
A. David Adesnik is a member of the research staff at the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), a federally-funded research and development center in Alexandria, VA. The IDA staff includes numerous veterans as well as a number of active duty personnel on assignment from their services. In the winter of 2007-2008, David deployed to Iraq as a civilian, where he worked with Combined Joint Task Force Troy, the Coalition's counter-IED task force. David received his doctorate in international relations from Oxford University, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. He is a native of Manhattan. He and his wife, Susanna, currently live in northwest Washington DC, where she practices law.Lonni Miller Ryan
A former Albany capitol correspondent for the New York Post, Lonni is a seasoned public relations specialist who has worked on the successful 1993 and 1994 campaign components that elected former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former NY Governor George Pataki, and former NYS AG Dennis C. Vacco and for the top NYC-based firm Rubenstein Associates Public Relations. Now running her own firm, Miller Ryan Media Relations, Lonni is putting her unique experience and extensive contacts to work for her clients. She also handles various writing, consulting, special event, and freelance assignments. In addition to running her own PR firm, Lonni is a Certified Zentangle Teacher and volunteers her time and professional support to various not-for-profits including Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the Passaic County Regular Republican Organization, and Home Front Hearts, where she currently serves on the Board of Directors. Lonni and her husband Billy and their three children and various pets live in Wayne, New Jersey -- where she serves as a Councilwoman-at-Large, Passaic County Committeewoman, and on the Board of the New Jersey Chapter of the Federation of Republican Women.The Team
Kate Midden, Manager, Development.
Kate's background consists of twenty years experience in high tech sales and business development for companies including Digital Equipment Corporation, Ocean Isle Software, STAC Electronics, DBA/Titan/L3, Level 5, Rule Machines and Modus Operandi.Kate's experience includes marketing and promotions for large and small organizations. Her love of writing led to her success as a journalist, writing non-fiction articles and journals, as well as fiction short stories and novels. Over the past two years she has focused her writing talents on grant writing and has won a number of grant awards for several non-profit organizations.
Kate has over 4 years experience working in the non-profit sector assisting military family members to overcome employment challenges and currently works with Home Front Hearts focused on uniting communities to assist military families with unmet needs. She is a strong advocate for military families and has "served" for over 50 years as an Army brat, an Army sibling (4 brothers who served), and a military spouse.
Amy Schofield, Manager, Strategy and Operations.
Amy serves as the go-to person for Home Front Hearts' volunteer program implementation. She is also instrumental in Home Front Hearts' Public Relations campaign.Amy is married to a Navy pilot and currently resides in Maryland. She is deeply passionate about issues affecting all military families, especially the hardships military spouses face each time they are relocated or their spouse is deployed, as well as the struggles wounded warriors and their families face on a daily basis.
Amy has a Bachelor of Arts degree from American University's School of Public Affairs with a specialization in Communication, Legal Institutions, Economics and Government. She also has a Master Certificate in Human Resources Management from Villanova University.
Prior to working with Home Front Hearts, Amy was a human resources specialist for non-profit organizations in San Diego, CA and Pensacola, FL.
Christine Brugman, Career Services and Social Media Volunteer.
Christine is married to Jason Brugman, a USAF Academy graduate and US Air National Guard Communications Flight Commander. She is an experienced Career Services Professional and entrepreneur who helps managers, staffed employees, and job candidates recognize and achieve their occupational goals and career potential.Christine is the President and Owner of Résumés Right Away LLC, a professional résumé writing, career services, and small business recruiting firm located in Colorado Springs, CO. She holds an undergraduate degree in Business Management, a graduate degree in Organizational Management, a post-graduate certificate in Human Resources Management, and is currently studying for her Certified Professional Résumé Writer designation.
Christine spent three years overseas coaching and mentoring local military spouses, and proudly worked as a Management Consultant Volunteer for NATO where she designed and deployed an executive management workshop at the NATO Programming Centre for both civilian and military personnel concentrating on the installation’s unique business and recruiting objectives. She then consulted for a military-affiliated nonprofit organization developing Job Search Assistance training initiatives for military spouse and veteran job seekers, and worked one-on-one educating employment candidates on how to enhance their résumé writing skills and capacity to express the relevance of their professional competencies and strengths to potential employers. Prior to moving overseas, Christine spent eleven years as a Call Center Operations and Talent Management advisor.
Christine is an active member of the National Résumé Writers’ Association, the Professional Association of Résumé Writers and Career Coaches, the Colorado Springs Military Spouse Career Committee, and the University of Phoenix Alumni Association’s Professional Mentor Program where she assists graduate students successfully transition from student to alumni sharing insight, advice, and real world experience within the Career Services Industry.
