Meet Our Board Members

Ralph served eleven years in the United States Army where he served as an enlisted man in the field artillery and in the aviation branch as a military intelligence pilot. He is a current mentor to transitioning veterans and has a passion for supporting the veteran and first responder community.

He earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering (Aerospace) from the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY and an MBA from the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University.

Ralph is a national account manager for an industrial supply company and has over 20 years of experience in sales and procurement. 

Ed has been in ministry since 2004. He currently pastors a church in Simi Valley for the last 8 years. Ed has many years of experience in business and finance. He has owned and operated mortgage companies, a home health company, and hospice. He currently runs and operates a real estate & mortgage firm. 

Shauna ‘Doc’ Springer, PhD, is a licensed psychologist, three-time best-selling author, frequently requested keynote speaker, award-winning podcast host, and one of the world's leading experts on psychological trauma, military transition, suicide prevention, and close relationships. A Harvard graduate who has become a trusted Doc to our nation’s military warfighters and first responders, she navigates diverse cultures with exceptional agility.

For over two decades, Doc Springer's has shaped how we understand performance, trauma recovery, and mental wellness in high-risk professions, bringing sharp insight into mental warfare, building elasticity, and strengthening close, healthy relationships.

As the Senior Advisor and Clinical Supervisor for the Veteran Mentor Project (theVMPI.org), a newly funded initiative, she provides clinical oversight, strategic guidance, and specialized training to peer mentors, delivering practical, high-impact insights that strengthen their ability to support veterans and first responders through transition and reintegration.

Doc’s work is shaped by her unique upbringing, her deep respect for those who serve and protect, and her remarkable insight into human nature. She emphasizes the power of trust and authentic connection as the foundation for transformative growth and the realization of one’s full potential.

http://www.docshaunaspringer.com

COL David (Dave) Abrahams (Retired) enlisted in the Army in 1987 as an infantryman. Following a short enlistment he attended West Point, graduating and earning his commission in 1993. Dave served until 2019 retiring as a Colonel with a total of 32 years in uniform.

Dave’s recent transition from retired Army officer to successful Real Estate Agent is the result of hard work, focus, and deliberate action. His motto is ‘never believe you deserve any of it’ an axiom recently popularized on the hit show ‘Yellowstone.’

His advice to transitioning Veterans: Don’t let your past define you, and don’t believe that you deserve special treatment because you volunteered to serve. Leverage the values, discipline, and team mentality that your years of service instilled in you as a springboard for success. Those things you carry with you after a successful career in the service will automatically put you in the top tier of the civilian sector but only if you demonstrate them by the way you live your life and approach your work.

USMC Veteran. Founder of Mission F.I.S.H. 

In 1995, I enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and was honorably discharged in 2004 due to my disability.

Upon my discharge, I was lost in a world without my Marine Corps Brothers and Sisters as that was all I had known for 10 years. The everyday routine of what I did was no longer there and, because of this void, my depression began to take its toll on me.

In 2010, I lost my Brother James Jones and in 2011 I lost my Grandmother, Ruby Barber. 

Both of these losses sent me in a downward spiral of depression until, one day, my buddy Jason insisted that I join him for some fishing. I hadn’t been fishing in years, so I accepted his invitation. It was a twilight trip, leaving at 5pm and returning at 10pm. This is when my eyes were opened to the thought of feeling complete again and that there was nothing that could hurt me. Being on the water while the sun was going down and taking in the nature around me, gave me a sense of balance. 

From 2011-2015, I noticed I was out fishing more. And, my PTSD, anxiety, and depression were somewhat intact. This is when I knew I had to share my experience with other Veterans who were dealing with the same situations. I reached out on social media asking if there were any organizations that take Veterans fishing. There was just one on California’s central coast. I reached out to them to find out more about what they did and how they did it. I then started my own organization piggy backing off theirs which lasted from 2015-2019. 

In 2019, I decided to change the name of my organization from theirs to Mission FISH, Fishing, Interacting, Sharing and Healing. This gave me an opportunity to increase my participants to not only Veterans from every era, but also to include Active-Duty, First Responders and Gold Star Families. 

To-date, Mission FISH has taken over 3500 Veterans, Active-Duty Service Providers, First Responders. and Gold Star Families out for a day of Fishing, Interacting, Sharing and Healing at no cost to them. We will continue to pursue this practice of recreational therapy with the thought of assisting my fellow Brothers and Sisters in arms until we decrease the suicide rate to 0.

John Wischmeier enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2004 as a Satellite Communications Operator. Throughout his career, he served in both traditional Army assignments and joint units, gaining broad leadership and operational experience across multiple environments. While serving, he earned both a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from American Military University.

After more than 21 years of service, John retired from the Army in January 2026 at the rank of Master Sergeant. He now serves as the Chief Operating Officer at his local church.

John encourages service members preparing to transition into civilian careers to find a way to be at peace with your transition and to pay close attention to how you communicate in professional environments. His experience has been that the workplace communication styles are different from those commonly used in the military.