Our Board of Directors

  • John "Hoss" Ladner

    Chair

  • Margaret-Patricia Larsen

    Vice Chair

  • Dave "Indy" Prakash

  • Dr. Patricia Thomas

    Treasurer

 
 


  • Hometown

    Spring, Texas


    Education

    University of Mississippi, B.S. Mathematics 1989

    Texas A&M University, M.Eng, Transporation Engineering Policy, 2015


    Betsy grew up a Navy “Brat”. She and Paul were married for 30 of his 31+ years in the USAF. Being an Air Force spouse has been a thrill because of Betsy’s love of travel and meeting people across the world.

    Her takeaway is “we are all the same – moms and dads, sons and daughters, sisters and brothers – we all want the same. We want enough food on the table, a roof over our heads, and the best education for our kids. I believe we all strive to leave this world better than we found it for our children, grandchildren, and the many generations to follow.”

    Betsy has experience in programming, education, real estate, public transportation, and is currently working on another master’s degree in GIS.

    Paul and Betsy have two children – Lacy, who works for the government as a civilian and Matthew, who is an AFROTC Cadet at Det 310 at LSU. They also have a chihuahua named Bean they adopted from the Gulfport Humane Society on Christmas Eve 2010.

 

Co-Founders

It all began with these two. Betsy and Paul Nelson serve as non-voting members of the Board of Directors.

 


  • Hometown

    Oxford, Mississippi

    Education

    University of Mississippi, B.A. Physics 1989

    Uniformed University of Health Sciences, F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine 1993

    Family Practice Residency, Andrews AFB, Maryland, 1993-1996

    University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Master’s of Public Health, 2002-2003

    USAF Residency in Aerospace Medicine, Brooks City Base, San Antonio, TX 2003-2005


    Military Professional Education

    Squadron Officers School

    Air Command & Staff College

    Air War College

    Col (ret) Dr. Paul H. Nelson, MD, MPH , grew up in Oxford Mississippi and received his bachelor’s degree and commissioning from the University of Mississippi in 1989. He went on to receive his medical degree from the Uniformed Services University (USU) School of Medicine in 1993.

    Boarded in Family Medicine and Aerospace Medicine, Paul (“VooDoo”) recently retired from the Air Force after 31 years and serving in a variety of operational tours in October 2020.

    His military career culminated over the past five years in service as the Surgeon General’s Chair to the Air University, serving as the senior medical officer assigned to the Air Force’s leadership and development institution. In this last role, he has worked, researched and taught in the areas of individual and organizational resiliency and effectiveness, disruptive innovation and organizational change within a bureaucracy, strategic messaging, bridging the mil-civ divide through partnership, Veteran and Military Family issues, and youth outreach, paying the blessings of service forward to a new generation.

    Over the year prior to retirement, he has worked collaboratively with a cross-functional, multidisciplinary team to include partners at the McCrary Institute at Auburn University to develop national solutions for the current COVID national response.

    Since retirement, he and Betsy, his wife of 30 years have returned home to Oxford and co-founded the Mission-Next Foundation so that they may continue their family’s community service commitment. Paul and Betsy are proud parents of daughter, Lacy, and son, Matthew.