Our Team
Angela Salyer,
Executive Director
Angela was born in the Panama Canal Zone, where
her father was stationed in the Army Medical
Corps. She returned to the States with her
family at age 3. She and her family lived at Ft.
Meade, MD and Ft. Bragg, NC until her father
transitioned out of the military and moved to
the mountains of Western North Carolina....
There, she was selected as one of the top 100
female athletes in North Carolina’s history.
She earned a full basketball scholarship to
Clemson University and as their point guard
helped lead them to the school’s first ever
ACC basketball tournament championship. After
receiving her B.S. in Marketing, she earned a
graduate scholarship and worked for the Senior
Woman Administrator in the Athletics
Department. She was tasked with creating
Clemson’s student-athlete community outreach
program, where she quickly discovered her
passion for helping children in need.
After receiving her M.Ed. in Student Affairs
from Clemson, Angela worked as a student
advisor at Georgia and Western Kentucky
Universities. Her experience working directly
with students and growing up as a military kid
led to her interest in joining the Comfort
Crew for Military Kids.
Angela received The Comfort Crew for Military
Kids “Volunteer of the Year” Award in 2011 and
she joined the Crew as a staff member in 2012.
She has spoken to thousands of military kids
on the With You All the Way! Tour, at yellow
ribbon events, youth symposiums, camps, and
other special events. In Angela’s eighth year
with the Comfort Crew, her passion to help
military children continues to be fulfilled by
the Crew’s mission to serve our country by
strengthening military families.
Mike Kozlowski,
Director of Operations
Mike was born in Houston, Texas. He grew up in
Austin, went to Texas A&M University to
study Tourism and returned to Austin after
graduating. He worked in the hotel and
restaurant business for 5 years before
transitioning into teaching High School Students
with Special Needs.....
Having always been drawn to helping people,
especially kids, Mike recently joined the CCMK
to be able to help kids in a different
fashion. He is looking forward to helping
continue the growth of the meaningful and
important mission of the CCMK.
He has volunteered with the Austin Children's
Hospital, Ronald McDonald House Charities, and
the Central Texas Special Olympics. He is
excited and grateful for the opportunity to
become part of the CCMK team.
Penney
Letrud-Samons, Program Coordinator
Penney was born in Nashville, Tennessee and grew
up in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. She is
a graduate of The Ohio State University with a
10-year background in Program Coordinating,
Training, Volunteer Recruitment and Donor
Relations. After becoming the spouse of an
Active-Duty Sailor and the mother of an amazing
son, she developed a passion for helping
military families stay connected no matter the
challenges.......
Penney has been a dedicated supporter of our organization since 2018 and joined our team as a Program and Comfort Crew Station Coordinator in 2021.
Outside of her role at CCMK, she serves as volunteer for numerous non-profits in San Diego, California and surrounding areas. She also teaches Budget for Baby classes at the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society, works with United Through Reading and has previously served as the Family Readiness Group President for her husband’s command.
Tristan Pierce,
Chief Financial Officer
Tristan joined Comfort Crew for Military Kids in
March 2016 as its contracted Director of
Finance. As a Partner at Accounting for Change,
Tristan works with many nonprofits in Austin, TX
and Washington, DC to build financial capacity.
Tristan joined Accounting for Change on a
full-time basis in 2016, after his tenures as
Director of Finance and Administration with Bat
Conservation International, in Austin, TX, and
Joy of Motion Dance Center, in Washington,
DC……..
Working with nonprofits for over 10 years has
given Tristan insight into the challenges that
nonprofit managers face while balancing the
demands of many stakeholders. Tristan
approaches nonprofit leaders with sensitivity
and respect for their passions and workloads,
and enjoys working collaboratively with people
to implement financial systems that meet the
needs of multiple audiences.
Tristan grew up in Virginia Beach, VA where
his mother was stationed at Portsmouth Naval
Hospital. Tristan holds an MA in Arts
Management from George Mason University in
Fairfax, VA and served as Logistics Chair for
the Austin Nonprofit Financial Leadership
group.
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