Staff - Liberation Veteran Services

Meet our staff

Shared Values.
Shared Purpose.
Shared Passion.
Team Chemistry.

MEET JAY

Jay Patrick, President & CEO

Jay founded LVS in 2013 and is responsible for building awareness and raising funds to further the mission of helping homeless veterans get a second chance at life. Jay leads LVS with the guiding principles of Respect, Integrity, Compassion, and Fairness.

MEET FLETCHER

Fletcher Johnson is the Director of Donor and Community Engagement here at Liberation Veteran Services. He has been with LVS for six years. Fletcher is a graduate of Randolph Macon College with a degree in Sociology. Helping people has always been his passion. Fletcher also taught school for 26 years helping young people reach their educational goals which made an easy transition to help Veterans who had fallen on hard times restore their lives. His personal mission of helping people drives him in his efforts to help Veterans. Watching them come into LVS with substantial problems, working with them, and watching them leave with permanent housing gives Fletcher complete satisfaction.

“The support we give our clients while in our facility and after they move to permanent housing is amazing. I LOVE coming to work every day knowing I am making a difference in the lives of other individuals. I am part of a great and caring organization!! I will always be grateful for this opportunity!!”
– Fletcher Johnson

MEET TAMEKA

Tameka Robertson joined the Liberation family in November 2019. She began as the Volunteer coordinator and transitioned into the role of Operations Manager in November 2021. She has provided administrative support to various organizations for over 20 years, beginning in the United States Air Force, 1995, where she worked as a Personnel Specialist. Tameka completed her internship here at LVS in 2018 and fell in love with the mission. Tameka found her passion for helping people years ago and has spent the last 15 years providing care for others in varying positions.

MEET LYNNE

Lynne Berkness joined the Liberation family on August 1, 2022, as the Chief Advancement Officer. Lynne has been working in nonprofit fundraising for more than 25 years. She most recently led development efforts as Vice President of Philanthropy at Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond. Lynne’s previous fundraising roles include Founding Director of Advancement at Cristo Rey Richmond High School, Director of Development at Northstar Academy, and Director of Planned Giving & Stewardship at Collegiate School. Lynne is a past President of Virginia Association of Fundraising Executives (VAFRE) and served on the Board for seven years. She is a Richmond native and a graduate of Collegiate School and University of Virginia. Lynne and her husband Peter Tlusty have two grown children, Meg, a writer who lives in Hong Kong, and Russell,
a Captain – USAF.

MEET NICHELLE

Nichelle Breedlove began working with Liberation Veteran Services, as a part-time shift supervisor in 2020. At that time, she provided mental health support to the vets during her shift. Nichelle was later promoted to Program Director in March 2021 with Liberation Family Services. She now provides mental health support to our veteran’s at LVS as well as outside sources. Nichelle took an interest in veteran’s (particularly homeless veterans) at an early age which has been the driving force behind her passion to serve this population. Nichelle Breedlove is a native of Richmond, Virginia who attended Virginia Commonwealth University where she earned her undergraduate degree, (Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice). Nichelle is currently attending graduate school at Capella University. She is pursuing her master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling to become a Licensed Professional Counselor in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

MEET TONI

Toni Hutchinson is the Program Director here a Liberation Veteran Services. He has been at LVS since October 2022, where he started as a Case Manager. Toni has years of experience in the helping profession, and he is uniquely qualified to serve our veterans as he is an Army veteran himself. Toni earned a Bachelor of Social Work degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, a Master’s in Counseling from Liberty University. Presently, Toni is a PhD candidate at LU where his concentration is in Community Care & Counseling. Helping others has been a key life ethos for Toni and he operates from the biblical principles from whom much has been given much is required. Being a part of LVS affords him that opportunity daily.

MEET CAROL

Carol Davis joined the Liberation Family in November 2020. She is the Permanent Housing Manager. She has worked with the homeless population since 2014 in the Richmond area. She has worked with Single Adults, Families, Physically Disabled, Veterans and more. She received a Bachelor of Science degree from Elizabeth City State University in 1985. Her previous roles have included Housing Counselor and Homeless Intake Specialist at Commonwealth Catholic Charities. She also has served as Benefits, Employment Specialist, and Coordinator of the SNAP Employment and Training Specialist Network Group for Chesterfield Department of Social Services.

Meet Our Advisory Committee

At LVS, we are fortunate to have an amazing Advisory Committee that helps us in the area of Strategic Planning, Fundraising, Accounting
and Marketing.

The Committee consist of Wallace Stettinius,
David Wilson, Alex Smith and Kevin O’Leary

To succeed as a non-profit, we need an admirable mission and support. To excel, we need clear, achievable outcomes and a first-class network. Luckily, LVS is in a position to excel, thanks to the efforts of our outstanding volunteer LVS Development Committee comprised of Wallace Stettinius, Alex Smith, and David Wilson. Since 2016, this savvy trio has donated their time and expertise to spearhead our fundraising efforts. With their wise counsel and leadership, Liberation Veteran Services has a solid, long-term strategy to raise $350,000 annually to meet our budget. Their commitment to ensuring veterans in crisis have the care and support they need is truly inspiring. We are so grateful to have them on our team.

Wallace Stettinius is an astute, well-respected businessman, teacher, community leader, and mentor. Many consider him a guru and visits with him are essentially a trip to the mountaintop.From 1967 through 1995, he served as chief executive officer of William Byrd Press, then Cadmus Corporation. In recent years, he’s taught at Virginia Commonwealth University and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, focused on his work with non-profits, and headed the board of GrayCo, a family-owned commercial real estate investment company.Wally as affectionately known at LVS has served the grassroots nonprofit for the last 4 years. He met the executive director Jay Patrick during the Emerging Leaders Program facilitated by the Community Foundation. The two have worked closely together ever since and the impact has been remarkable.

Dave Wilson brings and professional background that is unparalleled in regards to building and maintaining a healthy organizational infrastructure that is credible, well-managed, and fiscally responsible. Dave Wilson retired in 2003 as Chairman and President of the Cadmus Corporation. Dave is also a HSC alumni and shares that close brotherhood with our Executive Director Jay Patrick. Wilson’s dedication to Hampden-Sydney athletics is exceptional. He spearheaded the basketball capital improvement projects, created a model for athletic fundraising programs, and has been the President of the Roundball Club for the past seven years. A former member of the Board of Trustees of the College, he served with distinction during his term and was recently elected to the Board beginning this summer. With too many accolades to note, we are just fortunate to have Dave on our team. His passion for helping veterans shines through and is making a significant impact in our efforts to eradicate veteran homelessness in Metro Richmond.

Alex Smith served the Collegiate School for 47 years. He helped establish and strengthen Collegiate’s development office, and in that role, raised funds that reshaped the landscape and grew the breadth of the campus, starting with capital campaigns that led to the construction of Luck Hall and Burke Hall on the Lower School campus.Overall, he has raised more than $130 million for Collegiate, and his most recent efforts led to the construction of Collegiate’s new Lower School cafeteria, Centennial Hall, as well as the signature Upper School building, the Sharp Academic Commons, which houses the Estes Student Center and the Saunders Family Library. As of late, Alex has added author to his resume. Passing on his knowledge as a professional fundraiser in the book “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg.” Alex spends his time now giving back and serving as a mentor and adviser to many. We are so fortunate that Liberation Veteran Services get this caliber of advise and consultation.

Kevin O’Leary joined LVS’s strong advisory board with a focus on development and increasing capacity the advisory board has been instrumental in taking LVS’s fundraising and operations to the next level. Kevin has had a profoundly successful career in the finance industry. Most recently as Vice President and CFO of the Tredegar Corporation. Kevin has spent the majority of his career as a numbers and operational guru and is now partially retired and focused on giving back to his community. His father being a veteran, he found the mission of LVS to be very compelling and one he deeply connected with. LVS is extremely humbled to have Kevin on the team.