National Veterans Non-Profit Operation Song Appoints Jon Foti as CEO With Expansion, the Organization Begins Search for New Office Space in Nashville TN
Jon Foti, CEO of Operation Song
(Nashville TN, February 15, 2024) — Operation Song®, the 501(c)(3) non-profit that pairs veterans and active-duty military with professional songwriters to tell their stories through song, announces the appointment of Jon Foti as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Foti assumes the role after serving as the CEO of the Dale K. Graham Veterans Foundation and he brings a wealth of experience in non-profit leadership, veterans affairs, and a strong commitment to serving the veteran and military community.
In this newly created role, Foti leads Operation Song into its second decade, overseeing fundraising development and the expansion of partnerships within the music industry and veterans organizations. Currently, Foti is leading the non-profit’s search for new office space in Nashville, TN to accommodate its growth.
Army veteran and CEO of Operation Song, Jon Foti states, “It’s an honor to join Operation Song and connect gifted songwriters with veterans, for whom self-expression can be challenging. As a nation we often forget the impact of service but in giving veterans a voice, we ensure that all Americans remember the sacrifices our freedoms are reliant on."
In creating the country’s largest catalogue of songs about the camaraderie, bravery, and heroism of service, Operation Song envisions a song for every veteran. The cathartic songwriting process helps turn memories into lasting mementos and offers veterans a way to process and share their experiences and emotions. Participating veterans write with songwriters during in-person retreats or virtual songwriting sessions, hear their stories performed in public at Operation Song’s benefit concerts across the country, receive a recorded copy of their song, and join a catalogue of over 1,600 songs on the organization’s Bandcamp page.
Navy veteran & Operation Song Board President, Bob Leonard states “Operation Song is expanding our ability to inspire every veteran to tell their story through the expressive power of songwriting. Jon’s proven leadership with veterans’ non-profits will allow us to be more strategic in our efforts to reach more veterans in more places across this country as we enter into our second-decade as an organization. It’s also our intent to broaden our involvement with the veterans we serve by creating a community resource network through our Operation Song ‘alumni’ program that gives our veterans access to Operation Song on a regular basis regardless of where they live. The ultimate goal; ensure every veteran has the opportunity to inspire every American through song.”
Jon Foti graduated from the University of Tampa as a Distinguished Military Graduate and joined the US Army as a 2nd Lieutenant in 2012. His first assignment was the 101st Airborne Division at Ft. Campbell, KY as a flight line Platoon Leader of a Blackhawk Helicopter Air Assault Company. Deployed to Afghanistan in 2015, Jon served as a combat aviator and Battle Captain for the Aviation Taskforce’s Command and Control Center. In 2018, Jon transitioned into private aviation management in Colorado while completing his Masters in Aeronautics from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. In 2019 Jon worked as a Wounded Warrior Fellow for the U.S. House of Representatives conducting congressional inquiries into the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense. In 2020, Jon became the CEO of the Dale K. Graham Veterans Foundation, based in Norman, OK. There, Jon led a team in the service of 5,000 veterans per year, mostly in the VA claims and benefits application process and fundraised millions of dollars to expand veterans services nationwide.
Operation Song’s Board of Directors includes leaders in Nashville’s music, healthcare, and technology sectors. In addition to board president Bob Leonard, the board is comprised of Dennis Buchanan, Kevin M. Doherty, Joe Forte, Danielle Lauber, Cindy Morgan, Debbie Respess, Jeff Rice, Jason Rose, Andy Sale, Mike Sistad, and Storme Warren.
ABOUT: Nashville-based non-profit organization, Operation Song® is a 501 (c)(3) that empowers veterans, active-duty military members, and their families across the US to tell their stories through the process of songwriting. Founded in 2012 by Grammy, Dove, and 11-time ASCAP award winning Bob Regan (Keith Urban, Trisha Yearwood, Reba McEntire, Hank Williams Jr., Randy Travis), Operation Song has produced over 1,600 songs at year-round retreats and songwriting sessions and inspired other organizations to adopt similar missions. For more information, please visit operationsong.org.
# # #
MEDIA CONTACT:
Tiffany Shipp
917-992-5819