Clay Hunt Fellows Program Announces Base Camp Seven

As the world begins to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic, Team Rubicon welcomes its newest cohort of Clay Hunt Fellows—14 veterans from across North America who will spend the next six months dedicated to a curriculum of personal growth, set to emerge as mentors, elevating themselves into stronger, more self-aware leaders within Team Rubicon and their respective community. Two of the newest Fellows are Canadian Greyshirts.

Jeff Becker

Jeff Becker served in the Canadian Army as a combat engineer for 15 years and retired as Master Corporal. After retirement, he earned a BA in Business Administration from the British Columbia Institute of Technology. He joined Team Rubicon in 2018. “Being a part of the Greyshirt community, and finding a way to use my skills from the military to help people … It is soul food to be able to give of myself through TR to disaster survivors,” Becker says. Currently, he serves as the metro administrator for the Greater Vancouver area and is always on the lookout for a good rope swing.

Kelly Scanlan

Army, Canadian Armed Forces
Milton, Ontario, Canada

Kelly Scanlan served in the Canadian Army for 10.5 years. After graduating college Kelly became a firefighter. In addition to her duties as a firefighter, she also works with the Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services Peer Support Team. Scanlan joined Team Rubicon in 2016 and promptly deployed to Baton Rouge for flood relief on Operation Geaux Big. “That op was the first time I felt useful again and that I had found a new team. It was the definition for me of new mission, team, and purpose. It was the start of a long recovery process for me, and it was the first thing that made me want to do the work to change the dark place my life was in.”

Scanlan has been getting her grey shirt dirty ever since she first deployed and is currently the metro lead for Southwest Ontario.

Jovan Archuleta

U.S. Air Force
Wasilla, AK

Andrea Bruning

U.S. Air National Guard
Kirkland, WA

Andrea Bruning served for 11 years in the Oklahoma and Washington Air National Guard and has her AAS in Exercise Science. She spent 20 years in telecommunications, leaving that to own and run a canine behavioral business. Her first Greyshirt operation was on Rouge Tiger, Team Rubicon’s 2021 response to severe storms in Louisiana, where she volunteered for both muckout and deputy safety officer. She enjoys amateur photography. Her personal motto is to ‘know your impact.’

Emily Caudill

U.S. Marine Corps
Billings, MT

Emily Caudill served in the Marine Corps for three years, and which she started on the educational path to becoming a Registered Nurse. Since graduating from San Juan College with her degree in nursing Caudill has taken on the role as the nurse manager for care management at a 250-bed hospital. When she has free time you can find her volunteering at her church and working with a trauma recovery group. She joined Team Rubicon earlier this year and is looking forward to getting out into the field.

Fun fact: “I have a really cool vintage 1965 Terry 12-foot travel trailer that my son and I completely rebuilt.”

John Elliott

U.S. Army 
Gleneden Beach, OR

John (“Jay”) Elliott served in the Army, in signals intelligence, for four years. He then transitioned to research and development in the tech world before making the shift to mediator and life coach. He attended the University of Massachusetts and the University of New Mexico School of Law where he earned a certificate in mediation. In the past, Jay sat on the board of an equine therapy organization. He has volunteered for Team Rubicon for the past four years as a Greyshirt, safety officer, and training instructor. He first deployed with Team Rubicon on Operation Hard Hustle in response to flooding from Hurricane Harvey.

“Out of the many moments that have had a significant impact on me during the last four years with Team Rubicon, it’s hard to overlook my first experience—Operation Hard Hustle. When I took my first step into “the arena”, I left my home to go to a place I’d never been, to meet people I’d never met, to do things I’d never done, to find the TRibe I didn’t know I had.”

Diane Halle

U.S. Army
Burbank, IL

Diane Halle spent more than 30 years in the Army, retiring as a Master Sergent. She holds an MS in Health Administration from the University of St. Francis and a BA in Digital Photography from the Illinois Institute of Art. She is a perpetual volunteer in her community and with Team Rubicon: She volunteers with the National Women Veterans United Organization and has been a Greyshirt for three years. She often serves as the PIO and photographer for Team Rubicon on local and national operations. Her first operation with Team Rubicon was Operation Amberjack, Team Rubicon’s response in Florida to Hurricane Michael.  She believes in providing assistance with humility and sincerity to those in need and doing so with compassion for the person in need and their situation.

Mahadi Haque

U.S. Army
Los Angeles, CA

Mahadi Haque spent four years in the Army. After getting out, he enrolled in George Washington University where he is currently working on his BS in Nursing. Now he works as an EMT in the Los Angeles area. Haque joined Team Rubicon in 2020 when he answered the call to serve on Team Rubicon’s COVID-19 response operation Kick the King in LA, and has found a new sense of camaraderie amongst the ranks of Greyshirts. In addition to volunteering with Team Rubicon, he also dedicates his time to the Student Veterans of America.

Fun fact: Haque speaks four different languages.

Kylie May

U.S. Army
Denver, CO

Kylie May served in the Army and Army Reserves for seven years. After getting out she earned an MMS in Physician Assistant Studies from Arcadia University and is currently working in family practice. She joined Team Rubicon in 2015, and her most memorable experience was serving in Greece on Operation Hermes, providing medical relief to international refugees. Not surprisingly, her favorite quote comes from Mahatma Gandhi “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

May is also a self-professed music addict: “It is my religion. I can’t even count how many concerts I’ve enjoyed.”

Jason Reina

U.S. Army
El Paso, TX

Jason Reina served in the Army for 20 years in various roles. He retired as a Sergeant First Class. He holds an MS in Leadership from Grand Canyon University, with a focus in Emergency Management. He works in the emergency management arena while also volunteering with Team Rubicon as well as with the American Red Cross. His first deployment with Team Rubicon was during the COVID-19 response. He was drawn to Team Rubicon and the Clay Hunt Fellows Program because of the humility in others and their willingness to volunteer within the community. He is excited to become a grandfather this February.

Reina’s favorite quote if from General Norman Schwarzkopf: “Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy”.

Wayne Robins

U.S. Marine Corps
Murray, UT

Wayne Robins retired from the USMC after more than 20 years. Not wanting to waste any time he became a full-time student and has since earned an AS in Criminal Justice and is one semester away from earning a BS in Criminal Justice from Weber State University. When not burning the midnight oil doing homework, Robins finds time to serve as vice president of technology for the Utah state VOAD, and volunteers with Meals on Wheels. 

He joined Team Rubicon in 2016 and his first deployment was on Hard Hustle. He is now serving as Team Rubicon’s city operations coordinator in Salt Lake City, UT.

Favorite Quote: “As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands—one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.”—Audrey Hepburn

John Rorke

U.S. Army
Lewiston, ME

John Rorke served four years in the Army and got out as a specialist. He went on to earn two degrees: a BA from Oklahoma State University and then an MSW in Social Work from Arizona State University. He currently works at a local foodbank and volunteers as a high school soccer coach. Rorke first saw Team Rubicon in action when he was volunteering after tornadoes tore through Oklahoma in 2013. He joined the TRibe later that year but has not had the opportunity to deploy because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

When not working or volunteering Rorke finds time to be in the woods, so it’s fitting that his favorite quote is: “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.”—Muhammed Ali

Sara Sharp

U.S. Army and Army Reserves 
Vancouver, WA

Sara Sharp served in the Army for almost 19 years. She has her Ph.D. in Education from Walden University. She has been part of Team Rubicon since 2018 and holds a leadership position in administration. Her first deployment was to Operation Crying Eagle, Team Rubicon’s response to Hurricane Laura. Sharp finds strength in serving others and lifting them up on their worst days. When she is not volunteering or taking classes, she enjoys hiking with her two dogs.

Sharp’s favorite quote is: “The highest of distinctions is service to others.” —King George VI

Hance Wilbert

U.S. Army 
Lebanon, NJ 

Hance Wilbert served for 11 years in the Army. He graduated from St. Louis University School of Medicine and currently works as a paramedic in New Jersey. Aside from Team Rubicon volunteerism, Wilbert helps his community through the Red Cross. He has been with Team Rubicon for the past two years.  His most memorable experience was also his first deployment, to the Navajo Nation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Witnessing the work the healthcare workers and volunteers were giving to the community was fulfilling and empowering for Wilbert. 

Wilbert’s favorite quote is an excerpted version of a passage from Steven Pressfield’s Gates of Fire: “Never forget … that this flesh, this body, does not belong to us. … It belongs to the gods and to our children, our fathers and mothers and those of … a hundred, a thousand years yet unborn. It belongs to the city which gives us all we have and demands no less in requital.”