Our Team.

Meet Our Leadership

We are proud of our committed and diverse staff driven by our common goal to create lasting wellbeing for post 9/11 veterans.

Jamie Wells

CEO & President

Jamie Wells is a retired U.S. Army Sergeant Major who served 24 years. His leadership skills and mentorship has helped countless active duty service members, reservists, and our local Florida panhandle veterans. 

Jim Vechery

Vice-President

Lieutenant General (Retired), Jim Vechery, Jim retired from the United States Air Force in October 2020 after serving over 31 years on active duty.  He was a mobility pilot by trade flying over 3,000 hours in T-37, C-5, KC-135, and C-37 aircraft.  He completed his service as the Deputy Commander for United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) where he was directly responsible to the Commander for assisting the AFRICOM team in promoting the national security interests of the United States in Africa. 

Our Volunteers

Kieu Vo
Event Coordinator
Kieu is a real estate agent in the Greater Pensacola area.
Travis Schefcik
Media/Content Creation
Travis operates a documentary film production and post-production studio in Pensacola, FL.
Tammy Diehl
Volunteer
Tammy works at Microsoft and helps organize events.
Holly Schefcik
Volunteer
Holly is a motivated volunteer that has worked with the military and veterans providing family services..

Donna Cranston

See what the founder of Defenders of Freedom has to say about Jamie Wells, the founder of Defenders of Freedom Florida.

Click the image to watch the video.

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Would You Like to Volunteer?

Defenders of Freedom Florida depends on its staff and volunteers to make positive things happen for veterans in our community. We owe a debt of gratitude to each of them.

We are accepting applications for new volunteers. If you’d like to volunteer with us to help local veterans, complete the form below, or click here.

    Volunteer Inquiry

    Following info is required to be considered