NASHVILLE (CelebrityAccess) – Operation Song, the 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, an Army veteran, assumes the role after serving as the CEO of the Dale K. Graham Veterans Foundation. 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 to accommodate its growth.
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 most extensive catalog of songs about the camaraderie, bravery, and heroism of service, Operation Song envisions a song for every veteran. Songwriting helps turn memories into lasting mementos and allows veterans 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 benefit concerts across the country, receive a recorded copy of their song, and join a catalog of over 1,600 songs.
Navy veteran and 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 regular access to Operation Song, regardless of where they live. The ultimate goal is to ensure every veteran has the opportunity to inspire every American through song.”
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.
Foti was deployed to Afghanistan in 2015 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 Master’s in Aeronautics from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.
In 2019, Foti worked as a Wounded Warrior Fellow for the House of Representatives, conducting congressional inquiries into the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD). In 2020, he became the CEO of the Dale K. Graham Veterans Foundation, based in Norman, OK. There, he led a team in the service of 5,000 veterans annually, mainly 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 Leonard, the board comprises Dennis Buchanan, Kevin M. Doherty, Joe Forte, Danielle Lauber, Cindy Morgan, Debbie Respess, Jeff Rice, Jason Rose, Andy Sale, Mike Sistad, and Storme Warren.
