Advisory Council

Colonel Gregory D. Gadson, a Chesapeake, VA, native, served our nation in the United States Army for more than 26 years. Gadson’s service culminated as the Garrison Commander of Fort Belvoir, where he oversaw the daily operations of the post, a strategic sustaining base where more than 50,000 military personnel and employees provide logistical, intelligence, medical, and administrative support, and command and control for a mix of more than 140 commands and agencies for the Department of Defense.

A 25-year career Army officer, Gadson’s life is a portrait of courage in the face of great adversity. In May 2007, as commander of the 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery, Gadson’s greatest challenge came in Iraq, where an improvised explosive device (IED) attack cost him both legs above the knees and normal use of his right arm and hand. Despite this, Gadson remained on active duty in the Army and continued to inspire many with his message of courage, perseverance, determination, and teamwork. Refusing to be defined by the proverbial “hail of bullets,” he has since drawn upon the lessons of pride, poise, and team, learned as a West Point linebacker, and applied them to his life, career, and family.

Commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant of Field Artillery in 1989 from the United States Military Academy at West Point, Greg served in every major conflict of the past two decades, including Operations Desert Shield/Storm in Kuwait, Operation Joint Forge in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Greg served in various assignments throughout the world. He dedicated himself to leading the soldiers, civilian employees, and family members in living the Army values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. Greg is a passionate advocate for wounded warriors, veterans, and those with disabilities; on several occasions, he has testified before Congress on issues related to these groups.

Greg continues a very energetic and dynamic lifestyle where he continues to serve his nation as an entrepreneur and managing partner of Patriot Strategies, LLC, a government services company. He continues acting, currently in The Inspectors, a family television series on CBS. Greg is also an accomplished photographer/artist and remains active in cycling, skiing, and scuba.

Greg’s military awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit (2), Bronze Stars (3), Purple Heart; the Meritorious Service Medal (3) and the Army Commendation Medal (3). He is a graduate of Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and holds masters’ degrees in Information Systems from Webster University, and Policy Management from Georgetown University. He holds an honorary Doctorate of Laws from Webster University.

As Vice President, Business Transformation, Sheri is responsible for aligning Penn Mutual’s change agents with the corporate strategy to ensure visibility and clarity.  Through this alignment, Sheri builds strong cross-functional teams that create executable programs and roadmaps to achieve goals. Sheri’s strategic oversight of Penn Mutual’s change efforts and her responsiveness to new and changing priorities is evident in her 16 years with Penn Mutual.

The Business Transformation team collaborates with business partners across the organization to deliver a wide range of transformational services including project guidance, data analysis, process improvements, product ownership and team formation and coaching. Under Sheri’s direction, the Business Transformation team has been instrumental in the launch of the Accelerated Client Experience, creating an award winning digital life insurance experience for advisers and clients in only 14 months.

Prior to her current role, Sheri led highly effective teams in Product Development, responsible for overseeing the end-to-end development of life and annuity products, including continuous improvements to the process. She also leader in Operations with responsibility for multiple change efforts that modernized the operational processes, including the Life New Business program and the Client communication modernization.

Sheri hails from a family with proud military traditions. She served in the U.S. Navy with duty stations at the Naval Damage Control Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the Marine Corps Air Station in Okinawa, Japan. Her father, father-in-law, husband and son have all honorably served in the U.S. Navy.  The lessons she learned through her eight-year military career have guided Sheri’s leadership style with teamwork at the center, which is evident as her team works collaboratively throughout the company.

Kevin joined Northwestern Mutual in January 2020.  His team of learning and development professionals is responsible for driving business priorities through strategic learning engagements with the field.  Kevin’s team owns the National Training Program, which will bring a consistent learning experience to new financial representatives, increasing productivity and retention, and ultimately delivering a consistent client experience. Kevin believes that a strong partnership with the field is essential to drive transformation and deliver results.

Kevin started his career as an Army Intelligence Officer, serving 11 years on active duty in peacekeeping and war-time operations.  He finished his last 3 years as a Professor at the United States Military Academy – West Point.  Kevin transitioned to workplace learning as a consultant, helping companies like Walmart, Scotts Miracle-Gro, and HP develop transformational leaders to drive growth.  His last position as a consultant was as the head of leadership development for McChrystal Group, a consulting firm founded by retired General Stanley McChrystal, taking leadership lessons from over a decade of combat and applying them to the corporate environment.

Kevin transitioned from consulting to corporate learning, moving to Saks Fifth Avenue, and Hudson’s Bay Company, as the Head of Learning and Development for these retail companies.  Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual, Kevin was the head of Learning and Development for Guardian’s group insurance business, where he developed and executed a strategy to transform distribution learning and development, with a focus on the learner experience.

Kevin graduated from the United States Military Academy, West Point, with a BS in International Politics.  He also graduated from Harvard University with an MPA in International Security Policy and from Indiana University with an MBA.  He currently lives in Mequon, WI with his wife, Eileen, and his two young boys, Jackson, and Connor.  They enjoy all types of outdoor activities, watching the boys play sports, and are fanatical for Army Football and the Kansas City Chiefs.