The Team
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Meet The Team
Ron Zaleski, a Marine Corps veteran (1970–72), founded The Long Walk Home in 2006 to ensure no service member faces the transition to civilian life without guidance. A former gym and scuba shop owner, Ron’s commitment to the cause includes walking the Appalachian Trail and across America barefoot (twice) to advocate for veteran counseling reform. After years of running a homeless shelter in the Keys, he now focuses on the organization’s highly effective mentorship program and hands-on event leadership. Today, Ron remains involved in every aspect of the mission, dedicating his life to providing the support and awareness he felt was missing after his own discharge.
Mary Ann is a fundraising and family outreach professional dedicated to supporting veterans and their families through mission-driven community partnerships. Inspired by the loss of her brother, a Special Forces veteran, she committed her career to aiding those facing suicidal ideation and the families who support them. She currently serves The Long Walk Home, where she focuses on expanding access to care, resources, and hope for the veteran community. Her diverse background includes leadership roles in community-based initiatives and a feature on The Oprah Winfrey Show for her work in family health and wellness.
Heath is a new member of The Long Walk Home Team. Bio coming soon!
I have served for 21 years in the Navy Reserve as a Chaplain. I have a combat tour in Iraq with the Marine 9th Communications Battalion, and active duty tours with the Marine Wounded Warrior Battalion West and Marine Forces Reserve. I have been privileged to help hundreds of Marines, Sailors, and veterans with combat stress, marriage enrichment, resiliency training and suicide intervention training. My civilian work experience was in large churches as a Church Administrator. I am excited to be on The Long Walk Home team to use my Navy and civilian experience to support and help our veterans and their family members make their transition from military to civilian life.
I grew up in Indiana and, after college, moved to Texas for graduate school where I have lived most of my adult life. I currently serve on TLWH team and my Navy Reserve command is with the Force Headquarters Group at Marine Forces Reserve, New Orleans.
I enjoy hiking in city, state, national parks and caves. I like traveling, camping, trains, and staying in fun B&B’s with my wife Michele. We’ve stayed in a caboose and old train depot hotel!
“Only two defining forces have ever volunteered to die for you; Jesus Christ and the Armed Forces American. One died for your soul, the other for your Freedom” – author unknown.”
Cody is a versatile professional with over five years of experience in communications and a deep-rooted passion for supporting the veteran community. His contributions to the organization include overseeing outreach, program development, and grant writing, as well as managing videography and photography initiatives. Motivated by the military service of his family and friends, Cody joined the mission after meeting founder Ron Zaleski at the Veterans Day Bike Ride in 2020. In his personal time, he enjoys hiking, biking, road trips, and playing the guitar.
Omar Rose is a U.S. Coast Guard veteran who has known Ron Zaleski for over 30 years. He shares a passion for helping veterans. In 2025, he joined Ron on a walk across the country to raise awareness for veteran suicide and advocate for solutions. Today, he continues to help The Long Walk Home with its programming and fundraising efforts.
Ashley’s bio is coming soon.
Duane C Stamm is originally from Lakeland, FL. After graduating with a degree in Criminology from Florida Southern College in 1999, he joined the Marine Corps. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps on August 10th, 2001. He is a graduate of the Infantry Officer Course, Assault Amphibian Officer Course, and MAGTF Intelligence Officer Course. He has served overseas in Okinawa, Japan, and has combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, both in uniform and as a contractor. He started volunteering as a mentor for the 13th Judicial Circuit’s Veterans Treatment Court (VTC), located in downtown Tampa, in May 2016. He started fundraising by conducting his personal fundraiser for the Senior Mentor Fund by cycling 50 miles from Fort Desoto to Tarpon Springs. Through Facebook, he was able to raise $1,500. This was a start to what is now, two of his main passions: cycling and helping others. He met Ron Zaleski at a Project Welcome Home Troops retreat, in Boone, NC, and after deploying to Baghdad, Iraq, in 2018, he decided to start volunteering with The Long Walk Home Inc (TLWH). Helping to organize the first advertised cycling event for The Veteran’s Day Bike Ride, he helped TLWH raise over $2,000 from riders and another $5,000 from donations. This was a great start in building a veteran focused community and spreading mindfulness. Duane still serves as a Major in Marine Corps in Tampa, FL. He is married to Selena and they have a 9-year old daughter Brooklyn. They have two dogs, a Husky named Kirra and an American Bulldog named Parris. Duane enjoys studying Brazilian Ju Jitsu and Vinyasa Flow Yoga. He loves gardening with orchids, roses, hot peppers, and citrus, and you will often find him sharing some of his many seeds and propagations with neighbors, friends, and family. He runs regularly to push himself and his longest run yet is a 50K, which he hopes to start training for a 50-miler soon. Duane recently started planning bike rides across the width of Florida and completed his first cross-state ride on Jan 18th from West Palm Beach to Venice for a total of 189 miles. He is currently planning more routes and hopes to encourage others to find their own peace through mediation, yoga, cycling the open roads, helping others, and whatever it is they love to do…
Alexandria White is an Army veteran, 91B Combat Medic, real estate agent, and mother to an amazing son. She was raised in the mountains of North Carolina and on the canals and rivers of Florida. She comes from a long line of service to this country. Both her grandfathers were in WWII, one Navy and one Air Force. Her father was in the Air Force, and three uncles were in the Army, during the Vietnam era. She is dedicated to helping veterans prevent suicide and giving support to families that have lost loved ones. She created an application, EMO Calendar, to prevent suicide in 2018, at Florida Gulf Coast University. During this time, she met Ron Zaleski, and was inspired to join The Long Walk Home. She continues to work with veterans as this is her passion.
