Our Team
Meet Our Leadership Team
Stephen Holley
Craig Couch
Todd Boeding
Mike Devlin
Hallie Johnston
John McCaa
Ismael “Junior” Ortiz
Aaron Rigby
Debbie Wright
President & CEO
Stephen Holley
Stephen L. Holley, Jr., graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2000. He graduated Basic Underwater Demolition / SEAL Class 234 and served as a SEAL officer at SEAL Team 5 for five years and completed four deployments to Iraq and Southeast Asia. Following his military service, Stephen continues to be a leader in the Dallas area by co-founding Carry The Load with fellow Navy SEAL, Clint Bruce. Stephen has served the Dallas community as a member of the Touchdown Club, the Elizabeth Toon Charities, as a Board Member for the Goodwill Industries of Dallas, and as the Chairman of Pete Sessions Service Academy Advisory Board for the 32nd Congressional District. He has been recognized by the Dallas Business Journal through the 40 under 40 Award and has received the Dallas Foundation’s Good Works Under 40 Award.
Treasurer
Craig Couch
Craig Couch is a financial advisor and founder of Couch & Russell Financial Group in Burleson, Texas. After graduating from Baylor University and completing his Master’s degree, he spent ten years working with students and their families in Texas and Colorado. Craig is also active in his community. In addition to serving on the board of Carry The Load, Craig has previously served on the board of directors for several civic and non-profit organizations, including the Burleson Chamber of Commerce, the Burleson Opportunity Fund, and NFM. Craig loves to travel and is also a diehard Texas Rangers fan! He enjoys staying active through fitness classes and hiking. He is the proud father of two beautiful and wonderful children and two grandsons.
Board Member
Todd Boeding
Todd Boeding is a native Texan, born and raised in Dallas. A graduate of Jesuit College Prep School and the University of Texas at Dallas, his professional background began in 1989 when he enlisted in the Marine Corps. Ultimately earning the rank of major in the infantry, he completed his commitment to the Corps in 2003. Among his various duties, Todd served a tour at the White House under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Additionally, he served as the platoon commander for the prestigious recruiting arm of the Marine Corps, The Silent Drill Platoon.
Board Member
Mike Devlin
Mike Devlin was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado and raised in a suburb of Seattle, Washington. He attended the University of Washington and graduated from Washington State University. Mike also obtained a Master’s degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York. Prior to attending Columbia, Mike served as the assistant press secretary for U.S. Senator Warren Magnuson in Washington, D.C. Nearly all his professional career was spent in local television. He retired in early 2018 as President and General Manager of WFAA-TV. He began his broadcast career in Huntsville, Alabama as a reporter and followed that with reporting stints in Richmond, Virginia, Nashville, Tennessee and then at WFAA in Dallas. He entered station management in Portland, Oregon serving as news director and relocated to Houston in the same position. He returned to Dallas and became General Manager in 2007. Three years later WFAA became the television sponsor for Carry The Load. During his broadcasting career, Mike and the staff he supervised received numerous national awards including the duPont gold baton award from Columbia University. This marked the first time a local television station received a gold baton for news coverage. Mike has served on the advisory boards of SMU’s school of journalism department and the U.S. Army D/FW Community board. For nearly ten years he was a member of the ABC Affiliates Advisory Board where he also served two years as the board’s chairman.
Board Member
Hallie Johnston
Hallie Johnston was raised in Wasilla, Alaska, and graduated from Colony High School. She attended the United States Military Academy at West Point where she ran track and field, breaking the school record in the pole vault, and earning her degree in Business Management. After graduating top third of her class at West Point with Honors, she became a combat Black Hawk assault helicopter pilot. Hallie served one tour in Afghanistan where she supported the Australian Special Forces ground unit. In addition to her work with Carry The Load, Hallie is a lifetime member of the Army Aviation Association of America and involved in numerous Veteran initiatives that stretch from the VA benefits space to Veteran hiring initiatives. If you were to ask her about her most proud accomplishment, her answer would be, becoming a Mom to a beautiful baby boy in late 2020.
Board Member
John McCaa
John McCaa retired from television news broadcasting in 2019. He worked at WFAA-TV in Dallas/Fort Worth for 35 years. He rose from Reporter in the Fort Worth Newsroom to News Manager all while anchoring newscasts… first on the weekends and then from 1992 until retirement, on the station’s Monday through Friday evening broadcasts. His assignments sent him to multiple states and around the world to Hong Kong, Honduras and Rome. Before coming to WFAA, John worked for 7 and a half years in Omaha, Nebraska at WOWT as a reporter and news anchor. His interest in news started when he was a high School student and interned at the American Forces Radio station at Torrejon Air Base near Madrid, Spain. He has served as President of the Press Club of Dallas, President of The Dallas-Fort Worth Association of Black Communicators and on the Board of The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. John has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Creighton University in Omaha, a Masters Degree in Politics from The University of Dallas, and a Ph.D. In Humanities-History of Ideas from The University of Texas at Dallas. John has been actively involved with Carry The Load since 2012.
Board Member
Ismael “Junior” Ortiz
Ismael “Junior” Ortiz is a retired Lieutenant Colonel of the United States Marines and former Acting Assistant Secretary for Veterans Employment. His career spans over 30 years of working in government, corporate, and nonprofit sectors. His responsibilities ranged from leading thousands of Marines to managing fiscal budgets of millions of dollars, building communities, and passing critical legislation. He served as an enlisted man before being accepted to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland where he received his commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Marines. His twenty-seven-year career in the Marines encompassed many diverse assignments ranging from Administration, Communication, Counterdrug Operations, Recruiting, Marketing, and Advertising for the Marine Corps to professor and coach at the Naval Academy. Today, as a Research Professor of Leadership at the Hart Center for Engineering Leadership, Lyle School of Engineering at Southern Methodist University, he conducts workshops to help students focus on personal leadership and management of human talent while developing strategic plans used to recruit, hire, and work with diverse populations. He has served on many Corporate Boards and national organizations and has participated in numerous White House Task Forces and public policy initiatives. He is a Life Member of the Naval Academy Alumni Association, the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation, the Military Officers Association of America, the American Legion, Carry The Load volunteer, and Ambassador.
Board Member
Aaron Rigby
Aaron Rigby is a 1998 graduate of the United States Naval Academy. While on active duty, Mr. Rigby completed two deployments to the Middle East, including as a security team leader for the USS COLE immediately following her terrorist attack in the Port of Yemen in 2000 and as a member of the strategic planning team that developed plans in Afghanistan and Pakistan that lead to the introduction of the first ground forces in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. Mr. Rigby received his Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law and is currently a partner with Sidley Austin LLP. Aaron has been recognized for his practice and was named a “Texas Rising Star” by Super Lawyers for multiple years. Aaron is also a board member of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of North Texas.
Executive Director
Debbie Wright
Debbie Wright is a native Texan growing up in the Houston area before relocating to the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. She attended the University of Texas at Dallas where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations. Wright brings more than 30 years of non-profit leadership and event production to Carry The Load. From festivals to fundraising galas to digital partnerships, she has led teams and partnered with numerous non-profit organizations including the GRAMMY Foundation, NBA Cares, USO, Nancy Lieberman Foundation, and Starkey Hearing Foundation. She is also an active volunteer in the community with the current focus on her church and mentorship.