Vets 4 Vets hosts monthly meetings on the 4th Tuesday of the month at 6pm. Location varies; contact us for meeting details
Executive Director & Board
Board
Mike Lovejoy · Board President
Mike Lovejoy served 22 years in the Marine Corps, 6 years on active duty, and 15 years in the reserves. He flew the CH-46 and CH-53 helicopters, deploying to Saudi Arabia in 1991 for Operation Desert Storm. He is a retired teacher living in Aptos with his wife, Debbie.
Ella Fredericksen · Board Member
Ella Fredericksen is a retired school teacher who has lived in Aptos since 1967. Her husband served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam in the Artillery Division from 1968–1969, and his service has inspired her to dedicate her time and energy to supporting and assisting veterans in Santa Cruz County. Serving as a board member for Vets4Vets is her way of saying thank you to all who have stepped up and served our country. Ella encourages everyone to join in honoring our servicemen and women through volunteering, donating, or attending Vets4Vets events. She feels that being part of this military family is a true privilege.
Linda Benko · Treasurer
Linda Benko proudly serves as treasurer. She earned a Regular Army commission through the ROTC program at Penn State University and was commissioned as a 2LT in the Signal Corps in 1977. She spent 8 years on active duty serving in the Panama Canal Zone and Korea before returning stateside to Ft. Ord. In 1985 she left active duty and joined the Reserves, serving another 22 years in Signal, Psyop, and Civil Affairs units based in Mt. View.
Travis Deyoung · Board Member
Travis Deyoung served in the Marine Corps from 2007 to 2011 as an aviation supply specialist. Travis was stationed at New River Air Station in North Carolina and deployed to Al Asad Air Base in Iraq in 2009. After his enlistment Travis and his wife moved to California, where he attended Cabrillo College. In 2015 Travis began working at the Santa Cruz County Veteran Services Office as the Veterans Outreach Representative, and in 2017 he transitioned into the Veteran Advocate position. Travis continues to work with veterans in Santa Cruz County and is the Board President for Vets 4 Vets Santa Cruz.
Buzz Gray · Board Member
Buzz Gray served as radarman in the U.S. Navy from 1963 to 1967 on the USS Enhance (AM-437). As a U.S. Navy diver he served in Vietnam in 1965, aiding in missions in the South China Sea. His duties included searching for illegal items on boats, dodging dangerous snakes, and decoding secret messages between his dives. After serving in the U.S. Navy, Buzz earned a bachelor's degree in public opinion from UC Santa Cruz and a master's degree in recreation therapy from San Jose State. Buzz has been teaching 4th graders at Gault Elementary School for 25 years.
Dean Kaufman · Board Member & Founder
Dean Kaufman served in the U.S. Army as a TOW Missile Repair Technician from 1989 to 1993, deploying to Southwest Asia for Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm from 1990 to 1991. He now works as the Veteran Services Officer for the County of Santa Cruz and is the founder of Vets 4 Vets Santa Cruz.
Executive Director
Wendy started working for Vets 4 Vets in June of 2022. She is not a veteran but has relatives in her extended family that served in the military.
Wendy was born in Southern California and moved to Northern California in 2005, where she had son Sequoia, in 2007.
During her career Wendy has worked as a television commercial producer in Hollywood, a center director of a retreat center in New York, an executive assistant to an author and healer, and as the operations coordinator at Vets 4 Vets as their first contract employee.
Throughout her working life Wendy has been committed to helping people. Wendy loves working for Vets 4 Vets and is looking forward to helping many more veterans in the years to come through the great work and programs of Vets 4 Vets.
Wendy Core
In Memoriam to our Fallen Brother:
Terry, thank you for your selfless service to our organization and this community! You will live long in our hearts and memories! - Rest in peace, brother.
Terry Plank
Terry signed up at the age of 17 with a MASH Army reserve unit. He went on active duty in 1967 and served as a paratrooper and combat medic in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division from September 1967 to October 1968. His favorite post was at the Radar Army Medical Clinic at Ft. Myer, Virginia, which is right across the Potomac River from Arlington Cemetery. He then finished his military service with the 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. Terry served as Secretary of Vets 4 Vets for four years.