Board of Directors
Hale Allegretti has served 19 years on Active Duty and is currently assigned to Coast Guard Pacific Area (PACAREA) as the Diversity and External Affairs Chief where he advises the Commander of Pacific Area on command climate, workforce resilience, and Diversity and Inclusion issues and policies. Additionally, he oversees Government Affairs and Public Affairs for PACAREA.
Prior to his assignment at PACAREA, he was assigned to Sector San Francisco as the Chief of Prevention, which included oversight of all regulatory safety, security, and maritime activities throughout northern California and Lake Tahoe. His previous staff assignment was as the Coast Guard’s Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Coordinator at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington D.C. He was responsible for coordinating all facets of the multi-year Federal budget process, including formulation and justification of the Coast Guard’s (then) $12 billion annual budget.
A native of Huntington Station, NY, he graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Management in 2005. In 2012, he graduated from Norwich University with a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership. In June 2017, he completed his Master of Public Policy degree from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.
Having served under Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and the transgender service ban, Hale has proudly been an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community in the Coast Guard for over a decade. He joined the Modern Military Association of America Board of Directors in 2020 and served as the Treasurer from 2021-2024. He now serves as the Vice Chair.
Colin James Beisel is an associate with Youman & Caputo. A former active-duty U.S. Army prosecutor, Beisel is a Philadelphia catastrophic injury attorney who has recovered, or helped recover, numerous seven and eight-figure settlements and verdicts that have helped his clients put their lives back together.
Over the years, Beisel has represented people and their families in some of the most significant, high-impact personal injury cases across Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In 2023, Beisel obtained a $4.75 million jury verdict in federal court on behalf of a young man who was rendered paraplegic after being negligently shot in the neck. In 2022, Beisel received one of the largest medical malpractice judgments in Scranton, Pennsylvania, resulting in a $1.25 million award for his client. In 2020, Beisel was on a team that represented a young transgender woman who had been sexually assaulted at a juvenile residential center, which led to one of the largest sexual abuse settlements for a transgender person in the history of Pennsylvania. In 2019, in a premises liability action, Beisel helped recover a significant eight-figure settlement on behalf of a young quadriplegic client.
In addition to his law practice, Beisel continues to serve as a Captain and Judge Advocate in the U.S. Army Reserve JAG Corps. He currently serves as a first-chair prosecutor for a medical command in Dallas and Salt Lake City, where he tries cases involving sexual assault, domestic violence, fraternization, and other military crimes. Prior to this assignment, Beisel served as Deputy Chief of Military Justice for a 14,000 Soldier command responsible for providing military police support to large scale ground and detention operations across the world.
Beisel is also active in the Philadelphia Bar and the medical-legal community. In 2016, Beisel was appointed as chair of the LGBT Rights Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association, the oldest association of lawyers in the United States, and led the committee for three years. Additionally, Beisel served on the Board of Directors for the Philadelphia LGBT Bar Association. An advocate for patient safety, Beisel is regularly invited to speak at physician conferences, grand rounds, and medical schools to discuss issues of professional medical negligence, physician liability, and the civil justice system.
In recognition of his law practice, since 2018, Beisel has been named by Pennsylvania Super Lawyers as a Rising Star, placing him in the 2.5 percent of all attorneys in Pennsylvania under the age of 40. In 2023, the Philadelphia Business Journal named Beisel a “Best of the Bar” honoree – one of only two attorneys to receive this honor in the plaintiff’s personal injury category.
Beisel earned his undergraduate degree from John Carroll University, and thereafter earned his law degree from The University of Akron School of Law. While in law school, Beisel served as assistant editor of the law review and was a member of the nationally ranked Trial Team Honor Society. Beisel is also a graduate of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center & School, Charlottesville, VA.
Jasper Knight Champion (Knight) served as a Captain in the U. S. Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Department, where he was a prosecutor, and then a trial and appellate defense counsel. After the Air Force, he worked in real estate for 17 years, and is now a fundraiser in higher education. He received a BA in Business from Rhodes College, and a JD from the University of Alabama.
Knight is passionate about MMAA’s mission of fighting for equality and dignity for our service members and their families, and is honored to serve on the Board of Directors.
In his spare time, he enjoys community service, traveling, dining out, Netflix, walking his dog, and the outdoors.
Joanna Nicoletti is a military spouse and a dedicated working mom. She holds degrees from The New School University (B.A.) and Northeastern University (M.A.), where her focus was on global health and corporate social responsibility.
Her professional journey began in the nonprofit sector, primarily concentrated in healthcare, where she managed fundraising, marketing, and development efforts. Transitioning into the startup tech world, Joanna works in sports tech specifically within the lifecycle marketing and engagement space.
Joanna, her wife (a Captain in the United States Army), and their toddler-aged son currently call Clarksville, Tennessee, home. Actively engaged in her son’s school community and local running groups since their first duty station, Joanna finds joy in travel, distance running, and exploring new local restaurants during her free time.
Become a Modern Military Board Member
The Modern Military Association of America (Modern Military) is the nation’s largest organization of LGBTQ+ service members, veterans, their families, and allies. We are seeking board members who will help us reach our mission and who embody the following qualities:
Able to inspire organizational stakeholders and the community to pursue the MMAA mission with passion and excellence. Dependable, organized, efficient, and emotionally intelligent. Willing to sit on a board committee, volunteer for event planning/program support, and support the staff, as requested.
Experienced in working effectively with volunteer boards, willingness to uphold good governance practices, and prioritize strategic direction so that the board and staff are working together to create a strong future for the organization.
Skilled in playing a collaborative role with other board members. Values transparency and is an attentive listener, consensus builder, compassionate mediator, and strong communicator willing to have courageous conversations.
Influential ambassador who is emotionally intelligent and eager to learn from others. Confident with solid judgment and a positive, can-do attitude.
Understands the board’s fiduciary responsibilities and has basic experience in fiscal management – able to read a budget and other cash flow reports. Has a strong enough financial understanding to approve the annual budget, 990 review, and financial audit.
Comfortable asking for money and has proven success in fund development as a volunteer or board member in other organizations. Preferred understanding of the donor cultivation and stewardship process. Willingness to attend and promote the annual gala and other fundraising events.
Experienced in sitting on a nonprofit board and understands the differentiations between board and staff roles. Engages in the strategic oversight of the organization’s processes and procedures and ensures that organizational efforts align with strategic priorities.
Has LGBTQ+ competency and has a familiarity with the military (either as an active service member, reservist, veteran, military spouse/family member, or an ally).
Board Nomination Form
You may nominate yourself or another candidate for a board leadership position. If the candidate is selected to move forward with the nomination process, they will be required to participate in a series of interviews with the nominations committee.