An active Board of Directors guides the Pat Tillman Foundation’s work.
Marie Tillman, Chair
Marie Tillman is the Founder and Chair of the Pat Tillman Foundation. A native of San Jose, California, Marie graduated with honors from the University of California, Santa Barbara and launched a career in marketing and special event production.
After her husband's death, Marie established the Pat Tillman Foundation in 2004, created to honor Pat by investing in veterans and military families through educational resources, building a new community of veteran scholars and advocating on behalf of military families.
Chris Hart, Vice Chair
Chris Hart first met Pat in 1992 through his wife, Gina, first cousin of Pat’s wife, Marie. Over the years they developed a friendship based on shared interests and a fondness for challenging debate. Chris joined the board in 2006 to help spread Pat’s legacy of engaged citizenship by supporting the foundation in its mission to inspire young people to create thoughtful change in the world around them.
A financial controller for a large manufacturer of broadcast and TV/film production equipment in Portland, Oregon, Chris has a BA in English and philosophy from Emory University and an MBA with a finance focus from the University of San Francisco, where he graduated summa cum laude. Chris enjoys exploring Portland’s many outdoor activities with his wife, Gina, and their daughters, Maya and Zoe.
Michael Bidwill, Director
Michael Bidwill joined the Pat Tillman Foundation Board of Directors in April 2010. Michael is the President of the Arizona Cardinals. After practicing law for six years as a federal prosecutor, Michael joined the Cardinals organization in 1996 as Vice President / General Counsel. In that time, no one has been more influential in steering the organization on its path towards an eventual NFC Championship.
In addition to guiding the Cardinals, Michael has also taken on an ever-increasing role in the National Football League and the greater Phoenix business community. In 2007, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell appointed Michael to the league’s Business Ventures Committee; one of the NFL’s most prominent. In September of 2008, he took over as Chair of the influential Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC). He is also a member of Greater Phoenix Leadership (GPL), an organization composed of the region’s top business and civic leaders.
A licensed pilot and flying enthusiast, Michael also donates his time and resources as a volunteer for “Flying Samaritans,” a group of volunteers including doctors and other medical personnel who offer free medical clinics in Mexico.
Michael earned a bachelor of science degree in finance from St. Louis University and a law degree from Catholic University in Washington, D.C.
Alex Garwood, Director
A board member since the Foundation was created in April 2004, Pat and Alex became friends as they courted (and later married) sisters Marie and Christine. Alex played football at Leland High School and at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, where he was named student athlete of the year following his senior season. At Cal Poly, Alex earned both his BS in marketing and MBA, graduating cum laude.
He worked for five years with a large hi-tech company in various sales and management roles before leaving to establish and lead the Pat Tillman Foundation following Pat’s death. Alex has since returned to for-profit work in Silicon Valley at a leading alternative energy company. Alex lives in Los Gatos, California, with his wife, Christine, and their sons, Ryan, Adam, and Scott.
Benjamin Hill, Director
Benjamin Hill had the fortune of being friends with Pat since kindergarten. As they grew older, their relationship became stronger. “Pat’s commitment to his friends and his genuine interest and care for us has always been admirable. Pat’s ability to engage others in meaningful conversation has caused us all to have better relationships. His discipline, focus, and ambition are some of the characteristics that I admire and will miss most about him.”
Benjamin is the president of Wealth Enhancement & Preservation Inc., a financial planning practice based in Westlake Village, California. Benjamin graduated with a BS in business administration, with concentration in finance from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. He also holds three designations, the Certified Financial Planner (CFP), the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), and the Certified Specialist in Planned Giving (CSPG) designation from American Institute for Philanthropic Studies. Benjamin is an avid triathlete and golfer, but his favorite times are spent with his friends, wife, Jamie, who he has known since 2nd grade, and sons, Camden Patrick and Parker Daniel.
Sean Moriarty, Director
Sean Moriarty joined the Pat Tillman Foundation Board of Directors in April 2010. Recently retired, Sean is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Ticketmaster Entertainment, the world's largest live entertainment ticketing and marketing company. Sean was responsible for all operational leadership aspects of Ticketmaster’s worldwide business, as well as global product and technology strategy and distribution channels. Prior to serving as President & CEO, Sean served Ticketmaster in several roles including Chief Operating Officer, and Executive Vice President of Product & Technology.
Sean was an early member of the original Citysearch technology team. He served as director of Internet Systems for Ticketmaster’s predecessor, Ticketmaster Online-Citysearch, and later became Executive Vice President of Technology and Vice President of Internet Systems.
In addition to his work with the Pat Tillman Foundation, Sean currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for CoachArt.org, a Los Angeles based charitable organization providing free lessons in the arts and athletics to children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses.
Sean holds a BA from the University of South Carolina, was an Exchange Fellow at the University of Warwick in Britain and attended graduate school at Boston University and the University of South Carolina. A native of Springfield, Massachusetts, Sean resides in Pasadena, California with his wife Andrea and their two daughters.
Carolyn Pendergast, Director
Carolyn Pendergast brings more than 20 years of experience in marketing, communications, and community relations to the Pat Tillman Foundation board. A longtime Sun Devil and former director of special events at Arizona State University, Carolyn has been involved with the Foundation since its early days in 2004.
Currently managing Pendergast Marketing & Communications, Carolyn previously served as director of marketing for the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa in Phoenix. She has worked in and around college sports throughout her career, including stints as director of marketing and promotions for Athletics at the University of California, Berkeley, and director of communications for the Fiesta Bowl. She is currently a life member of the Fiesta Bowl Committee.
Her broad non-profit experience includes volunteering for Maricopa County Sports Commission, Tempe Sports Authority, Glendale First, Super Bowl XXX Special Events Committee, and Big Brothers Big Sisters. She is a member of ASU’s Sun Angel Foundation and the ASU Alumni Association.
Ian Sacks, Director
Ian Sacks joined the Pat Tillman Foundation Board of Directors in April 2010. He is a Managing Director focusing on healthcare and business services related investments at TowerBrook Capital Partners in New York. Ian was Chairman and CEO of HelpCare, a healthcare services business, which he sold in 2004.
Prior to that, he was a Partner at MESA Partners, an investment and advisory firm in New York. Before his work with MESA, he was a consultant with APM, the largest healthcare management consulting firm in the U.S., which was sold to Computer Science Corporation.
Ian earned a B.S. in quantitative economics from Tufts University.