Board Members
William "Bill" Murdy
Chairman, Founder & Advisor
A 1964 graduate of West Point, Murdy served in the United States Army from 1964 to 1974. His service includes one year in the Dominican Republic with the 82nd Airborne, two years in Vietnam with the Corps of Engineers and 173rd Airborne Brigade, and three years teaching economics at West Point. He left active duty as a Major and continued his service in the Army Reserves. After serving three tours in combat theaters, including Vietnam, Mr. Murdy had a highly successful 40-year civilian career as the CEO for several for-profit entities and public and private corporations. He also dedicated himself to advancing veterans affairs in unpaid capacities.
He served as Chief Operating Officer of Pacific Resources and Managing General Partner at Morgan Stanley Venture Capital Fund and President of its associated management company in New York City. He went on to lead General Investment and Development as the President and Chief Executive Officer for eight years in Boston. Bill also co-founded LandCare USA which grew to be the country’s largest commercial landscape and tree services company. He became President and Chief Executive Officer of Club Quarters, a privately owned, rapidly growing chain of membership hotels. In 2000, Bill was recruited to become the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Comfort System USA, a $1.3 billion NYSE company providing HVAC services.
He has served for several decades on the Corporate Council for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. Bill has been inducted into the "Ulysses S. Grant Society" which honors the top financial donors to the West Point Association of Graduates. He is married with two grown children and resides in New Canaan, Connecticut and Houston, Texas.
Matthew S. Collier
President, Founder & CEO
Originally from Michigan, Mr. Collier served as an Airborne-Ranger Infantry Officer in the U.S. Army, held major elective public office, and has worked in the private sector for over 21 years. Matt holds degrees from West Point and Harvard University.
In 1987, Matt was elected as the youngest big city “strong” mayor in the United States (Flint, MI). Following his stint as mayor, Mr. Collier served in executive roles with several technology companies, including over 13 years of President & CEO experience, and company ownership.
More recently, Matt served as Senior Advisor to the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, responsible for all major partnerships outside of the VA. He is currently Founder and CEO of VetAccel Inc. (VAI); Principal and Chief Strategy Advisor for OutcomeMD, a software company based in LA; Senior Advisor with Fieldstone Equity Partners in Houston; Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Directors of One World, a non-profit youth leadership and character development organization based in New York; and resides on the Boards of the Boston-based Concussion Legacy Foundation, as well as the Washington, DC-based National Association of Veterans’ Research and Education Foundation (NAVREF).
Matt serves on the faculty of Thayer Leadership at West Point, NY; and frequently as a guest lecturer on effective leadership at educational institutions around the country, including the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, UCLA Anderson School of Management, and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
He resides in Washington, DC.
Stephen Cook
Board Member, Founder & Advisor
Houston-based Fieldstone Partners brings its unique brand of financial advisory services to VAI and VAH. Fieldstone’s zealous support for veterans and its inherently entrepreneurial spirit serve to support and bolster VetAccel’s effort on all fronts, behind Fieldstone’s President and CEO, Steve Cook.
Earning his undergraduate at Princeton and an MBA at Harvard, Steve Cook cultivated a stellar career and reputation providing sophisticated financial counsel to growing businesses for over 40 years. Over time, Fieldstone has added uniquely talented professionals who share his commitment to excellence. Our team brings a wealth of experience in corporate finance, entrepreneurship, taxation, management, law, consulting and operations, along with relevant language skills and a global perspective. The versatility of our team enables us to provide creative solutions to our clients’ most pressing financial and strategic challenges.
Fieldstone has provided innovative financial and strategic solutions to both emerging and established companies in diverse industries, including aerospace, oil & gas, power generation, refinery / petrochemical, industrial manufacturing, IT services and healthcare. We also initiate private equity transactions in situations which our firm and our investment partners can add substantial value.
Dr. Alan L Beitler
Board Member
Dr. Alan Beitler is a general surgeon and surgical oncologist with over 30 years of service in the military and VA healthcare systems. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1977 and served as an infantry officer in the United States and Italy. He earned his medical degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo, School of Medicine, completed an internship and residency in general surgery at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Colorado, and did a fellowship in surgical oncology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
Alan was stationed at Madigan Army Medical Center in Fort Lewis, Washington and West Point’s Keller Army Community Hospital as a surgeon, service chief and surgery department chief. He worked in Forward Surgical Teams (FSTs), Combat Support Hospitals (CSHs) and the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), deploying to Honduras, Nicaragua and Haiti. He served two tours in Afghanistan, with an FST and as commander of the 48th CSH.
Following his retirement from the Army, Alan worked in the Veterans Administration – New Jersey Healthcare System as the chief of general surgery, chief of the department of surgery and associate professor of surgery at Rutgers University. In September 2017, he returned to West Point where he currently serves as a surgeon, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Life Science, and the cadet pre-medical advisor.
He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the Society of Surgical Oncology. In addition to his military service, he has participated in humanitarian medical missions in East and West Africa, South and Central America and Haiti. He is married to Ruth Margolies Beitler, a professor in the Department of Social Sciences at the U.S. Military Academy. They have two daughters, Eliyana and Hannah, who are college seniors.
Brian Concannon
Board Member
Mr. Concannon, 62, served as the President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of Haemonetics Corporation (NYSE: HAE) from April 2009 until October 2015.
Haemonetics Corporation, headquartered in Braintree, Massachusetts, provides blood management technologies and services to hospitals, blood collectors and plasma biopharmaceutical companies worldwide. He joined Haemonetics in 2003 and served in various roles to include President, Global Markets in 2006 and Chief Operating Officer in 2007-2009. Mr. Concannon has served in leadership roles within the healthcare industry for more than 30 years at American Hospital Supply Corporation, Baxter Healthcare Corporation, Allegiance Healthcare Corporation and Cardinal Health in a series of sales and operations management positions of increasing responsibility. Mr. Concannon is a member of the board of directors of CONMED Corporation (NASDAQ: CNMD) since July, 2013 where he serves as a member of both the Compensation and Strategy Committees. He is also a member of the board of directors of South Shore Health since January 2014 and elected Vice-Chair in January 2017, and is the Chairman of the Board of My Brother’s Keeper, a charity serving the south shore and south coast of Massachusetts. Mr. Concannon is also on the Advisory Board of the Patriot Resilient Leader Institute (PRLI) which runs Camp Resilience, a camp focused on providing sustained, comprehensive programs to help wounded warriors recover their physical, mental and emotional well-being. Mr. Concannon was appointed as the Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army for Massachusetts in October 2017. Mr. Concannon is a 1979 graduate of West Point.
Advisory Team
Extensive technical and tactical expertise is the hallmark of the VAI Advisory Team.
Operations Team
Strong leadership is the centerpiece of this highly motivated and experienced Operations team.