National Medal of Honor Heritage Center Announces New Board Leadership and Members
RADM Noah Long named Chairman of the Board; Col. Frank Hughes named Vice Chairman; Maury Nicely joins the Board of Trustees and Dr. Frank Butler joins the National Advisory Board
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (Feb. 3, 2021) – The Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center is pleased to announce today the appointment of Rear Admiral Noah Long, U.S. Navy (RET), as Chairman and Colonel Frank Hughes, USMC (RET), as Vice Chairman of its Board of Trustees. The Heritage Center announced the leadership transition upon the retirement of Major General Willian Raines, U.S. Army (RET), who has chaired the organization for the past seven years.
“I would like to thank outgoing Chairman Bill Raines for his extraordinary leadership, bold vision and tireless efforts that helped design and build a first-class facility that honors Chattanooga as the birthplace of the Medal of Honor and commemorates the first recipients of the Medal of Honor as well as other recipients who serve as an inspiration to all of us.” said RADM Noah Long, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center.
In recognition of his continued leadership of the Heritage Center and pivotal role in opening the new National Medal of Honor Heritage Center in downtown Chattanooga, the Board unanimously named MG Raines as Chairman Emeritus. In addition, the Board of Trustees voted to appoint Maury Nicely to the Board of Trustees and Dr. Frank Butler to the National Advisory Board.
“The Heritage Center has been very fortunate to have some incredible leaders over the years, and that tradition holds true with our leadership changes and board additions,” said Keith Hardison, executive director of the Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center. “Their voices, expertise and leadership are essential to our future as we work to grow our mission during these challenging times and sustain the Heritage Center while our community and country recover from the coronavirus pandemic.”
Each of these distinguished individuals bring decades of experience in their professional fields as well as in leadership roles from the business community and nonprofit boards:
Rear Admiral Noah Long, USN (RET) – Prior to being named Chairman, RADM Long served as Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees and was responsible for the design and construction of the new National Medal of Honor Heritage Center. After serving in the Navy for more than 30 years, RADM Long worked for a variety of development and real estate companies before retiring in 2006 as President and CEO of Rosser International, a full service architectural and engineering firm in Atlanta. In addition to serving on Heritage Center’s board, RADM Long also served as Chairman Emeritus of the Seabee Memorial Scholarship Association that helped raise $3.5 million for the organization’s scholarship program for the sons and daughters of Seabees.
Colonel Frank Hughes, USMC (RET) – Prior to being named Vice-Chairman, Col. Hughes served on the Board of Trustees and Chairman of the Heritage Center’s capital campaign that raised more than $6.25 million to design and build the new National Medal of Honor Heritage Center. Hughes retired as a colonel from the United States Marine Corps where he served as battalion commander of the Fourth Battalion, 14th Marines. He is currently the Executive Vice President of Investor Relations and Treasurer for SmartFinancial, Inc., the parent company of SmartBank.
Maury Nicely – A successful attorney and co-founder of the law firm, Evans Harrison Hackett, Nicely practices law in the areas of employment litigation, labor law, and general business litigation. His clients range from small local non-profits and start-ups to large national corporations. In addition, he is an avid historian and accomplished author. In 2002, Nicely wrote the Chattanooga Walking Tour & Historic Guide and, in 2011, the East Tennessee Walking Tour & Historic Guide. His newest book, Hoffa in Tennessee, about the 1964 Chattanooga trial of Jimmy Hoffa, was released in April 2019.
Frank Butler – Currently serving at a UC Foundation Associate Professor of Management with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Gary W. Rollins College of Business and faculty director of the school’s Veterans Entrepreneurship Program, Dr. Butler specializes in teaching a variety of strategic management and business courses at the graduate and undergraduate level. He also specializes in working with non-profits and advising their boards on how the organization can implement sound business principals to effectively deliver its mission and remain sustainable over time.
“We are proud and honored to welcome Maury Nicely and Dr. Frank Butler to our boards, and I am excited to take on the responsibility of serving as Chairman of the Heritage Center,” said RADM Long, who has served on the Heritage Center’s Board of Trustees since 2015.
RADM Long continued, “I am deeply honored to serve as the new chairman, and I look forward to working with all of my board colleagues to move the Heritage Center forward. “Together, with our dedicated board members and staff, and our generous stakeholders, we will continue to grow and sustain our mission – a mission focused on memorializing the incredible heritage of our country’s highest award for valor – the Medal of Honor – and educating the next generation about the six character traits that embody the Medal of Honor: Patriotism, Citizenship, Courage, Integrity, Sacrifice and Commitment.”
To learn more about the new Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center, please visit www.mohhc.org or call (423) 877-2525.
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About the Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center
Opened in February 2020, the Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center is situated in the heart of the birthplace of the Medal of Honor—Chattanooga, Tennessee. The 19,000 square-foot facility features life-sized, immersive exhibits that memorialize our nation’s highest military award for valor, honor its national heritage and recipients, and educate future generations of Americans about the six character traits embodied by the Medal of Honor and its recipients: Patriotism, Citizenship, Courage, Integrity, Sacrifice and Commitment. For more information, visit www.MOHHC.org.
