Philadelphia, PA (February 27, 2013) – Major General (Ret) Wallace Arnold has accepted an appointment to join Big Brothers Big Sisters of America’s Board of Directors.
Arnold, who retired from the United States Army in 1995 as assistant director of personnel at the Department of Army headquarters in Washington, D.C., is a Critical Infrastructure Protection Strategic Advisory Group member for Total Security Services International, Inc. He also serves as senior consultant for several organizations and as Interim Assistant Provost for Technology at Hampton University.
Following his retirement, Arnold continued to work at several executive level positions, including Information Technology Solutions, Computer Sciences Corporation and Hampton University. In January 2004, he was appointed as the Interim President of Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, America’s oldest historically Black institution of higher learning, a position he held until July 2007.
“We are extremely honored to have Major General (Ret) Arnold join our board,” said T. Charles Pierson, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America President and Chief Operating Officer. “His leadership experience, service to our country, and personal commitment to helping children overcome adversity are qualities we seek in board members. He is joining our board at a critical time as we look for innovative ways to grow to have a larger impact on helping America’s youth beat the odds to succeed in school and life. We are humbled by his willingness to help lead us in this important work.”
Arnold has completed more than fifty years of public service, private industry service and higher education. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in the U. S. Army upon his graduation from Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) in June 1960. His retirement followed a long list of career-enhancing assignments in the United States, Europe and Asia. His last two assignments were as Commander of the entire nation’s Reserve Officer Training Command (ROTC), including both college and high school levels, and Assistant Director of Personnel for the Department of the Army.
Arnold has given back to his community in numerous ways, including serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the Greater Hampton Roads Boys and Girls Clubs; past president of the Hampton Rotary Club; Board of Directors of the Piney Woods School, Piney Woods, Mississippi; and a member of the Board of Directors at Massanutten Military Academy, Woodstock, VA.; Achievable Dream, Inc, Newport News, VA. Additionally, he has been appointed to three gubernatorial commissions for the Commonwealths of Virginia and Pennsylvania, and is on the City of Hampton Economic Development Authority and the Hampton Federal Area Development Authority. Arnold has also had the honor of serving as a deacon at Second Baptist Church, Falls Church, VA.; First Baptist Church, Hampton, VA.; and St. Paul’s Baptist Church, West Chester, PA.
His education includes B.S., Hampton University; M.A.; George Washington University; Senior course, Naval War College; Senior Managers in Government, Harvard University; and an honorary Doctor of Laws, Campbell University. Arnold is married to Earlene Costner Arnold; they have two daughters, Sheila and Stephanie, and one grandson, Krisstopher.
About Big Brothers Big Sisters
Big Brothers Big Sisters, the nation’s largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, holds itself accountable for children in its program to achieve measurable outcomes, such as educational success; avoidance of risky behaviors; and higher aspirations, greater confidence and better relationships. Partnering with parents/guardians, schools, corporations and others in the community, Big Brothers Big Sisters carefully pairs children (“Littles”) with screened volunteer mentors (“Bigs”) and monitors and supports these one-to-one mentoring matches throughout their course. The first-ever Big Brothers Big Sisters Youth Outcomes Summary, released in 2012, substantiates that its mentoring programs have proven, positive academic, socio-emotional and behavioral outcomes for youth, areas linked to high school graduation, avoidance of juvenile delinquency and college or job readiness.
Big Brothers Big Sisters provides children facing adversity, often those of single or low-income households or families where a parent is incarcerated or serving in the military, with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. This mission has been the cornerstone of the organization’s 100-year history. With about 350 agencies across the country, Big Brothers Big Sisters serves nearly 630,000 children, volunteers and families. Learn how you can positively impact a child’s life, donate or volunteer at BigBrothersBigSisters.org.
