Marlene Champagne

FOUNDER AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Major (Retired) Marlene Champagne joined the Army as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1980 and enjoyed varied assignments of increasing responsibility in Logistics in the United States and overseas.  She completed a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) and ended her career as a test officer − successfully fielding the Army’s new Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) − a $1.5 Billion operational test.  

Opting for an early retirement after 17 years of service, Major Champagne made several subsequent career moves, including a two-year stint as a Visiting Professor at Kyunghee University, one of South Korea’s top educational institutions where she taught leadership and was named the Number One Professor in the Business Department.  

Her passion for teaching led to earning a second Master’s Degree in Special Education, where she devoted the next nine years to teaching low-income urban youth students with learning disabilities at Hammond Middle School in Alexandria, Virginia.

Ultimately settling down in western North Carolina, She entered the nonprofit philanthropic field, serving as the Help Line Volunteer Coordinator for Manna Food Bank. Establishing and operating a help line for the next seven years, managing a team of 30 volunteers, who served those suffering from food insufficiency in 16 western North Carolina counties.  Recently departing Manna, Major Champagne is the founder of a new Veteran 501(c)3 called Unbroken Spirit located in Asheville, where she serves Veterans with passion and excellence and empowers them to live a life they deserve.