In March 2025, the Howard J. Busbee Finance Academy, the Boehly Center for Excellence in Finance, Film & Media Studies and William & Mary’s Office of Military & Veteran Affairs hosted a screening of the South by Southwest (SXSW), Audience Award-winning film, My Dead Friend Zoe, produced by William & Mary alumni Mike Field ’90 and Ray Maiello ’91. The film won awards at the SXSW, Woodstock and Mill Valley film festivals and held a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.
In addition to the screening, two special sessions were held:
The Howard J. Busbee Finance Academy hosted an insightful pre-film session highlighting the innovative way the film was financed via private equity, renewable energy tax credits, and state film incentives.
JD Due, Executive Director of The Center for Military Transition, led a “fireside chat” immediately following the film, focused on best practices to find and effectively employ existing mental health resources for veterans and military families.
JD Due, Executive Director of The Center for Military Transition, led a “fireside chat” immediately following the film, focused on best practices to find and effectively employ existing mental health resources for veterans and military families.
JD Due
Passionate about education, service, talent and leadership development, and assisting veterans excel in new chapters of service, Jonathan “JD” Due is the executive director of the Center of Military Transition at the Mason School of Business at William and Mary.
In this role, JD leads the Mason School’s efforts to develop and empower veterans to think and lead like executives. Prior to serving at William & Mary, JD spent several years as the director of programs and scholarships at the Pat Tillman Foundation, where he ran the selection process for the Tillman Scholar community and created a leadership development program for remarkable active-duty service members, military veterans, and military spouses.
A 20-year veteran of the US Army himself, JD served as a cavalry and armor officer in a wide variety of assignments, to include command, serving on the faculty of U.S. Military Academy, and as the lead writer for a number of doctrinal manuals and future warfighting concepts. In 2024, JD was named a Veteran Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institute where he currently researches and develops solutions to empower veterans and transitioning service members in their search for productivity, fulfillment, and resilience as they enter the civilian workforce.
Sam Pressler is a community builder, researcher, and writer focused on issues at the intersection of civic life and social connection. He’s a Practitioner Fellow at UVA’s Karsh Institute of Democracy, a research affiliate at the Harvard Human Flourishing Program, and the creator of the Connective Tissue newsletter on the connections, communities, and commitments that bind us together. Previously, he founded and served as the executive director of the Armed Services Arts Partnership, America’s largest community arts organization serving veterans and their families. He holds a Master’s in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School, a Master’s in Business Administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and a BA in Government from William & Mary, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude. His grandmas are very proud of him.
Sam Pressler*
*Former Howard J. Busbee Finance Academy Officer
Brandon Parker
Brandon Parker is a Marine Corps veteran and second-year graduate student in the Clinical Mental Health & Military and Veteran Counseling program at the School of Education. He also serves as the graduate assistant for the Office of Student Veteran Engagement and teaches part time as an adjunct faculty member, leading military affiliated students through coursework designed to promote flourishing and resilience. In addition to his roles at William & Mary, Brandon works as a counselor intern in a private practice and nonprofit clinic setting in the local community and serves on the board for the Military and Government Counseling Association.
The Boehly Center for Excellence in Finance is sponsoring a collection drive with FACES (Finding a Cure for Epilepsy and Seizures) for pediatric care patients at NYU Langone Health Center. Please consider donating any of the following items in the bins placed in the Mason School of Business Atrium or outside the movie screening. Donations are welcome but not required!
Coloring Books (Adult and Children)
Card Games (Uno, Crazy 8, etc.)
Bubbles
Colored Pencils
Logic Puzzles (Sudoku, etc.)
Crayons
Stress Balls
Play Doh
Alternatively, we are accepting donations via the Amazon Wishlist linked here. Thank you for your support!
