Military Dimension

Babs Chase is the Vice President of Military and Veterans Programs at The Manufacturing Institute, the social impact arm of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the nation’s largest industrial trade association. In her role, Babs leads Heroes MAKE America- the Institute’s initiative to connect transitioning service members with the manufacturing industry creating a pipeline of skilled, credentialed candidates.

She has led outreach programs in myriad industries including Politics, Economic Development, Labor, Public Diplomacy, Corporate America and Defense. Babs’s true passion is in the Defense industry connecting organizations wishing to be involved in the community by supporting those who wear the uniform of our country and the families serving alongside them.

In 2018, Babs launched Chase Magnolia Partners, a consulting firm focused on building partnerships to support clients striving to make an impactful difference in the Military Veterans community. Previously, Babs worked on the Public Affairs Team in Corporate Responsibility at JPMorgan Chase & Co. where she was responsible for expanding the face of the Firm in the Mid-Atlantic region by building relationships and engaging with local stakeholders and civic leaders.

From 2011 – 2017 Babs orchestrated executive outreach on behalf of the U.S. Army Senior Leadership developing and maintaining a network of hundreds of external influencers to advise them on impactful opportunities for the Army. She received the Department of the Army Superior Civilian Service Award and Meritorious Civilian Service Award in recognition for her contributions.

Babs served almost all 8 years in the Administration of President George W. Bush. She started out working in Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Liaison at the Department of Labor representing the Secretary with local and State governments and corporate and association leaders around the country. Next, she joined the Public Affairs Team in the Office of the Secretary of Defense where she built an integrated Community Relations Program to inform influencers about the policies, programs, and goals of the Department. She also led the Joint Civilan Orientation Conference, a program for corporate and community leaders to expand their understanding of the role of the defense around the world showcasing our military from all Services. Babs also served at the Department of State Foreign Press Center where she coordinated the foreign press coverage of the 2008 elections for hundreds of international journalists.

A graduate of Baylor University, Babs is a proud native of Memphis, Tennessee. She and her husband, Andrew Mickley (a Navy retiree), reside in Alexandria, Virginia with their Cavalier King Charles, Elvis.

Ed Magee brings over 25 years of diverse work and life experience to his current role as Executive Vice President of Operations at Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC), one of the world’s leading musical instrument manufacturers, marketers and distributors, transforming music history since 1946. Having spent a decade at Harley Davidson, Magee knew what it felt like to be at a company with an incredibly passionate consumer base and a true sense of purpose, and was immediately drawn to Fender knowing the opportunity to once again be at a company with immense passion, purpose, history and further potential.

Magee’s passion for manufacturing, learning and process improvement is clear in his experience and vison. As the EVP of Operations, he oversees internal manufacturing in Fender’s Corona, Calif. and Ensenada, Mexico factories, as well as new product introduction, the Fender Custom Shop, supply chain and purchasing, logistics and distribution, and planning. He aims to build strong connections between the front-and back-end of the business in order to create the right product at the most opportune time–and get it in the hands of the right customer in the right channel. He is currently working on developing build standards for each aspect of making a guitar, after successfully moving a warehouse and implementing a new warehouse management system in 2016. He notes that the level of teamwork and collaboration between operations, IT, sales, and finance was eye-watering and inspirational, and reaffirmed his love for the company and the overall vision.

Prior to falling in love with the guitar-making process and the opportunity for continuous improvement at Fender, Magee spent 15 years flying the A-6E Intruder and the F/A-18Hornet for the United States Marine Corps, earning the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. After his time in service, he spent a decade at Harley-Davidson Motor Company in their Kansas City, Milwaukee, and York, Pa. factories and also ran a 13-factoryoperating company for 3 years at ABB in Memphis, Tenn.

The eVP of Operations is currently learning to master playing his American Professional Telecaster with the
help of his Fender Play lessons and is most inspired by Stevie Ray Vaughan. He also loves Prince and Jimi Hendrix, and cites The Sugarhill Gang and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five as the artists whose albums are among the first he ever owned. Outside of work and music, the Lafayette, La. native spends time with his wife Jamelle and their daughters, the eldest of which is an accomplished guitarist herself. Magee is known to come up with his own “Ed-isms,” which include sayings like “self-licking ice cream cone” and “giddy up.”

John Perez is the Head of Military & Veterans Affairs at Johnson & Johnson. John is a graduate of Johnson & Johnson’s Procurement Leadership Development Program and the Shaping Talent & Accelerating Results (STARS) Program for supply chain talent. He’s held previous Procurement, Supply Chain and Acquisition & Divestiture roles across Johnson & Johnson. Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson, John served as a US Army and US Army Reserve officer in various cross-functional roles, twice deploying to Iraq. John is a graduate of Seton Hall University and Yale School of Management and holds numerous professional certifications. John is also a George W. Bush Institute Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program alumnus.