Jari Villanueva Appointed As New Executive Director Of The Doughboy Foundation

The Doughboy Foundation, which supports programs, projects and activities that educate the public about America’s participation in World War I, is pleased to announce the appointment of Jari Villanueva as the new Executive Director.

Villanueva retired from the United States Air Force where he served for 23 years with the Air Force Band in Washington DC. He was the Director of Military Funeral Honors for the State of Maryland from 2008-2017 and served as an officer in the Maryland Defense Force, the state militia.

Since 2012, Villanueva has headed Taps for Veterans, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing live buglers for military funerals. He also founded Taps Across America, an annual event where thousands of participants sound Taps on Memorial Day during the National Moment of Remembrance.

He was appointed by the Governor of Maryland to serve on two commissions, and has recently been asked to serve on the music committee for the American Friends of Lafayette to commemorate the bicentennial of the Marquis de Lafayette’s 1824 visit to the United States.

“I’m honored to have been asked to be part of this organization that recognizes, remembers, and honors the contributions of the 4.7 million Americans who served during WWI,” said Villanueva. “Each day at the National WWI Memorial in Washington, we pay tribute to them with the daily sounding of Taps by a bugler in a WWI uniform.

“Next year we will install the sculpture that will be the focus of the memorial. The magnificent artwork, entitled ‘A Soldier’s Journey,’ will be a 58-foot-long bronze freestanding sculpture consisting of 38 figures telling the story of one Soldier during the war.

“I am deeply honored to become part of this great team.”

Mr. Villanueva will start his new duties in September 2023.