Meet The Team – Jay Kopelman

From his earliest days on the elementary school playground, Jay Kopelman has championed for – and taken pride in defending – those who could not stand up for themselves. He continues to champion for the underdog and has dedicated his adult life to helping others: first, as an officer of Marines for 21 years; then as the executive director of a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting wounded service members and their families; and, finally, as a health care innovation leader seeking improved patient outcomes. Though he participated in combat operations in Iraq, Kopelman (a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel) has continually managed to demonstrate compassion for those who have suffered misfortune or loss. In his current capacity as Chief Operating Officer of Welfie, he is helping to ensure that families in underserved communities (communities of color and those living at or below the poverty level) – through their children – have access to the knowledge and services that will improve their health outcomes, resulting in longer and better lives.

Kopelman deployed to Iraq twice. In 2004, as the Special Operations Forces Liaison Officer for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF), Kopelman was deployed to Iraq to train the Iraqi Special Forces (SSF). In October, he was assigned as the senior advisor to an Iraqi Army battalion, fighting side-by-side with both Iraqi and American forces in the city of Fallujah (at the time, considered the most dangerous place on Earth), battling native and foreign insurgents and snipers for control of the city. Subsequently, Kopelman served as the I MEF liaison officer to the joint special operations task force, TF 6-26, and then as an advisor to the Iraqi border forces at the Syrian and Jordanian borders.

Kopelman has authored two books, The New York Times and international bestselling memoir, From Baghdad, With Love: A Marine, the War, and a Dog Named Lava; and From Baghdad to America: Life After War for a Marine and His Rescued Dog. He has served on several advisory boards and boards of directors for both non- and for-profit organizations. Kopelman – an avid surfer, skier, fly fisherman, hunter, boxer, and Muay Thai and MMA fighter – understands that sports and the outdoors provide truly curative powers for those suffering from PTSD and the attendant issues of the invisible injuries of war.