Staff & Board

Sara Wilkinson
President & Gold Star Spouse

  • Sara Wilkinson grew up the youngest child in a military family. Traveling the globe and attending over 15 schools before graduating prepared her for a life married to Navy SEAL, Chad Wilkinson. Her upbringing allowed her to understand the stress, high cycle time of deployments, and frequent training trips while furthering to instill her independence and resilience.

    In addition to supporting her husband's career, Sara has been working in the fitness industry for 20 years. She has coached various swim teams and managed a swim and tennis club before finding her footing in the Virginia Beach area as a gym owner. Her knowledge, work ethic and passion for community led her to being recruited for its larger organization, CrossFit LLC. As a course supervisor, she spent the last 10 years traveling the globe: public speaking, upholding the standards of certification and instilling community and camaraderie regardless of time zones and language barriers. She holds a Bachelor's of Science within the College of Health and Human Performance from the University of Florida.

    Her husband served 21 years as an active-duty Navy SEAL with more than 10 deployments. Unfortunately, Chad succumbed to the affects of PTSD, TBI’s and blast wave injuries leading him to die by suicide Oct. 29, 2018 and leaving behind Sara and their two teenage children.

    She has seen firsthand the negative experiences among the SEAL community specific to multiple combat deployments, high cycle times and too many friends lost leaving lasting stress on the operators and their families. Sara fully intends to use her voice and her story to change the narrative and the number to this veteran suicide epidemic. She shares her experience while setting an example of leadership and mental resilience for herself, her children and others.

Bill Anthes
Board Member

  • Bill Anthes is a Green Beret Veteran, licensed psychotherapist, and founder of Between the Ears™, a physical and mental fitness company.

    As a licensed social worker, Bill is a trauma therapist who serves athletes and Veterans navigate a myriad of mental health challenges.

    Above all, Bill is a husband to his wife, Karianne, and step-father to Markus (18) and Olivia (15).

Aaron Rife
Board Member

  • Aaron Rife grew up in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where he pursued a career in ski racing—driven by a love for the sport and a desire to avoid the traditional path of high school and college. After reading Rogue Warrior and recognizing that skiing wasn’t a sustainable future, he joined the U.S. Navy in 1995. Over a 24-year career in Naval Special Warfare, Aaron served in San Diego, Virginia Beach, and Germany. Midway through his career, he and his family met the Wilkinsons, forming a lifelong friendship, and he and Chad Wilkinson served together during their time in the military.

    After retiring from the Navy in 2019, Aaron returned to Colorado, where he now serves as the Director of Training for FORGE Software—a platform that supports both military and law enforcement communities. He and his wife, Courtney, have been married for 28 years and have three adult children—Sydney (27), Cameron (25), and Maddox (20), and one grandson, Boone — who all live nearby.

Karianne Anthes
Board Member

  • Karianne Anthes is a mother of two teenagers, Markus (18) and Olivia (15) and wife to Bill Anthes, a Green Beret Veteran. She has been in the fitness and health industry for over 20 years. Her resume includes having worked for CrossFit Inc as a member of the seminar staff as well as being the founder and operator of a 15-year old CrossFit affiliate. Most recently she and her husband, Bill, opened a small gym that focuses on the intersection of physical and mental/ emotional fitness. Karianne is also a co-founder of Between the Ears™ - a mindset company - that has a global online membership and delivers seminars worldwide to provide actionable tools through movement to strengthen emotional fitness. Karianne has a passion for serving others in their journey and is honored to be able to support military and veteran organizations who are in need of this support.

Heather Albritton
Board Member

  • Heather Albritton has been part of The Step Up Foundation since its inception. She is a graduate from the University of Kentucky with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing. She has been in the SEAL community for over 20 years, supporting her husband and son as well as and other Naval Special Warfare organizations. Her goal is to support active duty men and women and veterans who struggle with the invisible scars from war. She is very passionate about The Step Up Foundation since she's lost some of her and her husband's close friends/teammates due to suicide and/or war.

Courtney Rife
Board Member

  • Courtney Rife grew up in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where she met her husband, Aaron. Life in the mountains sparked a lifelong love of the outdoors and fitness. An athlete from a young age, Courtney competed in downhill ski racing, basketball, volleyball, and tennis. She and Aaron now live in Colorado, where their three grown children - and new grandson - also reside nearby. 

    While attending the University of Colorado, Courtney began teaching group fitness classes, which eventually led her to discover CrossFit in 2005. After attending her first CrossFit Level 1 Course in 2007, she was hooked — and soon shifted her focus entirely to the CrossFit methodology. In 2008, she joined CrossFit’s Seminar Staff and today serves as the Director of Seminar Operations, leading teams that train and inspire coaches around the world.

    Courtney met Sara and Chad Wilkinson in 2010. The bond with Sara was immediate and meaningful — rooted not only in their shared experience as military spouses, but in a deep mutual passion for fitness and helping others unlock their potential.

    Courtney remains dedicated to supporting Sara and the mission of the Step Up Foundation, driven by a belief that movement and mindset can change lives.

Meghan Rodman
Chief of Operations
meghan@stepupfoundation.org

  • Meghan is a compassionate and dedicated team member of The Step Up Foundation, supporting the foundation in many ways from the beginning. Her personal connection to the military community drives her commitment to making a positive impact on the lives of those who have served. As a Gold Star spouse herself, Meghan understands the challenges and sacrifices that veterans and their families face firsthand. She is committed to supporting The Step Up Foundation and its mission to support the veteran community .