About Risk and Return

Re-thinking how we serve those who serve us.

R2’s mission is to improve philanthropy for front-line public servants. We scale and enable promising programs — we do not duplicate or compete with existing efforts.

We founded Risk and Return based on a shared common interest of making our front-line servants stronger and safer.

Our experienced team understands this community, and we leverage that understanding to make the philanthropic sector serving this community more effective as a whole. We do not seek to compete with or duplicate existing social benefit non-profits.

We leverage our scope, scale, capability, and convening authority to tackle big problems in ways that other organizations cannot. We prioritize exceptional talent and operate with a sense of urgency and employ cutting-edge data-driven practices that address gaps and scale first-in-class programs.

Robert Nelson

Founder & Director

Robert Nelsen is a co-founder and a Managing Director of ARCH Venture Partners. He joined ARCH at its founding and played a significant role in the early sourcing, financing and development of more than 100 companies, including twenty-three which have reached valuations exceeding $1 billion.

Bob Kerrey

Board Chairman

Bob Kerrey is Managing Director at Allen & Company. From 2001 to 2011 Mr. Kerrey was President of The New School, a university founded on democratic ideals and daring educational practices. From 1989 to 2001 Mr. Kerrey represented Nebraska in the Senate. Mr. Kerrey served as a U.S. Navy SEAL during the Vietnam War. For his service, he received the Medal of Honor.

Jeff Eggers

Interim Executive Director

Jeff Eggers is a leadership coach, business consultant, and co-author of the U.S. best-selling book “Leaders: Myth and Reality” and was previously the Executive Director of the McChrystal Group Leadership Institute.  Following his military service as a Navy SEAL officer, he served at the White House as Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.

Hank Crumpton

Director

Ambassador Henry A. Crumpton is the founder and CEO of Crumpton Group (CG) LLC, an international business intelligence, strategy, advisory, and business development firm.  A 24-year veteran of the CIA’s Clandestine Service, he was responsible for all Clandestine Service operations in the United States. In 2005 President George W. Bush appointed him Ambassador-at-Large and US Coordinator for Counterterrorism.  He received the Sherman Kent Award for an outstanding contribution to the literature of intelligence and the Distinguished Intelligence Medal—the CIA’s highest award for achievement. Ambassador Crumpton is the author of The New York Times bestseller, The Art of Intelligence.

Toni Verstandig

Director

Toni Verstandig is a philanthropist and a leading political and economic policy expert.  She serves as President of the Verstandig Family Foundation focused on National Security, Healthcare, Education, and Entrepreneurship.  Previously, Ms. Verstandig was Executive Vice President of the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace, Chair of the Middle East Program at the Aspen Institute, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Near Eastern Affairs at the US Department of State, serving as a member of the US negotiation team tasked to reach a comprehensive agreement to end the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Nick Lavery

Director

Nick Lavery is a Warrant Officer in the United States Army.  Since 2010 he has repeatedly deployed to Afghanistan and other combat theaters despite being wounded multiple times, to include grenade shrapnel in his back, a gunshot to the face, and heavy weapons fire to both legs. Lavery is the first Special Forces Warrant Officer amputee in military history and continues to serve in forward-deployed combat units with a prosthetic leg.  Nick’s military awards include the Silver Star and multiple Purple Hearts, and in 2019 he was recognized with the Peter J. Ortiz Award by the OSS Society.

Tim Murphy

Director

Mr. Murphy is President and CEO of Consortium Networks, a Cyber Security and Networking company.  As a Special Agent and Executive in the FBI, Mr. Murphy served as the Bureau’s Chief Financial Officer, its Chief Operating Officer, and the Deputy Director of the FBI, a position he held until retiring in 2011.

 

Serve those who serve us. Start today.

Let's Get Started