Betsy Carlton

Betsy, the founder’s wife, is a dedicated mother who balances her family life with her role as Director of Marketing and Events. With a passion for organization and creativity, she thrives in overseeing event planning and marketing strategies, ensuring every detail aligns with the Longbow Foundation mission.

Betsy graduated from Elon University, majoring in Exercise Sport Science then later advanced to earn her Master’s Degree in Sport and Recreation Management from James Madison University. She began her career as the Assistant Director of Fitness and Wellness for Campus Recreation at The University of Texas at Austin. In this role, she directed, administered, and managed a comprehensive fitness and wellness program. She supervised a team of over 100 staff members and was responsible for the fitness budget, program development, participant engagement, risk management and program evaluation.

After the completion of flight school and a fall wedding, Betsy and Chase relocated to Raleigh, North Carolina where he fulfilled his duty in the Army National Guard flying AH-64D, Apache Longbow Helicopters. Their family grew in December 2016 when they welcomed their first child, Reese. A year and a half later, their second daughter, Henley joined the crew. Five short weeks after Henley’s arrival, Chase deployed to Afghanistan for an 8 month tour.

During this time, Betsy embraced life as a military spouse, often parenting solo while maintaining a positive outlook and hiding her daily worries as her husband served overseas. Post-deployment, Betsy has seen firsthand the vital role an organization like The Longbow Foundation plays with reintegration back into civilian life.