A life of service: Philadelphia Navy veteran leads nonprofit that tackles food insecurity, gun violence

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Claire Gunnison wanted to be an astronaut growing up. She decided that one of the quickest ways to do that was to join the Navy. Out of all service branches, the Navy has produced the most astronauts, closely followed by the Air Force, she said.

The Winwood resident’s 15-year plan was to enlist in the Navy, go to test pilot school and eventually go to NASA.

“Clearly I did not end up doing that,” Gunnison said.

Instead, Gunnison served for a decade in the Navy as an F-18 weapons systems operator and flight instructor. Now those experiences inform her work at the Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania and Action Tank, a veteran-led non-profit. In the nonprofit’s inaugural year, the team worked to fight against the opioid epidemic and since then has tackled issues like food insecurity, gun violence and period poverty. Most recently, Action Tank supported the community by irrigating book deserts around the Greater Philadelphia area.

From a summer seminar attendee to becoming squadron leader

Following her initial interest in the maritime branch of the armed forces, Gunnison attended a summer seminar at the Naval Academy. She would go on to apply for an ROTC scholarship at Penn State and was accepted into the program.

After college, Gunnison opted to join aviation, serving as an F-18 wizzo. The nickname for weapons systems officer, wizzos sit in the back seat of the cockpit, responsible for navigation, communication and weapons systems in the fighter jet.

“While I was in my squadrons, I really enjoyed understanding the tactics and looking at how to standardize our approach to tactics,” Gunnison said. “So I applied to Top Gun, became a strike fighter tactics instructor and went back to the fleet and was an instructor at our fleet replacement squadron.”

Even though Gunnison spent her naval career flying jets and instructing others how to do so, she said that people were often surprised to see her in an F-18. Her call sign was “Hooks,” a reference to a Police Academy character known for their soft-spokeness.

“I think that a lot of times people underestimated me, which just meant that I needed to work a little bit harder and prove to them that I was capable,” Gunnison said.

The Navy didn’t have many women in leadership roles, Gunnison said. She was one of the few in a leadership role in her squadron.

Although some had preconceived notions of her abilities, not everyone questioned Gunninson’s skill, she said. The fighter pilot veteran says she received support from many of her male counterparts, an understanding that she was just as capable as they were.

Changing policies to improve lives

While in the Navy, Gunnison had her son. As an officer, unlike a lower-ranking enlisted soldier, she was granted autonomy of her scheduling, allowing her to provide more care for her son.

Seeing the differences between enlisted and officers, how one group wasn’t able to have control at a pivotal time like having a new child, led Gunnison to earn her master’s degree in public health and health management and policy at Drexel.

“I really wanted to focus on policies that improve quality of life and outcomes for different populations,” Gunnison said.

During her time at Drexel, she interned at CHOP before eventually joining full-time after graduating. Gunnison now works as the manager of clinical outcomes and reporting, focused on understanding how the hospital’s treatment improves families’ quality of life and outcomes.

A new service track

Outside of her professional career, she is serving Philadelphia community members through her work with Action Tank, where she is the policy director. Gunnison said she was looking for the community she had in the Navy, while also being able to use what she learned in public health and her education to make an impact on the Philadelphia community.

The team is made up of former service members from all branches of the military. Veterans possess strong collaborative skills, according to Gunnison, a useful skill for Action Tank’s work. However, this isn’t their most distinct trait.

“I think what makes us unique is that we’re really connectors,” Gunnison said.

She said that the team excels at making connections, creating an expansive network around the city. This way, whatever mission Action Tank is currently working on, the team can tap into the community for support.

One of these connections is with Mitzvah Circle, a non-profit serving southeastern Pennsylvania. Action Tank and Mitzvah Circle worked together to address period poverty. Fran Held, executive director, said that the organizations’ values “really align very well.”

Members of Action Tank helped to package the products — tampons, baby diapers and pads — for specific families, as well as loading the vehicles to deliver them to community members in need.

“They were very happy to do it and very efficient and very lovely,” Held said. “I think it was a really meaningful experience on both sides.”

Chris Diaz founded Action Tank nine years ago and met Gunnison in 2020. The two quickly became friends — both had served in the Navy, and Diaz said he has a deep admiration for fighter pilots. After joining the team, Gunninson’s impact was noticeable, he said.

“She immediately added value to the Action Tank organization from not just her military experience, but the work she’s done as a professional in her civilian life,” Diaz said.

Gunnison brings not only a deep understanding of the policy matters influencing the issues facing Philadelphians, Diaz said, she also adds a human touch to the Action Tank’s solution approach. She is mindful about who is negatively impacted by the problems the team is trying to solve.

“That combination in the policy world is pretty rare,” Diaz said. “So what we benefit from is her ability to understand exactly the community that’s being impacted by the challenge, and she uses that when coming up with the policy solutions or recommendations that will ultimately change the issue from a higher level.”