Center for Women Veterans (CWV)
2014 Women Veteran Leader Champions of Change
From the left are Graciela Tiscareño-Sato, CEO and Founder of Gracefully Global Group LLC; Dana L. Niemela, MSW, Coordinator of the Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program, Denver, Co.; Erica Borggren, Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs; Coral Wong Pietsch, Judge, United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, Honolulu, Hi.; Sonia Jo Kendrick, Founder of Feed Iowa First, Hiawatha, Iowa; Stacey Young-McCaughan, Director of Research for the STRONG STAR Consortium, Llano, Texas; Army Col. Rich Morales, Executive Director, Joining Forces; Ellen Houlihan, Vice-Chair, Board of Directors, West Point Association of Graduates, Allen, Texas; Gina S. Farrisee, VA’s Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Administration; Elisa Basnight, Director of VA’s Center for Women Veterans; Mary Johanna Forbes, Assistant Director for Veterans Services for the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs; Martha Daniel, President and CEO Information Management Resources, Inc., Aliso Viejo, Calif. Not pictured is Deborah Scott Thomas, Founder, President & Chief Executive Officer of Data Solutions & Technology, Inc., Edgewater, Md.
On Tuesday, March 25, 2014 the White House honored ten leaders who are “Women Veteran Leader Champions of Change.” The event recognized women Veteran industry leaders, highlighting their incredible contributions to our nation's business, public, and community service sectors.
As the nation celebrated Women’s History Month, it was important to salute women Veterans for their accomplishments and contributions to society. They have broken barriers and capitalized on the many leadership opportunities afforded through military service. We know that women Veterans are models of character, courage, and commitment who continue to blaze trails and open doors.
The Champions of Change program was created as an opportunity for the White House to feature individuals doing extraordinary things to empower and inspire members of their communities. The event was moderated by The Honorable Gina S. Farrisee, Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Elisa Basnight, JD, MPA, Director of the Center for Women Veterans, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Additional Resources
- 2014 Champions of Change Biographies
- White House Champions of Change Blog
- Connect with Champions of Change
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This page may contain links to pages and/or documents outside the Department of Veterans Affairs Domain. These are annotated as shown below. We hope your visit was informative.
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