Washington - The Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) today announced the establishment of the MyVA Advisory Committee
(MVAC). The Committee brings together skilled experts from the private,
non-profit and government sectors to assist in reorienting the Department to
better meet the needs of Veterans. This Committee is charged with advising the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs with a focus on improving customer service,
Veteran outcomes and setting the course for long-term reform and excellence.
The
Advisory Committee will meet multiple times per year and will engage in
periodic reviews to ensure the Department achieves the goals of MyVA. The
Committee will provide advice on competing short-term and long-range plans,
priorities and strategies to improve the operational functions, services,
processes and outputs of the Department, and will also advise on appropriate
levels of support and funding necessary to achieve objectives. Further, the
Committee will review implementation of recommended improvements and suggest
any necessary course corrections.
Members
of the Committee have extensive experience in customer service, large- scale
organizational change and advocacy for Veterans.
“The
success of MyVA will be Veterans who are better served by VA, so the work of
this committee is incredibly important,” said VA Secretary Robert A.
McDonald. “The collective wisdom of our committee members is invaluable
and each of them understands that VA must improve customer service and focus
the Department on the needs of our Veterans. They are dedicated to that mission
and I am grateful for their principled service to our Veterans.”
The
biographies of Committee members are below. The group will hold their first
meeting in April.
MG
Josue “Joe” Robles Jr., US Army (Ret.)
Mr.
Robles retired from the U.S. Army as a Major General after 28 years in service and
joined the United States Automobile Association (USAA), where he assumed the
position of President and CEO in December 2007. In 2009, The Christian
Science Monitor named Mr. Robles the “No. 1 Veteran in Business,” and American
Banker named him “Innovator of the Year.” Mr. Robles retired from
USAA in February 2015. He will serve as Chairman of the MyVA Advisory
Committee.
Michael
Haynie, PhD, Vice Chancellor, Syracuse University
Dr.
Haynie provides strategic leadership within the University’s campus-wide
portfolio of Veteran and military-connected programs, partnerships and research
– and works to develop new initiatives across the institution. He is an
Air Force Veteran and serves as the Chairman of the Secretary of Labor’s
Advisory Committee on Veteran Employment, Training, and Employer
Outreach. Dr. Haynie serves as Executive Director of the University’s
Institute for Veterans & Military Families, and he is the founder of
Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities program. He will
service as Vice Chairman of the MyVA Advisory Committee
Herman
Bulls, International Director, and Chairman Public Institutions, Jones Lang
LaSalle
Bulls
has vast experience in executive oversight of teams in real estate development,
investment management, asset management, facilities operations and business
development/retention. He serves on corporate boards including USAA, Tyco
International, Comfort Systems and Exelis. Additionally he serves as a director
of the West Point Association of Graduates and the Military Bowl, an NCAA
sanctioned post season football game. An Army Veteran, Bulls is a
graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and Harvard
Business School.
Teresa
Carlson, Vice President, Worldwide Public Sector Amazon Web Services
Ms.
Carlson brings more than 20 years of experience as a business executive driving
innovation and change, and producing successful business results. She is
a leader in the information technology field. Prior to joining Amazon,
Ms. Carlson served as Vice President of federal government business at
Microsoft. She has 15 years of experience in the health care field and
was recently named to Washingtonian Magazine’s “100 Most Powerful Women,” among
other awards.
Richard
H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H, FACS, 17th Surgeon General of the United
States
Dr.
Carmona is a combat decorated and disabled U.S. Army Special Forces Vietnam
Veteran. He is currently a Distinguished Professor at the University of
Arizona, holds numerous public and private leadership positions and has
extensive experience in public health, clinical sciences, health care
management, national preparedness and a commitment to prevention as an
effective means to improve public health and reduce health care costs while
improving the quality and quantity of life.
Delos
“Toby” M. Cosgrove, M.D., CEO and President, Cleveland Clinic
Dr.
Cosgrove has emphasized patient care and patient experience in his leadership
of the Cleveland Clinic, including the reorganization of clinical services. Dr.
Cosgrove has launched major wellness initiatives for patients, employees and
communities. He was ranked in Modern Healthcare’s “100 most powerful people in
healthcare” and “most powerful physician executives.” He is a Veteran of
the U.S. Air Force.
Laura
Herrera, MD, Deputy Secretary for Public Health, Maryland Department of Health
& Mental Hygiene
Dr,
Herrera has served as Chief Medical Officer for Maryland and assisted the
Secretary of Health on implementation of innovative health delivery reform
structures in the state system. She served as a Medical Officer in the
U.S. Army Reserve, National Director of Women’s Health and the Acting Deputy
Chief Officer of Patient Care Services in the VA’s Veterans Health
Administration.
Chris
Howard, DPhil, President, Hampden-Sydney College
Mr.
Howard currently serves as president of Hampden-Sydney College. In addition, he
was nominated and confirmed as a member of the National Security Education
Program Board. Mr. Howard is a member of the Board of Directors of the
American Council on Education and has served as Vice President for Leadership
& Strategic Initiatives at the University of Oklahoma. He is a retired Air
Force Lieutenant Colonel.
Nancy
Killefer
Ms. Killefer served as a Senior Director in the DC office of
McKinsey & Company. During her career, Ms. Killefer has
focused on strategy, marketing and organizational effectiveness and efficiency
issues with an emphasis on consumer-based and retail industries. Ms. Killefer
also founded and led McKinsey’s global public sector practice. She is a former
Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Assistant Secretary for
Management at the United States Department of the Treasury, and has previously chaired
the IRS Oversight Board. Ms. Killefer now serves on a number of corporate
Boards and is the Vice Chair of the Defense Business Board.
Fred
Lee
Mr. Lee is a nationally recognized expert and consultant in the
patient and family experience. He is the author of the best-selling
health care leadership book, “If Disney Ran Your Hospital, 9 ½ Things You
Would Do Differently.” His career in hospital management and
expertise in quality improvement has changed the language of patient
satisfaction in hospitals, and introduced experience based improvement to
change management and staff engagement.
Eleanor
“Connie” Mariano, M.D., Founder, Center for Executive Medicine
Dr.
Mariano was the first female director of the White House Medical Unit and the first
military woman to become a White House Physician to the President. Dr.
Mariano joined Mayo Clinic’s Executive Health Program upon departure from the
White House, and has since founded the Center for Executive Medicine. Dr.
Mariano is a retired Navy Rear Admiral.
Jean
Reaves
Ms.
Reaves is a Vietnam Era Veteran who has been a Veteran Advocate for the last 20
years. She is a member of AMVETS and several other Veteran Service
Organizations. She is currently President of North Carolina AMVETS
Service Foundation. Ms. Reaves also served as Veteran Liaison for United
States Senator Kay Hagan. She also is the wife and mother of Veterans.
Maria
“Lourdes” Tiglao, Director of Outreach and Resource Development, The District
Communications Group
Ms.
Tigalo is a Veteran of the U.S. Air Force and was a co-founder of the first
USAF Critical Care Medical Attendant Team in the Pacific. Ms. Tigalo
currently serves as Regional Communications Manager for Team Rubicon, a Veteran
disaster response service organization.
Robert
E. Wallace, Assistant Adjutant General and Executive Director, Veterans of
Foreign Wars
Mr.
Wallace is a Vietnam Veteran and is responsible for the day-to-day operations
of VFW activities in Washington, DC. Mr. Wallace’s VFW service follows a
successful career in banking, and positions in New Jersey state government in
Veterans Affairs and Employment and Training commission.
http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=2683