Presenters

Tiffany Anderson is a dedicated higher education professional with experience supporting students since 2018. She joined the University of San Diego’s Military and Veterans Program in 2022, where she currently serves as the Assistant Director of Undergraduate Military-Connected Students and School Certifying Official. As the spouse of an active duty Navy Sailor, Tiffany takes great pride in serving the military-connected community and brings both personal and professional insight to her role.

Tammy Barlet is Vice President of Government Affairs for Student Veterans of America (SVA), where she leads policy efforts to ensure that veterans, military-connected students, and their families receive the benefits, support, and opportunities they’ve earned through their service. She works closely with lawmakers and federal agencies to advocate for robust and comprehensive education policies, and workforce transition support.

Tammy served eight years in the United States Coast Guard as an Operation Specialist Third Class Petty Officer. In 1998, she patrolled the Persian Gulf aboard USCGC Chase (WHEC-718) in support of Military Interdiction Operations (MIO). During that deployment, the ship diverted four vessels in violation of United Nations Sanctions against Iraq, interdicted over 1.5 million gallons of fuel oil, and conducted 86 gunnery exercises. Her final duty station was the Vessel Traffic Service Houston/Galveston, where she was awarded the Coast Guard Achievement Medal for de-escalating an incident that could have posed a significant homeland security threat.

After returning to Pennsylvania, Tammy worked for ten years as a certified sterile compounding pharmacy technician before pursuing her higher education journey. She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Health from George Washington University and a Bachelor’s in Public Health from Temple University. Her academic and policy training includes a State Policy Internship at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and a fellowship at SVA, where she contributed to advancing student veteran policies.

Tammy’s passion for advocacy began with her own transition from military service to higher education. As a first-generation college graduate, she understands the challenges service members face when returning to civilian life and navigating complex education and career pathways. At SVA, she champions policies to modernize the GI Bill, ensure access to mental health and reproductive care, and strengthen resources for student veterans pursuing academic and career success. Her efforts directly support SVA’s mission to empower veterans through higher education and drive systemic change in areas like Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) reform, VA work-study modernization, and Guard/Reserve education parity.

She was a 2019 VFW-SVA Legislative Fellow, where her research on oral health as preventive care for veterans was included in testimony before the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. In 2021, she was recognized with Temple University’s Public Health Alumni Award for her advocacy work, and in 2023, she was named one of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Center for Women Veterans “Women Veteran Trailblazers.”

Tammy has testified before both the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees on issues ranging from mental health and reproductive care to higher education and women veterans’ needs. She remains a committed advocate for smoother transitions out of the military, expanded education benefits, and greater investments in the long-term well-being of all veterans.

Tammy resides in Maryland and enjoys quilting, kayaking, hiking, biking, and geocaching.

Olivia joined Student Veterans of America as an Outreach Coordinator in January of 2024 shortly after finishing her Master’s of Business Administration from Louisiana State University. She possesses five years of experience serving the military-affiliated community in higher education with particular emphasis on Post 9/11 GI Bill administration, state and federal compliance, and community outreach. Olivia earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and began her career at the University of Alabama, serving as a Department of Veteran Affairs representative at the Office of Veteran & Military Affairs. She has served thousands of military-affiliated students at major institutions, to include the University of Texas in San Antonio and the Galen College of Nursing.

Olivia’s passion for connecting service members to higher education is highly personal. Her father, a first-generation American with English as his second language, enlisted into the Air Force at seventeen and served over twenty-six years on active duty. With the support of various educational programs, both of her parents went on to earn their master’s degrees. Her family’s story is a direct example of how much the military-affiliated community can achieve when they have the opportunity and support necessary to succeed. The overarching goal of Olivia’s career is to open doors for veterans and dependents that come after her by directly providing that support.

Olivia currently lives with her fellow former military brat turned active-duty Air Force husband in Aurora, Colorado. Together they are raising a vivacious and highly mischievous border collie puppy named Willow. Outside of her work at SVA, Olivia is an instructor of flute and music theory to aspiring young musicians in her community. In her free time, she loves hiking, engaging with the arts, experimenting with new recipes from different regions of the United States, reading, and cheering on both her beloved Crimson Tide and Philadelphia Eagles.

Ross Bryant is the Executive Director of University of Nevada–Las Vegas’s Military & Veteran Services Center (MVSC), which assists active duty service members, veterans, National Guard members, reservists and military family members by certifying their GI Bill benefits as well as developing campus or community resources and programs aiding them in their challenging transition to civilian and university life. The MVSC is a 501c3 as part of the UNLV Foundation. His team has brought over 9,000 veterans and family members to UNLV with a 65% graduation rate. Since 2012, more than 4,897 military affiliated students have graduated from UNLV.

On January 6, 2017, Ross Bryant was named the Student Veterans of America (SVA) national “Chapter Advisor of the Year” at the 2017 SVA National Conference in Anaheim, California. A year earlier, Senator Dean Heller submitted a “tribute” to the Congressional Record acknowledging Ross’s service to Nevada’s veterans. His efforts as the director of MVSC have resulted in UNLV’s being ranked #36 in the nation as “Best for Vets” by Military Times, listed as a top school by the Military Advanced Education & Transition journal for the last 5 years, and recognized as a Top 10 “Military Friendly” school by Victory Media (2022-2025). SVA has recognized two Rebel Vet SVA Chapter Presidents as ‘Veteran of the Year” (2018, 2020).

Casey Buse is the Training Lead for the Army National Guard Education Support Center and has over 21 years of experience working in Army Civilian Education Programs. She has specialized in GI Bill processing, counseling, and training for the past 18 years at the ARNG Professional Education Center in North Little Rock AR. She holds a Master’s Degree in Adult Education and is one of the primary instructors for all 54 State and Territory ARNG Education Offices.

Kate Caruso began working in Education Service with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in late‐December 2016 upon selection as the Education Liaison Representative for the state of Florida. Currently a Training Specialist with the National Training Team for Schools, she has also served as a Supervisory Compliance and Liaison Specialist, a Quality and Training Specialist, and a Management and Program Analyst with the Digital GI Bill’s Policy and Procedures Team.

Just prior to beginning her VA career, Kate spent a year as a middle school Language Arts Teacher in Jacksonville, Florida. She also spent several years working for Saint Petersburg College as a Career Counselor while a full‐time student and candidate for a Master of Fine Arts degree from The University of Tampa. Before returning to college full‐time, she served as the Assistant to the Director of Operations for the Dare County Department of Health, after a brief stint as the Web Content Manager for The College of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.

A proud U. S. Coast Guard Veteran, Kate completed her military service in the capacity of Administrative Chief. During her Coast Guard career, she was a Recruiter and a Technical Writer, spending most of her time developing training materials, working as a web content manager, editing directives, and creating newsletters.

A native of Florida, Kate spends much of her time traveling with family and chasing the shade.

Heather Cates lives in Broken Arrow, OK and works out of the Muskogee RPO. Heather began her VBA career in 2009 as a Veterans Claims Examiner during the Post 9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33) rollout. She transitioned to and Education Compliance Survey Specialist, out-based to Seattle, Washington in 2013. In 2014, Heather returned to Oklahoma and the Muskogee RPO as a Senior Veterans Claims Examiner. Heather again transitioned to Education Compliance Survey Specialist in 2015, where she settled in until 2021, when she made the decision to lateral into the Education Liaison Representative role. Heather is now joining the National Training Team – Compliance.

Heather’s educational background includes a BA in Political Science and a Juris Doctor, both from the University of Oklahoma. (BOOMER!) Heather loves being in the outdoors – hiking, swimming, fishing, and camping – and spending time with family and friends.

Sharon Coverdell, Air Force Veteran, has been a Training Specialist with National Training Team – Schools since June 2022. In this role, she is responsible for developing training materials for Office Hours, SCO Onboarding Preparation (SCOOP), and special topic webinars, like the recent Study Abroad Refresher Training.

Sharon is a former Quality Training Specialist for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) where she was previously assigned to the St Louis Region. During tenure with Department of Veterans Affairs, she has worked within Education Services as an Education Liaison Representative (ELR) and Education Compliance Survey Specialist (ECSS).

Prior to coming on board with the federal government, she spent several years working in the State school sector as a School Certifying Official for the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and the Credit Coordinator & Test Center Administrator for Minot State University/Minot State University-Minot Air Force Base.

She holds a Master of Science degree in Management.

Outside of work at VA, she enjoys traveling and adventures with her family and gives back to her community as a hospice volunteer and supporting Halos of the St. Croix Valley & Feed My Starving Children.

Malanienne Davis, National Training Team – Compliance ECSS SME

Military Service
United States Coast Guard Active Duty 2002 – 2008
United States Coast Guard Reserves, 2008 – 2010

Education
Boston University: Masters of Science, Criminal Justice
Kaplan University: Bachelors of Science, Criminal Justice – Crime Scene Investigation

Federal Career Experience

• Education Compliance Survey Specialist, 2012 – 2022
• Training Specialist – National Training Team Compliance, 2022 – Present

• Active Duty, 2002 – 2008
• Reservist, 2008 – 2010
• Quality Assurance Specialist, Transportation (Federal Civilian), 2008 – 2012

A little about me
I live in Oakland, California and have resided in and around the San Francisco Bay Area for 22yrs. I am a mother of 2 (15yo/11yo), an avid gardener, and enjoy baking for others. Fun fact about me is that I am an Ordained Minister, and love Soccer (Fútbol). My favorite team, especially during the World Cup, is Germany.

Heather DeSpain is the Chief Operations & Product Officer at MilVet Navigator, where she leads the development of technology solutions that help colleges better serve military-affiliated students. With a background in higher education administration and firsthand experience navigating benefit-related challenges on campus, Heather focuses on building tools that reflect the real-world complexities of administering VA and military education benefits. She’s also the creator of SCO Central, a national online community designed to bring School Certifying Officials and support staff together to share ideas, ask questions, and find peer support. Heather is passionate about turning complex processes into manageable systems—and making sure the people behind the scenes are never left out of the conversation.

Connor Edwards serves as a School Certifying Official (SCO) at the Military & Veteran Services Center (MVSC) at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He began his journey over three years ago as a student worker and now helps student veterans and their dependents navigate educational benefits while ensuring compliance with VA regulations. A proud son of two U.S. Air Force veterans, Connor brings a deep respect for the military community to his work. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, which informs his empathetic, student-focused approach. Looking ahead, he remains committed to serving his community and is exploring future opportunities in the medical field to continue making a meaningful impact.

Julia Edwards is a VA School Certifying Official at the University of Nevada–Las Vegas’s Military & Veteran Services Center (MVSC), where she has served for over four years in multiple capacities. Starting as a student worker, she advanced to team lead and now works as a School Certifying Official (SCO). In her current role, Julia helps student veterans and their families navigate VA education benefits and connects them with the campus resources they need to succeed. The daughter of two U.S. Air Force veterans, Julia is dedicated to continuing her family’s legacy of service. She has just completed a Masters of Science in Molecular Medicine and plans to pursue a career in medicine focused on improving healthcare outcomes for veterans. Her long-standing dedication to veteran support, both administratively and personally, continues to shape her professional path and inspire her future.

Shane Ferrebee currently serves as a Senior Education Specialist for the California State Approving Agency for Veterans Education (CSAAVE). Shane has been employed with CSAAVE in the Senior position for ten years. Prior to his employment with the State of California, Shane worked for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Education Services for ten years.

Jason Garcia is a U.S. Army retiree and has worked in Military/Veteran education services since 2016. Jason’s professional experience includes Education Advisor, Veterans Affairs ECSS and ELR, and VA compliance manager for a Non-College Degree School. His current role is Associate Director of SCOs at National University. Jason’s passion is helping Veterans achieve their educational goals; guiding students to enhance their quality of life through higher education and training. He strongly believes in the idea that education is the great equalizer, and strives to be a positive example – Jason proudly holds a certificate in Human Resource Management, Bachelor’s in Management, Master of Business Administration, and is currently pursuing a PhD in organizational leadership from Columbia International University.

Hello, my name is Chelsea Jackson. I am currently blessed to hold the position of Training Specialist with the National Training Team-Schools at VBA in Education Services. I started my career with the VBA in 2009 as a Veterans Claims Examiner in my hometown of Muskogee, OK. Since then, I have worked in all areas of Education and finally landing my dream job with the VACO National Training Team in March of 2021.

I have a passion for training, a high regard for Veterans and I believe learning should be fun! Prior to starting my career at the VBA, I earned a degree in Elementary Education from Northeastern State University. I am a wife of an Army Veteran (82nd Airborne Division) and a mother of six children. I enjoy playing and coaching basketball, as well as, watching all things sports when life and time permit.

Julie Lawrence began her federal service career at VA Debt Management Center (DMC) in 2009. In her current role as Chief of Operations for the Veterans Resolution Division at DMC, she is responsible for coordinating all of DMC outreach efforts, responding to all congressional and executive inquiries, managing the accounts receivable portfolio referred to Department of Treasury, and supervising the administration of the accounts receivable within all business lines.

Julie has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wartburg College in Waverly, IA. She successfully completed the Federal Outreach Leadership Development Program in 2014 and was recognized in 2017, 2021 and 2022 as one of the DMC nominees for the Minnesota Federal Executive Board Civil Servant of the Year. She is committed to VA’s mission to serve Veterans and uses the core values of Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, and Excellence (ICARE) to guide every customer interaction.

Julie is married with 3 sons. She enjoys time with her extended family, outdoor adventures, and reading.

Jared Lyon was appointed National President & CEO of Student Veterans of America (SVA) in 2016. He leads the organization’s efforts to empower student veterans using the transformative power of higher education. Since he took office, Lyon has overseen SVA’s growth to a network of over 1,600 chapters on campuses in all 50 states and three countries representing over nearly 600,000 student veterans.

During his tenure, he co-authored the National Veteran Education Success Tracker (NVEST), a comprehensive study of the first 854,000 student veterans to use the Post-9/11 GI Bill. In 2017 Lyon led SVA’s commitment to pass the “Forever GI Bill,” the largest expansion of college aid for military veterans in a decade with an economic impact of $3.4 Billion. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, he served as a submariner and diver, taking part in multiple deployments in support of the Global War on Terrorism.

Before joining the headquarters team at SVA, Lyon held key positions, including National Program Manager at the Institute for Veterans and Military Families Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans, and Manager of Florida Operations for the Washington Nationals Major League Baseball team. He is an active member of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans’ Advisory Committee on Education, the Board of Advisors for the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation, the President George W. Bush Institute Advisory Council the Florida State University (FSU) Veteran Advisory Board, and the FSU Student Affairs Development Council. Additionally, Lyon was recognized as the grand marshal of the 2020 New York City Veterans Day parade, a 2018 Presidential Leadership Scholar and the 2011 SVA National Student Veteran of the Year.

He holds an Associate of Arts from Eastern Florida State College, a Bachelor of Science from Florida State University, and a Master of Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, where he is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Social Science. Jared and his wife, Chayla, share their lives with their sons, Campbell and Nolan, and their dog, Daisy.

Shay started with the Veterans Benefits Administration as an Education Veterans Claims Examiner (VCE) and then a Senior VCE in the Atlanta Regional Processing Office (RPO). While in these positions, Shay served as the subject matter expert for the Electronic Certification Automatic Processing project (ECAP) and for The Image Management System (TIMS). She moved to Washington DC to work in Education Service on what was then the Systems staff. She has worked for Central Office ever since managing projects such as VONAPP, va.gov, TIMS, WAVE, ECAP, WEAMS, VA-ONCE, and now Enrollment Manager. Shay is currently out-based from Central Office and lives in Michigan with her husband. Her 2 kids join them sporadically.

Nick Pamperin was appointed as the Executive Director of the Veteran Readiness and Employment Service (VR&E) on August 1, 2021. Nick is responsible for administering a benefits program for transitioning Service members, service-connected Veterans, and other beneficiaries in a program of more than 1,500 employees that provide over $2.0 billion in annual services.

Prior to this appointment, Nick served as the Assistant Director of the Buffalo VA Regional Office. In this role, Nick was responsible for the daily operations of an organization of over 500 employees that provided more than $900 million in annual services to Veterans and beneficiaries across the nation. During this tenure, Nick was also responsible for the daily operations of a Regional Processing Office that processed over $4.5 billion in VA education benefits annually.

Nick previously served as the Deputy Director for the Office of Strategic Planning in Washington, D.C. and played a key role in the development of enterprise-level plans to support VA and VBA’s future state of operations.

Nick has also served in numerous leadership positions throughout VBA, in the field and in Central Office, and was instrumental in significant modernization efforts, to include the establishment of the Office of Business Process Integration and the development of the Veterans Benefits Management System.

EDUCATION:
Master’s degree in political science with an emphasis on Economics, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary (2001) Bachelor’s degree in political science and Sociology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas (2000)

John Pratt served in the United States Marine Corps from 1986 to 1990, he was stationed at MCAS El Toro, California. He obtained his Master’s in Higher Education Administration from UNR in 2014. He has worked at UNR for 17 years. Currently the Veteran Services Assistant Director working in the Veteran and Military Center for the past 8 years. In his role as Assistant Director, he is committed to developing a sense of community on our campus for all military connected members, for students, faculty and staff.

Over the past 4 years, as President John has led the Nevada Veterans Alumni chapter to a strong membership, diverse and full event calendar and he is most proud that the alumni chapter funded an endowment for scholarship to assist veteran graduate students whose GI BILL benefits have exhausted. The first scholarship was awarded this fall.

Rebecca was hired as the first full time SAA Director in Rhode Island in 2013 and her present title is Director of Compliance and Student Protection for the RI Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner. She got involved with NASAA early on in her career as an SAA and has served on a variety of committees, working groups, and projects. Her favorite part of NASAA leadership has been planning eight conferences around the country including Rhode Island.

Prior to joining the SAA, Rebecca spent several years working as a certifying official at Johnson & Wales University. She has a B.A. in History and American Studies and an M.A. in American and Modern European History from Providence College. She is a lifelong Rhode Island resident and has two young daughters who think it’s pretty cool that their mommy is “the president.”

Joe Schmitt is currently the Executive Director for the Debt Management Center (DMC) within the Department of Veterans Affairs. He is responsible for leading the development and implementation of policies, plans, procedures, and internal controls to ensure timely, consistent and standardized accounts receivable collection practices for the Department. Joe’s servant leadership style creates the foundation for the VA’s “ICARE” values to be expressed in a positive work environment where accounts receivable activities are performed in a compassionate and supportive way. Leading a franchise fund organization, Joe administers the annual planning, rate setting, and execution of the center’s $52M budget and DMC’s $2.1B in annual collections which offsets the need for congressional appropriations and is used to support Veteran-facing benefits and programs.

Joe is a 5-tour combat Veteran and retired in 2007 as the Base Executive Officer for Camp Pendleton, CA after serving 24-years active duty in the US Marine Corps.

After retirement, Joe served as a senior executive in several Minnesota based fortune 50 companies and then returned to the Federal government in 2010 where he served as the Special Agent in Charge of Federal Investigations, FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, and later the White House Representative and Federal Executive Board Director for Minnesota. Joe joined the VA in 2015 as the Director of Operations, VA Debt Management Center and subsequently took an SES appointment into his into his current role in March of 2018.

Joe is a graduate of National University in San Diego, CA, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, The Command and Staff College, Quantico, VA and Harvard University in Cambridge, MA.

On February 4, 2025, Kenneth Smith was named as the Acting Executive Director of Education Services, Veterans Benefits Administration. In his role, he leads more than 1,500 EDU employees in the delivery of education and training benefits and services for Veterans and their families including one of VA’s most frequently used benefits, the Post- 9/11 GI Bill. EDU delivers over $10B in benefits to over 834k Veterans, Service members, and their families.

Prior to this assignment, Kenneth served as the Assistant Deputy Under Secretary for Operations Management in the Office of Field Operations, Veterans Benefits Administration. In that capacity, he was responsible for strategic leadership and direction for VA’s disability claims process and field implementation of policies to improve the VA’s workload management, human capital utilization and financial stewardship to efficiently deliver outstanding results for approximately 5 million disability, pension, and benefits adjustments processed annually, delivering more than $149 billion in benefits to 6.3 million Veterans and survivors. Kenneth has leveraged his deep knowledge in Education, Compensation and Pension processing and management to improve the validity and use of data to improve operational efficiency.

CAREER CHRONOLOGY:

• 2025 – Present: Executive Director, Education Service (Acting)
• 2019 – Present: Assistant Deputy Under Secretary, Operations Management, Office of Field Operations (OFO), Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), Washington, DC
• 2015 – 2019: Deputy Director, Operations Analysis, OFO, VBA, Washington, DC
• 2010 – 2015: Assistant Director, Data and Information Services, Office of Performance Analysis and Integrity (PA&I), VBA, Washington, DC
• 2008 – 2010: Assistant Veterans Service Center Manager, VA Regional Office, St. Petersburg, Florida
• 2005 – 2008: Management Analyst, OFO, VBA, Washington, DC
• 1997 – 2005: Education Claims Case Manager/Veterans Service Representative/Rating Veterans Service Representative, VA Regional Office, St. Louis, Missouri

EDUCATION:
PROSCI Change Management Certification, 2023
SES Candidate Development Program, 2019
Leadership for a Democratic Society, Federal Executive Institute, Charlottesville, Virginia, 2013
Leadership VA, 2011
VBA Leadership Enrichment and Development (LEAD) program, 2001
Master’s degree in Historical Theology, St. Louis University, 2000
Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Religion, Truman State University, Kirksville, Missouri, 1993

Lisa Stein serves as the Warrior-Scholar Project’s director of outreach and admissions.

Lisa is a dedicated professional with 17 years of experience in Higher Education Student Services. As a proud US Army veteran, she developed a deep understanding of the challenges military personnel face transitioning into academia. Her experience as a non-traditional student earning both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree has uniquely positioned her to make a lasting impact in the field and has given her invaluable insights into this community’s unique needs and aspirations. Lisa’s military service and extensive history in higher education student services led her to the Warrior-Scholar Project. Her role within this organization has allowed her to work closely with veterans and active-duty service members, helping to bridge the gap between military life and academia.

Born and raised in the Bay Area, he joined the Marines straight out of high school in 2005. He was stationed with 3rd Battalion 4th Marines Lima Company, in 29 Palms.

He deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, landing in Iraq on September 2006. As an infantry Marine Brian worked with his team to conduct combat operations. On January 17th 2007, while on an 3 day mission in the city of Hit, he was in a firefight and was shot in the face by the enemy. Brian sustained major wounds to his face, hand, back and head. He was medically evacuated and spent 30 days at Walter Reed Hospital getting treatment. In February of 2007 he was released to the Wounded Warrior Battalion-West in Camp Pendleton where he continued his recovery. Brian was medically retired from the Marine Corps in August 2009.

He then started his academic journey in 2010 at Diablo Valley College. This is where he found a purpiuse and mission outside of uniform. Brian partnerd up with fellow Marine Ryan Kelly to make the final push to secure funding and a perminte location for Veterans Resource Centers at DVC, LMC and CCC. Brian transfred to UC Berkeley to pursure Social Work and ultimately earned his Undergraduate and Master degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. In 2019 he graduated with his Masters in Social Welfare (MSW). Brian has made it his mission to support his fellow veterans navigating the complexities of the VA education system and build a system of support for their life outside of uniform. For the past 5 and a half years Brian has served as the Senior Manager of the City College of San Francisco Veterans Resource Center where he continues his mission and path laid out by God.

Curtis Washburn is the Director of the Hawaii State Approving Agency, a role he took on in October 2019, after a 5 year stretch in which Hawaii had no functioning SAA (lots of clean up to do!). Prior to that, he served as a Dean of Student Services at Leeward Community College in Pearl City, Hawaii. Also, he served as the Associate Provost and Director of Academic Advising and Retention at Chaminade University, where he worked for 15 years, including a stint as Director of a federal Department of Education TRIO program. In previous lives, he worked in the non-profit world with institutions such as Volunteers For Peace and the Hawaiian Humane Society. The role of Director of the SAA has been one of the great working experiences of his life, and he is blessed to have been given the opportunity to work with amazing people throughout the country.

With approximately five years of experience, Ray combines professional expertise and personal passion as a School Certifying Official, dedicated to supporting student veterans’ educational and personal goals. Holding a bachelor’s degree in business administration from San Francisco State University, he applies a data-driven approach to his work, analyzing and evaluating reports to enhance office operations and improve decision-making. Ray excels in finding innovative ways to boost operational efficiency and student services. Beyond direct student engagement, he streamlines workflows, minimizes errors, and optimizes resources, ensuring more time and attention for individual student support.

Kevin joined the Veterans Benefits Administration in 2007. He was hired as a Veterans Claims Examiner in the Education division at the Muskogee Regional Office. In this position, he processed all types of Education benefits for Veterans and their beneficiaries. Kevin was promoted to Senior VCE in 2012. In 2013, Kevin took a position as a Human Resources Specialist for the Muskogee Regional Office. In this position he had the opportunity to work on all facets of Human Resources such as staffing, benefits, performance management, and employee relations. In 2018, Kevin returned to the Education division when he was promoted to Supervisory Veterans Claims Examiner. Kevin has served as a supervisor of the Work Study team for 7 years. He has enjoyed the opportunity to guide Work Study through many changes to include consolidation of processing the WS benefit to the Muskogee Regional Office, enhancements to current processing systems, and the integration of new processing systems and procedures.

Dr. Samuel Lee serves as the Chief Ambassador of the California MAP Initiative, a statewide effort to promote the awarding of college credit for prior learning based on military and professional training and experience. Currently on loan from his position as Norco College Vice President, Dr. Lee has led the effort since its inception in 2017. With more than 30 years of higher education teaching and administrative experience, Dr. Lee is an innovator and leader focused on developing scalable solutions that promote equitable access, completion, transfer, and career attainment. His focused leadership on this project ensures that California Community Colleges have the support and training needed to develop new practices, articulate courses at scale, and award maximum credit for prior learning to our veterans and adult re-entry students statewide and nationwide.

Sharon Seidl was selected to join the National Training Team – Schools Team in June 2022 as a Training Specialist. In this role, she is responsible for developing training materials for the Digital GI Bill’s Enrollment Manager and and the upcoming SCO Onboarding Preparation (SCOOP) slated to go live this Fall.

Sharon is a former Quality Training Specialist for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) where she was previously assigned to the St Louis Region. During tenure with the Department of Veteran Affairs, she has worked in the Education Services field as an Education Liaison Representative (ELR) and Education Compliance Survey Specialist (ECSS).

Prior to coming on board with the federal government, spent several years working in the State school sector as a School Certifying Official for the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and the Credit Coordinator & Test Center Administrator for Minot State University/Minot State University-Minot Air Force Base.

She holds a Master of Science degree in Management.

Outside of work at the VA, she enjoys traveling and adventures with her family and gives back to her community as a hospice volunteer, and supporting Halos of the St. Croix Valley & Feed My Starving Children.

Shannon George began her career with the Department of Veteran’s Affairs in 2009 with rollout of the Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) as a Veterans Claims Examiner (VCE). Since then, she has served in several capacities in the Education Division to include Senior VCE, Educations Quality & Training Specialist, Supervisory VCE, and various details and work groups within Education Service. In 2020, she was promoted to her current position of Assistant Education Officer for the Muskogee Regional Office.

Prior to joining VBA, she spent a decade in public relations, marketing and advertising in the financial arena at one of the largest regional banks in Oklahoma serving as the Marketing and Public Relations Regional Vice President before leaving the private sector.

In her free time, she enjoys playing music, working out, and spending time with her family. She and her husband, Aaron, have three daughters, Kyle, Kory and Kody.

Since joining the VA, she has an even greater respect for the men and women that serve our country and will continue to work hard on their behalf.

Sharon Coverdell, Air Force Veteran, has been a Training Specialist with National Training Team – Schools since June 2022. In this role, she is responsible for developing training materials for Office Hours, SCO Onboarding Preparation (SCOOP), and special topic webinars, like the recent Study Abroad Refresher Training

Sharon is a former Quality Training Specialist for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) where she was previously assigned to the St Louis Region. During tenure with Department of Veterans Affairs, she has worked within Education Services as an Education Liaison Representative (ELR) and Education Compliance Survey Specialist (ECSS).

Prior to coming on board with the federal government, she spent several years working in the State school sector as a School Certifying Official for the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and the Credit Coordinator & Test Center Administrator for Minot State University/Minot State University-Minot Air Force Base.

She holds a Master of Science degree in Management.

Outside of work at VA, she enjoys traveling and adventures with her family and gives back to her community as a hospice volunteer and supporting Halos of the St. Croix Valley & Feed My Starving Children.

Shay started with the Veterans Benefits Administration as an Education Veterans Claims Examiner (VCE) and then a Senior VCE in the Atlanta Regional Processing Office (RPO). While in these positions, Shay served as the subject matter expert for the Electronic Certification Automatic Processing project (ECAP) and for The Image Management System (TIMS). She moved to Washington DC to work in Education Service on what was then the Systems staff. She has worked for Central Office ever since managing projects such as VONAPP, va.gov, TIMS, WAVE, ECAP, WEAMS, VA-ONCE, and now Enrollment Manager. Shay is currently out-based from Central Office and lives in Michigan with her husband, and will be an empty nester in the fall with 2 kids in college.

Tammy Barlet is Vice President of Government Affairs for Student Veterans of America.

She served eight years in the United States Coast Guard as an Operation Specialist Third Class Petty Officer. In 1998, she patrolled the Persian Gulf on the USCGC Chase (WHEC-718) for Military Interdiction Operations (MIO). During this patrol, USCGC Chase diverted four vessels in violation of United Nations Sanctions against Iraq, interdicted 1,527,740 gallons of fuel oil, and conducted eighty-six gunnery exercises. Her last duty station was the Vessel Traffic Service Houston/Galveston. She was awarded the Coast Guard Achievement Medal for de-escalating an incident that could quickly have become a Homeland Security Threat.

After returning home to Pennsylvania, Tammy was certified as a sterile compounding pharmacy technician and worked in the Lehigh Valley area for ten years.

Tammy holds a Master’s Degree in Public Health from George Washington University, Washington, D.C., and a bachelor’s in public health from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. While pursuing her studies, Ms. Barlet fulfilled her MPH practicum requirements at Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society as a State Policy Intern and The Mission Continues fellowship as a Policy Associate at Student Veterans of America. She received the Distinguished Undergraduate Internship Award from the College of Public Health at Temple University for her work during her internship in Alaska. In 2021, Tammy was awarded Temple University’s Public Health Alumni award for her advocacy work to ensure veterans receive timely, high-quality health care.

As a 2019 VFW-SVA Legislative Fellow, Ms. Barlet’s proposal revolved around oral health as preventative care for the veteran population. The VFW used her research as a part of the written testimony for the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health legislative hearing later that year.

Tammy’s knowledge and expertise in public health and VA led her to testify before the House Veterans Affairs Committee and the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee on mental health, preventative care, reproductive health, women veterans, and extended care services.

Tammy resides in Maryland and enjoys quilting, kayaking, hiking, biking, and geocaching.