VA Establishes MyVA Advisory Committee
March 13, 2015, 04:10:00 PM
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VA Establishes MyVA Advisory Committee
Highly Respected Group of Outside Leaders to Advise VA Secretary
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.
More information about the MyVA Advisory Committee may be found at:
http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/17837/presidential-visit-highlights-vas-progress-in-phoenix
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[1]
http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/17837/presidential-visit-highlights-vas-progress-in-phoenix