Who Are We?

development, adoption, and implementation of Department-wide programs and policies affecting overall operations of VA. She is the Department’s senior official responsible for holistic coordination of stakeholder engagement, strategic communications and outreach on behalf of the enterprise. She was previously Acting Assistant Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at VA. A former Army Captain and Operation Iraqi Freedom combat veteran, her extensive record of public service includes critical roles in both military and civil service as a senior intelligence officer. As a Department of Defense and Intelligence Community plans, policy, and operations expert, she served in key leadership positions with the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Joint Staff, the United States Military Academy, and Army Intelligence. She was successful in building “coalitions of the willing” to advance operational and strategic objectives while developing and implementing plans and policy for the defense intelligence community. Ms. Bryant is widely recognized for championing causes impacting women and minority Service members and Veterans, highlighting the distinct challenges this growing population faces while advocating smart policy and legislative solutions. She has provided remarks in dozens of press conferences, participated as both a panelist and moderator in a variety of venues, delivered numerous oral and written testimonies before Congressional and Administration hearings, as well as conducted live and taped interviews on FOX News, CNN, NPR, CBS Radio, PBS NewsHour, C-SPAN Washington Journal, MSNBC, HLN , local television segments, web-based and print articles, and much more. She was named one of the Hill Vets 100 in 2020, and an Aspen Institute Ideas Festival Scholar in 2018; her civil and military service awards include the Joint Civilian Service Commendation Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, plus dozens more accolades and honors. CAREER CHRONOLOGY: 2022 – Present Senior Advisor for Strategic Engagement, OSVA, Washington, DC 2021 – 2022 Acting Assistant Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretary, OPIA, Washington, DC 2019 – 2020 National Legislative Director, The American Legion, Washington, DC 2017 – 2019 Chief Policy Officer, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Washington, DC 2015 – 2016 Graduate Student and Teaching Assistant, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 2009 – 2015 Branch Chief, Defense Intelligence Agency, Washington, DC A native of Philadelphia, PA, Ms. Bryant is a third generation combat Veteran, an ROTC Distinguished Military Graduate with a BA in Political Science cum laude from Hampton University, is an alumna of Howard University School of Law, and holds an MA in Policy Management from the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University.

he co-founded with Kelly Perdew.Craig is the Co-Founder (along with Joseph Kopser) and former Chief Operating Officer of RideScout, a mobile app that shows users how to get from point A to point B by providing real-time ground transportation information. RideScout was acquired by Daimler (Mercedes-Benz) in September 2014 and recently merged with GlobeSherpa to form moovel N. America.Craig is also a Co-Founder, with Jason Dempsey and Ken Robbins, of MILLIE, providing military families with information and on the ground support to ease the stress of frequent relocations, and Co-Founder of APX Labs, developing augmented reality software for smart glasses to enable the hands-free industrial and commerce workforce.Before he became an entrepreneur, Craig spent 17 years in the Army, most of that time as an Intelligence Officer serving in support of the National Security Agency (NSA). Craig deployed to Afghanistan with the Joint Special Operations Command where he earned the Bronze Star. He also served as an Assistant Professor of Political Science in the Department of Social Sciences at West Point, NY. Craig received a B.S. in Political Science from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he was their first Truman Scholar, and he received a Ph.D. in Political Science (minor: Econometrics) from Columbia University. In 2015, Craig was selected by HillVets as one of the 100 most influential and impactful veterans in the United States. Craig was recently selected as a member of the 2016 Class of Henry Crown Fellows of the Aspen Global Leadership Network at the Aspen Institute. Craig is married to Lawton Cummings, a former Law Professor and television legal analyst. They have two children, Addison (13) and Cooper (11), and reside in Austin, TX.

Business Process Excellence, Communications, and Executive Coaching. USNA, BS Physical Science MBA, Stanford University.

years of experience in building high-performing companies deemed the “best places to work,” resulting from deep levels of employee engagement. Most recently, Chris was the Founder of NextPlayHR, a lean innovation consulting firm focused on the future of work. Before founding NextPlayHR, he served as Chief People Officer at Ten-X, the world's largest online real estate transaction platform. Prior to Ten-X, he served as Vice President of Talent Acquisition at Intuit, Senior HR Manager at Xilinx, and HR Business Partner at Harmonic. His HR career was preceded by his service in the U.S. Army, where he served as an Aviation and Human Resources Officer. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Management from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and a master’s degree in Human Resources/Organizational Development from the University of San Francisco.

in complex legal matters. Prior to joining Workday, Ted was General Manager and Assistant General Counsel for Microsoft in Beijing, China and the US. Ted is also a former Marine Corps officer where he served both as a tank platoon commander and intelligence officer. Ted is a graduate of UCLA and the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

Dave’s started his career as a platoon leader in Iraq and completed his service by teaching leadership as an Assistant Professor of Military Leadership at MIT (ROTC). He authored “The Power in a Link: Open Doors, Close Deals and Change the Way you do Business Using LinkedIn” (Wiley, 2011), is an inventor (via a tech patent) and loves to ski.

NWC specializes in helping U.S. companies expand internationally, and Craig works closely with management teams on strategy and growth in the U.S. and Europe, resulting in accelerated growth, international expansion, job creation and technology innovation. Craig is also a Truman Security Fellow with the Truman National Security Project, analyzing U.S. policy programs to foster economic growth, trade and investment. He has been an official delegate with the U.S. State Department in North Africa, and has published and spoken internationally on economic engagement as an integral part of U.S. foreign policy.

Division of the U.S. Army in Afghanistan and later as a public servant with the Pentagon and USAID overseeing policy in the region.

a live-video learning startup within Google Inc.. Neal is currently the Head of Strategy and Operations at Makani, a next-generation wind-turbine project within Google[x]Before coming to Silicon Valley, Neal served 12 years on active duty with the US Marine Corps as an F/A-18 pilot and forward air controller. He completed three tours in Iraq between 2003 and 2007, earning the Bronze Star with “Valor” device, and (13) Air Medals. He transitioned from active duty in 2009, earning dual masters degrees (business and international affairs) from Columbia University. In addition to his professional endeavors, Rudy is a Tillman Scholar, volunteers as a Big Brother with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, is on the Advisory board for the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), and is a member of the Truman National Security Project’s Defense Council.

as the Chief Technology Officer for AFWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Air Force where she guided the development of future technology solutions and strategies to benefit the US Air Force, Department of Defense, Interagency and Allied partners. Prior to this assignment, JJ was the Donovan Group Military Chief Innovation Officer for U.S. Special Operations Command and the SOFWERX Innovation Team. Her work has been presented to members of the National Security Council, the White House and key seniors across the DoD, Intelligence Community and Interagency to inform on emergent risks and opportunities involving technology and technology influenced environments. She completed combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as an intelligence officer serving with Joint Special Operations Command, Air Force Special Operations Command and the National Security Agency. JJ is a Distinguished Graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School, NSA Military Performer of the year and Distinguished Graduate of the National Security Agency’s elite Junior Officer Cryptologic Career Program, one of Washington Exec’s Top 25 DoD Executives to Watch in 2020 and the 2021 VetsInTech Woman Veteran of the Year.

transformations at BMC Software, Salesforce, C3, Siebel and others. He is a strong advocate for creating cultures of innovation and teamwork and he honed his leadership skills as an Army officer, where he served in Iraq combat operations and received decorations including the Bronze Star medal. He actively advocates for veterans and serves on several non-profit boards supporting veteran education and employment. Dan is a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and earned an MBA at Harvard Business School.

France is the co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of boodleAI (www.boodle.ai), a SaaS technology company that provides on demand people focused predictive analytics.