On Being a Pioneer and a Public Servant...The Challenges and Rewards

Stephen H. Lockhart is being honored as a Next Generation of Conservation Leaders Champion of Change.

What an honor and privilege to have been chosen a White House Champion of Change. Previously, I never considered myself a champion or an agent of change. But as I look back, my life has been filled with opportunities to make a difference and I was curious enough and perhaps adventurous enough to accept those opportunities. Let me share with you a little bit about myself and about some of the opportunities that I have had the fortune of accepting.

I was born in Iowa. My father is Chinese, my mother is Czech. I grew up in a time when many of the professions were not populated with women—the law, the military and public service among them.  Fortunately, it was my mother who “nagged” me into going to law school (children of all ages listen to your mother!) and while I was in law school I met my husband, a fellow law student. He was a commissioned officer in the Army and the Army had allowed him to attend law school on a full-time basis. It was through him that I “joined” the Army and this was the beginning of my long, rewarding and wonderful career in public service. 

I have been in the profession of public service on several levels—state, national and international—and at each level I saw the challenges through the lens of a pioneer. When I was commissioned an Army officer, there were approximately 20 women in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, a Corps consisting of over 1,400 lawyers.

The challenges included acceptance by my fellow JAG officers, assignments, and career management,  to name a few. But the rewards were astounding—travel, friendships, personal and professional development, and best of all, I was able to help pave the way for other women. There are now more than 400 women in the Army JAG Corps and in fact, the current Judge Advocate General of the Army is a woman!

When I was the Chair of the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, a non-compensated position, the challenge was to improve our processing times and to be responsive to both employees and employers. I took on this challenge knowing that I had to explore new ways of dealing with this backlog.

In the end, we accomplished our goal and timely and responsive action became the norm. Again, the challenges were many but the rewards were extremely satisfying because the citizenry, and especially those who may have faced discrimination, regained confidence in the process.

In 2007, the War in Iraq reached new heights and the  "Surge” was implemented. To complement the increase in military strength, a call was made for Department of Defense civilians to volunteer to increase diplomacy and reconstruction efforts. I volunteered and I spent one year in Iraq as the Deputy Rule of Law Coordinator for the Baghdad Provincial Reconstruction Team working side-by-side with the military and going on missions into the heart of Baghdad as the fighting reached its highest point since the beginning of the war.

This one year tested me on every level and was made more difficult because I was a civilian (civilians working in a combat zone was a rarity). But in that one year I was able to work with the Iraqi Bar Association, numerous Iraqi Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and the international community to advance the rule of law. In coordination with the Iraqi Bar Association, we established a Legal Aid Clinic at one of Iraq’s largest detention facilities, which is operating to this day. I worked with Iraqi Law Schools on curriculum development; and I worked with NGOs to open up opportunities for Iraqi women. The challenges were oftentimes overwhelming, but the rewards were priceless.

I looked at each of these endeavors as an opportunity to embrace a difficult situation and to see where it would take me. In the process, I like to think that I have improved the lives of people while at the same time becoming a better person myself. This is what the profession of Public Service is about.  

Coral Wong Pietsch was the first woman to be promoted to general officer in the United States Army Judge Advocate General and the first woman of Asian ancestry to be promoted to general officer in the Army. She is currently a Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. She was appointed to the bench in June 2012.

Forging Partnerships, Building Friendships and Serving Veterans...the Washington State Way

Mary Johanna Forbes is being honored as a Women Veteran Leaders Champion of Change.

It’s hard for one person to change the world. But with the power of partnerships, more specifically friendships, I truly believe that anything is possible! So when U.S. DVA Secretary Eric Shinseki pledged to end veteran homelessness by 2015, I knew without a doubt that my agency, the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs, would need to enlist the trust, the buy-in and the participation of our friends across the state to achieve this goal in Washington. 

We boldly seized the opportunity Secretary Shinseki provided by issuing our own “Call to Action” and held a Statewide Homeless Veterans Housing Summit in June 2010. This was our catalyst to develop and implement our vision to honor Washington’s veterans. We actively engaged and secured commitments from key community partners, promoted best practice models to effectively serve more veterans, and facilitated the coordination of grant requests at the local level. In four years, we’ve been able to show a reduction from 2,800 un-sheltered homeless veterans to less than 1,500. Most importantly, we did this by connecting not-for-profit organizations to grant opportunities so that they could fund their individual operations and help veterans break the cycle of chronic homelessness. 

We also focused on incarcerated veterans and helped counties develop veterans courts and other programs connecting veterans with their benefits. Often these wrap-around services help veterans stay on a path to success and self-sufficiency by focusing on treatment, housing and, ultimately, employment. Our current recidivism (repeated incarceration) rate is less than 20% while non-veteran recidivism is over 50%. 

We’ve partnered with the Washington State Department of Corrections to develop veterans’ dorms in our state correctional facilities that not only restore pride and dignity to veterans with untreated war trauma issues, but also begin the “upstream” process of connecting them to their VA benefits and other community programs long before they leave prison or while they are in work release. This is an ongoing project with a goal of helping veterans succeed in life after incarceration. 

Knowing that the end of the wars meant more military personnel would be separating and joining our civilian workforce, we started a three year project at Joint Base Lewis McChord. This project led to the Veterans Opportunity for Work to Hire Heroes Act proposed by Senator Patty Murray and signed by President Obama in November 2011. The VOW Act is improving services for transitioning service members by focusing on education, employment, entrepreneurship, and apprenticeships. Our model is now used by Transition Assistance Programs worldwide.

At the state level, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee signed his first Executive Order in January 2013 creating the Washington State Military Transition Council, a collaboration between the military, corporations, state governments and non-profits to break barriers to effective transition and employment for veterans. 

I also have the privilege of leading the Washington State Women Veterans Summit where women veterans have opportunities to apply for their benefits, get self-help and assist our agency in spreading the word on the many benefits available to those who have not applied. We are proud that women veterans’ access to care in Washington VA facilities has increased nearly 25% in the past three years! 

I have had the opportunity to serve my country, to raise five children, and then the good fortune to become a part of the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs where I have the ability to enhance the quality of life for veterans and their families. It is my distinct honor to have been selected as a Champion for Change while serving Washington State’s veterans and their Families. 

COL (Retired) Mary Forbes graduated from the US Military Academy in 1983, the US Army War College in 2006 and served on active duty with the US Army and the Washington Army National Guard for over 26 years. As the Assistant Director for Veterans Services for the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs, Forbes champions the federal and state initiatives to end veteran homelessness.

Veterans Make History and Opportunity Every Day

Ellen Houlihan is being honored as a Women Veteran Leaders Champion of Change.

I am honored and privileged to be selected as a White House Champion of Change during Women’s History Month. I am especially honored to be recognized for my U.S. Army service and veteran status. I was among the first decade of women who integrated West Point and its previously all male student population. I was the first West Point woman graduate to be elected president of my West Point class, and first West Point woman graduate to be elected president of a local alumni club. It was not my goal to carve out history, I just wanted to be part of the strategy and action toward outreach to West Point graduates from all generations and career paths. Veterans come in all generations, shapes, sizes, colors, and skills. I have found that a common thread among all veterans is their love of country and their willingness to be part of something bigger than themselves. And veterans understand service—service to others and to their communities. 

The work I accomplish as a volunteer leader serves West Point, as a national treasure and premier leadership institution. My volunteer work also serves Veterans who transition from active service to private citizen in professional careers or in volunteer roles in their communities. I led the governance transformation of our not for profit organization to align with efficient and effective business practices. Acceptance of the transformation was challenging as the organization had not effected much change in its structure since just after the Civil War. Lately, I seek to identify what skills and experiences are needed in the next decade to foster growth and continued relevance of our West Point Board of Directors and Advisory Council to West Point and to West Point veterans.

Veterans are accustomed to all sorts of transitions—transitions from specialty schooling, transition to new assignments, and, eventually, transition to private citizen. Because every Veteran must first learn to lead themselves, many veterans are great candidates to grow the engine of our economy, creating small businesses. Their respective service training and experience provide a background for solving problems, implementing change, and identifying and recruiting talent. Veterans Entrepreneurship Program (VEP) is a powerful resource for expertise and experience from other small business owners.  

All veterans make history every day by being an example of service to our Nation. Make your own history by volunteering for service in your community or in your professional life. Every act of service makes a difference. You never know when your service will influence another person to step up with their own service.

Ellen Houlihan is Vice-Chair, Board of Directors, West Point Association of Graduates, a non-profit organization to serve West Point and its graduates. From the day of its founding on March 16, 1802, West Point has grown in size and stature, yet remains committed to the task of producing commissioned leaders of character for America's Army. Today, the Academy graduates more than 900 new officers annually, which represents approximately 25 percent of the new lieutenants required by the Army each year. The student body, or Corps of Cadets, numbers 4,200, of whom approximately 15 percent are women.