Theme: Keeping the Promise

The Inaugural TEDxVeteransAffairs theme will be "Keeping the Promise," which falls perfectly in line with the Department of Veterans Affairs mission. The theme was suggested by a retired marine. The program itself will feature ideas centered on veterans, but from perspectives as diverse as a nine-year old daughter of veterans to a Native American female veteran speaking about her experiences to a millennial explaining how to best motivate her generation to a mental health professional discussing what to do when you meet a veteran in crisis. The program was designed as an internal event for VA employees to share and receive ideas and innovations going on throughout the department. Specific "Talks" will be made available to the field by Veterans Day.

VA Central Office
810 Vermont Avenue, NW
room 230
Washington, District of Columbia, 20420
United States

Anna Crenshaw

Deputy Director for Center for Women Veterans

.Serves as primary advisor to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on Departmental policies, programs, and legislation which impact women Veterans, Oversees the Center's activities, which include monitoring and coordinating VA's administration of health care, benefits services, and programs for women Veterans.

Carolyn Clancy

Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Discovery, Education & Affiliate Networks

Dr. Clancy has served as the Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Organizational Excellence overseeing VHA's performance, quality, safety, risk management, systems engineering, auditing, oversight, ethics and accreditation programs, as well as ten years as the Director, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. In 2015, Dr. Clancy was selected as the Outstanding Federal Executive of the Year by Disabled American Veterans.

Dr. David Carroll

Executive Director, Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Veterans Health Administration

Responsible for the operational integrity of the VA mental health system ensuring Veterans have access to a full range of proactive suicide prevention and mental health care services that promote health and wellness.

Dr. Lynda Davis

Chief Veterans Experience Officer

.Nationally recognized for her leadership in the development and implementation of significant and sustainable programs that successfully support the full spectrum of quality of life support and services for military personnel, veterans, and their families, caregivers and survivors.

Elizabeth Mumley

Deputy for Outreach Coordination and Stakeholder Engagement

Under the Office of Human Resource Management, leads the HR Line of Business initiative of supporting HRIT standardization and integration of HR business systems, functions and processes while strategically planning for innovative technology. Before joining the Department of Veterans Affairs, Mumley was the Division Chief for HR Enterprise Systems for the Department of Defense. She led the development and deployment of Enterprise Systems for the Civilian Workforce, resulting in effective automation and improved customer experience.

James Byrne

Acting Deputy Secretary

The Honorable James Byrne was named the Acting Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs by President Donald Trump on August 28, 2018. As Deputy Secretary, Mr. Byrne works closely with the Secretary in leading the operations of the federal government’s second-largest Cabinet department, with some 370,000 employees in VA medical centers, clinics, benefits offices, national cemeteries, and other facilities throughout the country. Before his appointment as Deputy Secretary, Mr. Byrne served as VA’s General Counsel, leading a nationwide team of attorneys, paralegals, and staff who support the mission and priorities of the Department of Veterans Affairs by providing sound legal expertise, representation, and as needed, critical problem-solving skills and risk-management advice to the Secretary and other senior VA leaders.

Juanita Mullen

Program Specialist for Center of Minority Veterans

Serves as the American Indian Veterans Liaison for both centers. As liaison for the American Indian Veteran's community, she is constantly engaged in different events that promote cultural diversity. She also identifies issues that effect American Indian Veterans. She is a member of the Seneca Nation of Indians (Keeper of the Western Door), Cattaraugus Indian Reservation located in western New York.

Lewis Ratchford Jr.

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Emergency Management

Responsible for managing the Department's National Security, Emergency Management, Continuity, and Intelligence Coordination portfolios.

Max Stier

Founder, President, and CEO at Partnership for Public Service

Max has overseen the creation and growth of a network connecting more than 1,000 colleges and universities with 80 federal agencies; a center focusing on the presidential transition; an awards program that recognizes exceptional civil servants for their extraordinary accomplishments (Service to America Medals); annual rankings that examine employee engagement; numerous leadership development programs (e.g. Excellence in Government Fellows Program); Public Service Recognition Week, and more. While in the executive branch, Max realized just how much influence great leaders have on improving their organizations. While at Justice, he started a paralegal program modeled after the private sector and watched as an influx of talented young graduates energized and transformed the agency’s culture. Max is a graduate of Yale College and Stanford Law School.

Nicole Gilbride

Deputy, Outreach Coordination and Stakeholder Engagement

.A public servant for over 10 years, with experience at the Department of State, Department of Defense, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. She is passionate about communications, change management, stakeholder engagement, and recruiting and retaining millennials in the federal workforce. She currently works in VA's Office of Information Technology.

Sabrina Clark

Director, Voluntary Services

Leads the largest integrated volunteer program in the Federal government, with more than 7,400 national and community organizations, Ms. Clark led a dynamic corps of Volunteer Resource Professionals, who managed approximately 74,000 volunteers and donations totaling more than $105 million in 2015.

Zorina Pritchett

Program Analyst

An Army Veteran. Joined the Veterans Benefits Administration as an Education Claims Examiner. Has subsequently held various positions including as a Training Consultant at VA Central Office. Currently, a Program Analyst with the Benefits Assistance Service. Zorina is a graduate of VACO Leadership Mentoring Program and VBA Leadership Development Program in 2013.