Tanya Bradsher is one of five newly confirmed appointees to a VA leadership position. (Photo: DHS.gov)
The Department of Veterans Affairs announced on March 15 that it had filled additional leadership posts in line with President Joe Biden’s new administration.
Among the new appointees are Tanya Bradsher, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Secretary; Melissa Bryant, Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Office of Public Affairs; and Shawn Turner, Senior Advisor for Strategic Engagement at the Office of the Secretary.
The new appointees come at a time when there have been calls for the VA to include more diversity in senior leadership positions.
As recently as Jan. 14, the Black Veterans Empowerment Council, which is composed of several black veterans organizations, sent an open letter to the Biden-Harris administration asking for more representation for black veterans in the VA. The appointment confirmation also comes after Black Veterans Project filed Freedom of Information Act requests against the VA citing multiple independent studies and numerous accounts of discriminatory behavior at even the highest levels of the department.
Author: Christian Southards
Coming from a family with a proud military background and wanting to contribute his writing skills to a worthy cause, Christian began writing for the California American Legion in August of 2020. His father is a 25-year Army Veteran and his grandfather served in the Navy during Vietnam.
