Brad Bridwell, Chair
Mr. Bridwell has 21 years of experience working with homeless individuals. He has dedicated the past 17 years to specifically assisting homeless veterans to successfully reintegrate back into their communities. Mr. Bridwell is currently the Director of National Operations for Cloudbreak Communities, a special needs housing developer for homeless veterans that has developed over 3,000 units of housing for veterans. Previously, he was employed as Arizona’s first Homeless Veterans Services Coordinator at the Arizona Department of Veterans Services and was responsible for coalescing stakeholders to create, implement and evaluate the State’s effort to end homelessness among veterans. Mr. Bridwell served as a key leader in Project H3: Home, Health, Hope; a local implementation of the 100,000 Homes Campaign, uncovering critical innovations in “Housing First” models for people experiencing long-term homelessness and who are medically vulnerable and has played a key leadership role in Project H3 VETS, Maricopa County’s initiative to end chronic homelessness among veterans.
In his previous employment as the Arizona Director for United States Veterans Initiative, the Nation’s largest non-profit dedicated to the successful reintegration of homeless veterans, Mr. Bridwell helped establish over 200 beds of housing and services between its Phoenix and Prescott operations involving use of VA Grant & Per Diem, HUD, City, and State HOME programs and Low-Income Housing Tax Credits among other sources. His Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program established in Phoenix led to “Best Practice” recognition by its funding entity, the U.S. Department of Labor, and the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.
Mr. Bridwell holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix and a Bachelor’s of Social Work from Arizona State University. He has also served as the Board Chair of the Arizona Coalition to End Homelessness and is a Board Member of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.
Brandi Parker, Vice-Chair
- WYTV’s “Hometown Hero” Award (2021) – Youngstown, OH
- Warren’s S.W.A.G. “Community Impact” Award (2022) – Power To The People
- President, Portage County Housing Services Council (2024)
- Board of Directors, National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (2024)
- Veterans Committee, Akron NAACP (2025)
Cathrene “Cat” Nichols, Secretary
Cathrene “Cat” Nichols, a U.S. Army veteran, currently serves as Strategic Operations Manager for Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs, specializing in regional strategic and multijurisdictional partnerships. She serves as the Director of the Regional Veterans Service Center in Spokane, WA, and has been a member of the NCHV Board of Directors since 2018.
Bruce Buckley, Treasurer
Tramecia Garner
Tramecia Garner was appointed executive director of Swords to Plowshares in 2024, bringing more than a decade of leadership and frontline experience to the role. She joined Swords in 2010 as a senior program counselor at our transitional housing site on Treasure Island, quickly advancing into leadership positions. By 2013, she was the director of residential programs and helped oversee the expansion of Swords’ permanent supportive housing programs, increasing the number of units available for veterans with histories of homelessness and disabilities. From 2020-2024, she served as chief operating officer and housing director. In addition to her leadership at Swords, Tramecia is very active in local and national advocacy efforts. She currently serves as co-chair of the Supportive Housing Provider Network and on the Board of Directors of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. From 2019 to 2022, she also served on the VA Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans. She obtained an M.S. in Professional Counseling from Georgia State University and is a licensed professional clinical counselor in the state of California. Tramecia lives in San Joaquin City with her husband, a U.S. Army veteran, and their three children.
Steve Peck
After more than 28 years at U.S.VETS—14 of them as CEO of the nation’s largest nonprofit service provider dedicated to preventing and ending veteran homelessness, Marine veteran Stephen Peck retired on January 2, 2025.
“It’s been my distinct honor to serve my fellow veterans. I’m deeply proud of what we’ve collectively accomplished at U.S.VETS, helping tens of thousands of homeless veterans have a place to call home and reclaim their self-worth and dignity,” said Peck.
Peck served with the Marines in Vietnam after graduating from Northwestern University, where he studied film, influenced by his father, actor Gregory Peck. His life was forever shaped by his service as a first lieutenant in the 1st Marine Division as a forward observer outside Danang, Vietnam. He returned home and became a documentary filmmaker, earning praise for Heart of the Warrior and Far from Home, the latter about homeless Vietnam veterans living in Venice, Calif. The experience inspired him to become a full-time advocate for homeless veterans and take an active role in solving an escalating problem.
While earning his Master of Social Work at the University of Southern California, he served as an outreach worker at the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center, finding unhoused veterans on the streets and connecting them to care. In 1996, he was recruited to U.S.VETS as director of community development and later became inaugural director of its Long Beach site before taking the reins of the national organization in 2010.
On Peck’s watch, the number of veterans experiencing homelessness in the United States dropped by about half, from 74,087 in 2010 to 35,574 in 2023. In 2024 in LA County, veteran homelessness declined 23 percent.
Under Peck’s leadership, U.S.VETS grew four-fold, with services across Southern California, Hawai’i, Arizona, Nevada, Texas and Washington, DC. Peck also championed the launch of U.S.VETS’ homeless prevention programs focused on employment, mental health, suicide prevention, peer support and female veterans.
Peck is president of California Association of Veteran Service Agencies, a consortium of seven nonprofit veteran service providers working in partnership to address the needs of California’s veterans. He also serves on the board of directors of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, which leads federal advocacy work on behalf of veterans nationwide.
Peck will continue his work with U.S.VETS, focusing on the West LA VA housing development, advocacy for veterans nationwide and his personal commitment to ensure no one who served our country is sleeping on its streets. He continues to embody the Marine motto “Always Faithful.”
Danielle Applegate
Thomas Bowman
Thomas G. Bowman was nominated by President Trump to serve as the Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs and was confirmed by the United States Senate on August 3, 2017.
Before his appointment as Deputy Secretary, Mr. Bowman was the Majority Staff Director of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. He has also served Veterans at VA for nearly ten years between 2002 and 2012, including assignment as Chief of Staff to two previous VA secretaries, Jim Nicholson and James Peake.
Mr. Bowman’s other assignments at VA included Deputy Chief of Staff, Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Legislative Affairs, Acting Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs, and Executive Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs. For three and a half years, he served as Senior Advisor to the Director of VA’s Sunshine Healthcare Network caring for Veterans in Florida, southeast Georgia, and the Caribbean, which involved him directly in VA’s diverse field operations.
The son of a career Navy chief and enlisted pilot, who was at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked, Mr. Bowman was commissioned in the United States Marine Corps through NROTC at the University of Texas in 1969. He served 30 years in the Marine Corps as an infantry and Judge Advocate officer, including 21 years on active duty. He retired as a colonel in October 1999, after serving as Senior Military Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. He worked three years as an attorney in private practice, concentrating on military and Veterans issues, before joining VA.
Mr. Bowman holds a law degree from Western New England College School of Law in Springfield, Mass., and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Texas at Austin. His wife Joan died of ovarian cancer in 2013, after 41 years of marriage. He has three grown children and seven grandchildren. His younger son and daughter-in-law both serve in the United States Coast Guard. Content Goes Here
Debbie Burkart
Debbie Burkart is the Managing Director of Supportive Housing at National Equity Fund, Inc. (NEF), a leading non-profit syndicator of low-income housing tax credits. Since joining NEF in 1992, she has underwritten supportive housing and affordable assisted living investments for NEF’s funds for a wide range of special needs populations.
During her 27 years with NEF, Burkart has assisted in the acquisition and/or underwriting of more than $1 billion in tax credit equity for special-needs projects including more than 4,000 units of housing for homeless veterans in 15 states. In 2012, she founded and directs LISC-NEF’s Bring Them HOMES, an initiative for homeless veterans, which has raised over $5 million in predevelopment grant funding for veterans supportive housing projects. She’s a nationally recognized expert on affordable seniors housing as well as supportive housing financing and policy, and speaks frequently at conferences. For nearly a decade, she has been a judge for the National Council of State Housing Agencies’ Annual Awards for Program Excellence in the Special Needs category.
In 2008, she became a National Coalition for Homeless Veterans board member and in 2016 joined Corporation for Supportive Housing’s (CSH) national board. She also sits on the boards of Brilliant Corners and LA Family Housing. Burkart received the Corporate Silver Star Award from Volunteers of America Illinois in 2016 and the Community Hero Award from New Directions in 2011 for her work in veterans supportive housing. In 2017, she was profiled by Affordable Housing Finance as one of ten women who have reached the top of the affordable housing industry.
She graduated from Duke University and received master’s degrees in business administration and city and regional planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Janet Stringfellow
Janet M. Stringfellow received a Bachelor of Arts in Public Communication from the University of Puerto Rico in 1992 and a Master of Rehabilitation Counseling in 1996. She is one of the two authors of the thesis “Knowledge that the law students of the University of Puerto Rico demonstrate about the Americans with Disabilities Act and their attitudes toward individuals with disabilities.” Also, in 1997, she received her license as a rehabilitation counselor. In 2002, she was recognized as a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) in the United States. In 2008, she completed the Volunteers of America of Florida executive development track, and the Volunteers of America’s Executive Development Program in 2011. In June of 2012, she became an ordained minister for Volunteers of America. Stringfellow is currently serving as a board member for Leading Age Florida as a Leading Age Education Committee Board Chair, the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, and Volunteers of America Inc. Church Governing and National Board. Stringfellow has served with Volunteers of America of Florida since 1998, and is extremely honored to build on VOA’s 122 years of service, and she proudly upholds the distinction of being the first Hispanic President/CEO of a Volunteers of America affiliate.
Todd Shell
Todd Shell is a native Texan who currently resides in Houston Texas. He is the National Director – Supportive Housing and Treatment/Recovery Facilities at CORT focusing on strategic partnerships with organizations that provide housing and programs nationally. He has been with CORT for over 31 years and for the past 8 years his focus has been on helping the homeless. He is extremely passionate in helping the homeless and has received numerous awards locally and nationally for his outstanding work, support, and advocacy on ending homelessness. Todd is the immediate past Chairman of the Board for Texas Homeless Network and on the Advisory Council for US VETS Houston.
Berdie Cowser
Berdie Cowser has been with the Center for Veterans Issues, Ltd. since May 2001, where she is currently the Vice President of Housing and Development.
The programs she oversees provide supportive permanent and transitional housing to veterans who are motivated to change their homeless condition through honest self-examination and commitment to learning new behaviors.
She began her military career in high school, joining the Army Reserves in 1993. After earning her undergraduate degree from the Alabama State University, Berdie was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and completed her US Army Quartermaster Officer Basic Course in 2000.
She then earned her MBA and Ph.D. from Cardinal Stritch University.
Among her accomplishments and awards, she serves as Board Member, Milwaukee County War Memorial; Chapter Commander, National Association for Black Veterans, Inc.; 40 Under 40 Award Winner, Milwaukee Business Journal; and Milwaukee Times Newspaper 2015 Black Excellence Award Special Honoree – African American Women in the Military.
Berdie is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and the Cream City (WI) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated.
Sam Holmes
Samuel (Sam) Holmes currently serves as the Program Officer for Veterans and Military Families at the May and Stanley Smith Charitable Trust. Prior to joining the Trust, Sam served as Executive Director of the Homeless Resource Council of the Sierras where he led the planning and administration of two homeless Continuums of Care in Northern California. Before that, he spent over 10 years working in the military and veteran community first as an active duty enlisted Marine then as a Program Officer with the Bob Woodruff Foundation. His passion serving the community comes from his own struggles during transition out of service. Sam’s work in the veteran community focuses on serving vulnerable veterans and finding solutions to systemic injustice. Sam was honored to serve on the Veterans Task Force for Legal Services Corporation and currently serves on the Veterans Community Oversight and Engagement Board, Federal Advisory Committee for the VA’s work at the West LA VAMC.
Sam lives in Northern California with his wife and son. He is a proud graduate of City College of San Francisco, and earned an undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Business Administration from the Graduate School of Management at the University of California, Davis.
Raymond C. Kelley
Raymond C. Kelley is a seasoned veterans policy and government relations expert with more than 25 years of combined military service, Capitol Hill leadership, and national advocacy experience. He currently serves as Founder and Principal of 2 Branch Strategies LLC, where he advises clients on navigating the intersection of Congress, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the veterans service organization community. Drawing on deep institutional knowledge and long-standing relationships, he helps organizations develop effective engagement strategies and advance policy priorities impacting veterans.
Most recently, Kelley served as Senior Advisor and VSO Liaison to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, working directly with Denis McDonough. In this role, he was a key connector between VA leadership and national veterans organizations, helping shape policy discussions on critical issues including toxic exposure legislation, now known as the PACT Act, and protections for veteran caregivers.
Prior to his appointment at VA, Kelley was Staff Director for the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs in the U.S. House of Representatives. As the Committee’s senior policy advisor, he oversaw legislative strategy, investigations, and oversight operations, helping drive the passage of 72 pieces of legislation during the 116th Congress. He also served as lead negotiator on bipartisan veterans legislation, advancing priorities related to women veterans, suicide prevention, and expanded access to care.
Kelley previously held senior advocacy roles with Veterans of Foreign Wars and AMVETS, where he directed national legislative programs, built coalitions, and led grassroots engagement efforts to influence federal policy. His work focused on aligning legislative strategy with the needs of veterans and their families while strengthening relationships with policymakers and federal agencies.
A veteran of both the United States Army Reserve and the United States Marine Corps, Kelley served as a Tactical Psychological Operations Team Leader during Operation Iraqi Freedom, conducting more than 250 combat missions and advising military leadership on cultural and geopolitical dynamics in Iraq.
He holds a Bachelor of Behavioral and Social Science from Indiana University East and has been recognized with numerous honors, including the Distinguished Alumni Award, the HillVets 100, and the MOAA Colonel Paul W. Arcari Meritorious Service Award.
Kelley’s career reflects a sustained commitment to improving access to care, benefits, and opportunities for veterans through policy innovation, strategic advocacy, and cross-sector collaboration.
Eric Hutchinson
Mr. Eric Hutchinson, is a Proud U.S. Navy Veteran, Who has devoted himself to a career of helping veterans navigate through the various challenges and resources available to them. Mr. Hutchinson is the Residential Services Director for Elmcor Youth and Adult Activities Inc. He sits on the Association of Substance Abuse Providers (ASAP) – NY Peer Certification Board, and Co-Chairs their Veterans Committee. He provides advocacy and supportive services to those in need and assists in writing policy & regulations as a member of the Alumni Association of NYS- Steering Committee.
John Jensen
Jon Jensen is the former Chief of Staff of the Veterans Health Administration, where he helped lead the Nation's largest integrated healthcare system, with more than 373,000 employees, through the recent pandemic.
Jon currently serves as a Specialist Leader with Deloitte Consulting, in the Federal Healthcare practice. He brings over 30 years of government, leadership, and policy experience to Federal Healthcare organizations to develop strategies and find solutions to improve outcomes for patients.
Jon has served as a trusted and key advisor to a VA Secretary, two VA Under Secretary's for Health, and the Chief of the Army Reserve. His leadership philosophy focuses on "leading with love."
Mr. Jensen is a Veteran of the U.S. Army where he served for 25 years in a variety of units across the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. His combat experience includes service in the Gulf War 1990-1991 and Operation Iraqi Freedom 2004-2005. Jon is an Honor Graduate of the Army Sergeants Major Academy, and in 2011 Jon was selected to serve as the only enlisted Legislative Liaison to the Commanding General, U.S. Army Reserve.
Vincent John Perrone, Jr.
Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, Lieutenant Colonel Vincent John Perrone, Jr. is a graduate of Norwich University, the oldest private military college in the nation and the birthplace of ROTC, where he was commissioned in the United States Air Force. Lt Colonel Perrone’s twenty-year military career included a number of challenging positions. A pilot candidate, he was permanently grounded due to an injury. He served as Executive Officer, responsible for the security and protection of over 200 nuclear missiles and for 800 personnel at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana. In his next assignment, he was Chief of Officer Recruiting at Hanscom AFB in Massachusetts managing recruitment from Maine to West Virginia.
Lt Colonel Perrone took on a new challenge as part of the acquisition community at the Electronic Systems Division at Hanscom AFB, to assist in the development of the $3.2 billion World Wide Military Command and Control Information Systems (WIS) program. Air Force Systems Command Headquarters selected Lt Colonel Perrone as Chief of the Program Integration Division, to manage the acquisition logistics components for over 375 programs. He then gained international experience by assuming the position of Director of Resource Management and Deputy Base Commander at Suwon Air Force Base in Korea, where he led four divisions. He was later assigned to Headquarters USAF, the Pentagon, Washington DC as Program Manager for Developmental Aircraft Support Equipment and spent much of his time on Capitol Hill defending program budgets to Congress. During this time, he also served on the Joint Staff in the Operational Command Center for Desert Storm.
Lt Colonel Perrone returned to Hanscom AFB as the Chief of Requirements Analysis and Engineering Division in the International Programs Office. He served as the gateway to the world in the sales of security assistance systems to our Allies and helped to establish the Presidential Partnership for Peace Initiative with Eastern Europe. He was promoted to Deputy Director of the Joint Tactical Information Distribution System, a classified communications system and later became a Program Manager for the world’s premier surveillance aircraft, the 767AWACS.
Over the years, Lt Colonel Perrone volunteered his time and resources to many community services and programs, such as working with the elderly, church groups, and Native American and Amer-Asian children’s orphanages.
More than two decades ago, he became involved in a grassroots effort to build the largest supportive services agency for veterans and their families in New England, and was subsequently named Chairman, President & CEO of Veterans Inc.
Lt Colonel Perrone has a Master of Science Degree in Business Administration from Central Michigan University and holds Level III certification from the Department of Defense in Program Management and Acquisition Logistics disciplines. His major awards and decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal; the Meritorious Service Medal, with four oak leaf clusters; the Air Force Commendation Medal, with one oak leaf cluster; the Air Force Achievement Medal, with one oak leaf cluster; the National Defense Medal; the Korean Defense Service Medal; and the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal. He is the recipient of the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network’s Leadership Award and the Award of Merit from the Armed Forces Committee of Worcester County, was named a Hero Among Us winner by the Lowell Spinners, and in 2013, accepted the Seal of Distinction award from the prestigious Call of Duty Endowment.
Lt Colonel Perrone served on Senator Ted Kennedy’s task force for returning veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq and sat on Governor Deval Patrick’s Commission to End Homelessness. He sits on the Board of Directors for the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. He is the Veterans’ Agent for the Town of Boylston and Past Chair of the Berlin-Boylston Tahanto Regional School Committee. He is a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company and the Armed Forces Committee of Worcester County and sits on the Executive Committee for the Board of Directors of the Korean War Memorial of Central Mass. He served as a member of the Worcester Veterans Council, the Air Force Association, the Armed Forces Communications Electronics Association, the Society of Logistics Engineers, and the Fraternal Order of Police.
Following his retirement from the United States Air Force and before taking his current position at Veterans Inc., Lt Colonel Perrone was Director of Global Government Marketing for EMC Corporation, a Fortune 500 company. Lt Colonel Perrone and his wife, Debra, have four children, Francesca, Vincent III, Samuel, and Ricky
Joshua Jacobs
Joshua Jacobs served as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ eighth Under Secretary for Benefits (2022–2025), where he led the Veterans Benefits Administration’s 35,000-person workforce and directed the delivery of $189 billion in annual benefits to millions of veterans, their families, and survivors. Under his leadership, VBA expanded access, modernized operations, and deployed technology to drive measurable improvements in service delivery and customer experience.
Jacobs played a central role in implementing the historic PACT Act, where he oversaw one of the largest expansions of veteran benefits in VA history. Prior to his Senate-confirmed role, Jacobs served as Senior Advisor for Policy to VA Secretary Denis McDonough, where he served as a key strategic counselor on veterans’ policy, organizational transformation, and interagency coordination.
Jacobs has been recognized with the VA Secretary’s Meritorious Service Award and Exceptional Service Award and was named the 2025 Federal Executive of the Year by Disabled American Veterans.
A University of Washington graduate, Jacobs also served nearly a decade in the U.S. Senate, including as Deputy Staff Director of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. He now advises mission-driven organizations, emerging ventures, and established firms on navigating complex systems, scaling impact, and unlocking strategic growth.
Brock Wolf
Brock Wolf joined the VIC as CEO in May of 2022 with over 30 years of leadership experience, predominantly with nonprofit agencies, and has overseen large and mid-sized organizations in several states. Working primarily in mental health and homelessness, Brock has demonstrated a consistent track record of success in each role. He is considered a servant leader who has prioritized developing a positive work culture wherever he has been. In today’s world, it’s even more critical to have an innovative problem solver, an outstanding communicator, and a team-oriented collaborator such as Brock.
Receiving his bachelor’s degree and a law degree from the University of South Dakota, he is trained and experienced in providing mediation and other conflict resolution services.
He has been proud to call New Mexico home since 2018 with his wife Kimberly, an RN Case Manager with Lovelace Women’s Hospital, and two children, Kaitlin (24) and Brandon (21). In addition, several of his family members are Veterans, so he has always had a heart for those who have served this great county.
Brock’s passion is to make a positive impact on the lives of others. His goal is to make this the job at the VIC, the one he will eventually retire from here in New Mexico. He hopes to help shepherd the process of securing funds to build a new state-of-the-art campus for Veterans, giving them the dignity they deserve and helping them overcome their difficulties.