VA’s Center for Women Veterans Partners with the Center for American Women and Politics
The Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Center for Women Veterans (Center) entered into a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, to increase women Veterans’ leadership and career opportunities, which will benefit the Nation’s workforce and address women Veterans growing needs.
The MoA will allow the Center and CAWP to leverage existing resources and increase coordination of activities to help women Veterans develop public service and community engagement skill sets, so they will be prepared for public and community service opportunities.
“Women Veterans often contact us for information about how they can continue serving,” says Elisa M. Basnight, Director of the Center for Women Veterans. “This MoA with the Center for American Women and Politics presents a prime opportunity for the Center to help prepare them for other forms of public service as it responds to a persistent need women Veterans tell us they have, which is the desire to continue to make a difference after the uniform.”
The Center, created in 1994 to monitor VA’s administration of benefits and services to women Veterans and to advise the Secretary on VA policy’s impact on Women Veterans, can provide advice to CAWP’s on how it focuses its resource information to address women Veterans’ issues.
CAWP is a source of scholarly research and current data about American women’s political participation. Its mission is to promote greater knowledge and understanding about women's participation in politics and government and to enhance women's influence and leadership in public life.
“The Center for American Women and Politics is delighted to collaborate with the Center for Women Veterans to provide more information and resources for women Veterans who want to engage more fully in their communities. Women who have already put their country first by serving in the military are exactly the people we need as public leaders,” said Debbie Walsh, Director of the Center for American Women and Politics.
Women Veterans represent one of the fastest growing segments of the Veterans population—about 10 percent of the total 22 million Veterans in this country. Today there are an estimated 2.2 million female Veterans. The Center for Women Veterans participates in collaborative initiatives with Federal/state/local governmental and non-governmental stakeholders, to improve opportunities for women Veterans.
For more information about women Veterans, visit www.va.gov/womenvet.
# # #
###
Reporters and media outlets with questions or comments should contact the Office of Media Relations at vapublicaffairs@va.gov
Veterans with questions about their health care and benefits (including GI Bill). Questions, updates and documents can be submitted online.
Veterans can also use our chatbot to get information about VA benefits and services. The chatbot won’t connect you with a person, but it can show you where to go on VA.gov to find answers to some common questions.
Subscribe today to receive these news releases in your inbox.
