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The Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Women Veterans met in Washington, DC, October 25-27, 2011. The purpose of the Committee is to advise the Secretary of Veterans Affairs regarding the needs of women Veterans with respect to health care, rehabilitation, compensation, outreach, and other programs and activities administered by VA designed to meet such needs. The Committee makes recommendations to the Secretary regarding such programs and activities. The agenda included updates on recommendations from the 2010 report; overviews of the Veterans Health Administration, the Veterans Benefits Administration, the Women Veterans Health Strategic Health Care Group; and briefings on mental health, women Veterans’ legislative issues, women Veterans’ research, rural health, and homeless initiatives for women Veterans.
On July 15 - 17, 2011, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs held its fifth National Training Summit on Women Veterans in Washington, DC at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Capitol Hill.
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VA Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with Major General Angela Salinas, U.S. Marine Corps
 Major General Angela (Angie) Salinas began her military career when she enlisted into the Marine Corps in May 1974. Following recruit training at Parris Island, S.C., she served as a legal services clerk until 1977 when she was selected for the Enlisted Commissioning Program and commissioned a second lieutenant in December 1977.
She has commanded at every rank and has served as Series Commander, Woman Recruit Training Command, Parris Island, South Carolina; Commanding Officer, Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Maintenance Battalion, Camp Pendleton, CA; Commanding Officer, Recruiting Station Charleston, West Virginia; Commanding Officer, 4th Recruit Training Battalion; and Commanding Officer, 12th Marine Corps District, San Diego, CA.
She served in a variety of staff positions throughout the Marine Corps serving as a legal officer with the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing at Cherry Point, N.C.; Executive Officer, Headquarters Company and Battalion Operations Officer, Woman Recruit Training Battalion; Adjutant, 3rd Maintenance Battalion, Okinawa Japan; Adjutant, 1st Maintenance Battalion, Camp Pendleton, CA; Executive Officer, Recruiting Station Charleston, West Virginia; Major’s Combat Service Support Ground Monitor; Deputy, Special Assistant for General/Flag Officer Matters, Joint Staff; Assistant Chief of Staff, Plans and Policy; G-5, III Marine Expeditionary Force; Depot Inspector, Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, CA; and Operations Officer, Marine Corps Recruiting Command and Chief of Staff, Marine Corps Recruiting Command, Quantico, VA.
In June 1989, Major General Salinas assumed command of Recruiting Station Charleston and became the first woman in the Marine Corps to command a recruiting station. In June 1992, she became the first woman assigned as a combat service support ground monitor responsible for the assignments of over 1000 senior officers. She was the first female assigned as a plans and policy officer for a major combatant command in 1999, and in May 2001 when she assumed command of the 12th Marine Corps District, became the first woman to serve as a recruiting district commanding officer. She is the first woman to command the Marine Corps Recruit Depot/Western Recruiting Region in San Diego, CA.
Major General Salinas is a 1976 graduate of Dominican College of San Rafael, CA, where she received her B.A. in history. She received her Master’s from the Naval War College in 1992. She is a graduate of the Amphibious Warfare School, the Naval War College’s Command and Staff College and the Army War College.
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Jaimy (Just) Rand is an Ohio native and a 1986 graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point, NY where she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Systems Engineering and was commissioned as a Military Police Officer in the US Army. She went on to serve in numerous leadership and staff roles throughout a 21+ year career on Active Duty as an Officer in the Military Police Corps and as an Army Acquisition Officer. Her military career culminated with her assignment as Commander, Fort Hood Contracting Command including duty as Executive Office, Iraq Contracting Operations, Joint Contracting Command-Iraq/Afghanistan. In addition to assignments in the US and Europe as well as deployments to the Balkans and Iraq, Jaimy completed numerous civilian and military courses including Army Combined Arms and Service Staff School, Air Command and Staff College and numerous Defense Acquisition University Program Management and Contracting Courses where she attained Level III Certification in Contracting and Level II Certification in Program Management and Test and Evaluation. She earned an MBA in 1996 at the University of Texas-Austin and a Masters in Public Administration in 1999 at Auburn University-Montgomery. Jaimy is recipient of multiple awards and badges including the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Army Staff Identification Badge, Air Assault Badge, and Jungle Expert Patch. 