Governor Ivey Continues Bolstering Veteran Support, Unveils Members of State Board of Veterans Affairs

MONTGOMERY - Governor Kay Ivey on Friday unveiled the newly restructured Alabama State Board of Veterans Affairs (SBVA) members.

“In Alabama, we proudly support the men and women who wore the uniform to fight for our freedoms. We continue to prioritize veteran needs in our state and want to ensure we have every available resource for these men and women who served our country,” said Governor Ivey. “I am proud to assemble a strong and wide-ranging Board of veterans to serve all of their fellow veterans. I look forward to continue working with this group to make Alabama the number one state for veterans.”

The SBVA members include:

• Colonel (Ret.) Larry Vannoy, American Legion*
• Colonel (Ret.) Walter Kozak, American Legion*
• John Keen, Jr., American Legion*
• Jeffrey Fisher, American Veterans*
• Sergeant Brandi Whitman, Disabled American Veterans*
• Deborah Walker, Disabled American Veterans
• Charles Waugh, Disabled American Veterans
• John Burks, Marine Corps League*
• Michael Urquhart, Military Officers Association of America*
• Lorenzo Nathan, Military Order of the Purple Heart*
• Colonel (Ret.) Anne Toms, Military Officers Association of America
• Colonel (Ret.) Scott Gedling, The Veterans of Foreign Wars
• Robert Schmidbauer, The Veterans of Foreign Wars*
• Michael Davis, Vietnam Veterans of America*
• Colonel (Ret.) Lori Rasmussen, At Large, U.S. Air Force*

*Denotes new appointment

Governor Ivey, by virtue of her office, serves on the Board as well.

During the 2025 Regular Session of the Alabama Legislature, Governor Ivey championed Senate Bill 67, sponsored by Sen. Andrew Jones and Rep. Ed Oliver, to restructure both the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs and the SBVA, further elevating veteran needs in Alabama.

Governor Ivey thanks these Board members for not only their service to the country, but also to Alabama and the state’s veterans. The appointments are effective immediately.