A Message from NACVSO President - June 2026

Greetings NACVSO Members and Partners,

What a conference! What happened in Reno—in addition to being a well-run event at a great venue—was yet even more evidence that this organization is maturing, that our profession is being recognized, and that the thinking around how we serve veterans in this country is finally moving outside of the box.

The Peppermill delivered exactly what a conference needs: space to train, space to meet, and enough breathing room between sessions for the conversations that don't show up on the agenda. This is where professional relationships are built and where ideas become what actually happens.

The agenda itself magnified where we are as an organization.

Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. Paul Lawrence joined us as keynote speaker—and before he addressed the membership, he sat down with NACVSO leadership directly. He listened, asked questions, and when he spoke publicly, he acknowledged why the local work is crucial. Senior officials at the Department of Veterans Affairs do not seek out perspectives they don't value. The fact that they sought ours says something about where NACVSO now stands and the future ahead.

Jeff Struecker brought a different kind of weight to the conference. His account of leadership and sacrifice—including his experience in Somalia, which many know through the film Black Hawk Down—was direct and personal. But what stayed with me was something he said about our members. He said he felt inspired by the men and women who continue to stand in the gap for veterans long after the uniforms come off. That is exactly what we do as GVSOs in every county where we operate but it was also inspiring to hear it said by someone who understands the actual cost of service.

Kevin Schmiegel and ZeroMils also returned for another conversation about military transition and what success looks like beyond benefits. We will be exploring this more in the coming year. Veterans have for too long experienced transition as a series of disconnections: one system to the next with no consistent advocate guiding the journey.

This brings me to the work ahead.

This year, NACVSO will help shape the National Veteran Strategy. We will publish our first Annual Report. We will launch a Fellowship Program. And we aim to pilot a collaborative effort with VA to improve the service member transition. These are not separate initiatives but pieces of the same argument: 1-veterans deserve continuity, 2-GVSOs provide it, 3-the systems serving veterans should be built around that reality.

But we must also solve a foundational problem.

There are still communities in this country where skilled, accredited, free veteran advocacy does not exist. Not underserved, but absent. Veterans in those communities navigate a complex federal system alone, or not at all. The measure of our profession's progress is not only in how well we serve veterans in places where we already exist but also where we are willing to go where we don't.

No veteran should receive a diminished level of advocacy because of where they live. A ZIP code should not determine whether someone gets expert representation—such as any one of our members—or none at all. Eliminating veteran benefit deserts is a defining challenge of the moment, and NACVSO will lead the effort to solve it.

Lastly, I want to recognize a few of the professionals who make this possible.

Congratulations to the newly elected members of our Executive Board. Leadership in this organization is a commitment to the profession and to the veterans who depend on it. Thank you for stepping forward.

Congratulations as well to the newest class of accredited GVSOs who completed the Basic Benefits Course, and to the newest CVA graduates who were awarded their pins at conference. Your accomplishment is an investment in the veterans you will serve and in the credibility of this profession.

And a sincere thank you to our Premier Sponsor, Heroes With Hearing Loss, and to every sponsor, exhibitor, and partner who supported this year's conference. Your investment in us is part of what makes this work possible.

While the conference is over, the work is not. Carry on and we will see you in Greensboro.

Very Respectfully,

Andrew Tangen

President, NACVSO