December 13, 2023
Aaron Washington
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Ave. SW
Washington, DC 20202
via email
Docket ID ED-2023-OPE-0039
Dear Mr. Washington,
The undersigned veterans and military service organizations write to submit the following nominations for the upcoming negotiated rulemaking Committee on Program Integrity and Institutional Quality that the Department of Education intends to convene in January 2024.
We represent servicemembers, veterans, and family members with a clear stake in the outcome of these regulatory negotiations. The interests represented by our organizations are significantly affected by regulations that the Department plans to develop through this process. We are therefore advancing these nominations to represent U.S. military service members and veterans on the Committee.
These nominees take seriously the honor and distinction of representing the diverse interests of the large and unique veteran and military population with a non-partisan approach. We have taken special care to identify negotiators who can approach the breadth of topics with great expertise.
- Primary: Barmak Nassirian, Vice President for Higher Education Policy at Veterans Education Success
[email protected], 202-262-4684, 1501 K Street, Ste 200, Washington, DC 20005Barmak Nassirian brings more than three decades of experience in higher education and is a nationally known expert on multiple facets of the higher education sector. He has written and published on both accreditation and state authorization and has detailed knowledge of Title IV regulations and their enabling legislation. His past policy experiences include leading roles at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, policy work on the last three congressional reauthorizations of the Higher Education Act, testimony before congressional committees on various higher education topics, and extensive regulatory activity with federal agencies, including multiple rounds of negotiated rulemaking with the U.S. Department of Education.
- Alternate: Ashlynne Haycock-Lohmann, Deputy Director for Policy and Legislation, Tragedy Assistance Program For Survivors
[email protected], 202-255-3434, 3033 Wilson Blvd., Third Floor, Arlington, VA 22201Ashlynne Haycock-Lohmann is the Deputy Director for Government and Legislative Affairs for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS). She is the Gold Star daughter of SFC Jeffrey Haycock who died while training to deploy in 2002 and Air Force veteran Nichole Haycock who died by suicide in 2011. Ashlynne has worked for TAPS for 10 years, primarily focusing on access to benefits for surviving spouses and children, including the expansions of benefits under the Forever GI Bill. She was also instrumental in finally ending the SBP/ DIC Offset, better known as the “Widow’s Tax”, in 2019. Ashlynne graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from American University in 2013 where she was one of the first Marine Gunnery Sergeant John Fry Scholarship recipients. She resides in Virginia with her husband, a Navy veteran, and their two dogs.
We believe that together, Mr. Nassirian and Ms. Haycock-Lohmann combine deep expertise in these regulatory topics with the direct knowledge of the interests of service members and veterans that the Department seeks to include in the process. They are both committed to participating in good faith and would do their utmost to contribute to the work of the Committee.
Signed and submitted on behalf of:
Chief Warrant and Warrant Officers Association, US Coast Guard
Commissioned Officers Association of the USPHS
Military Child Education Coalition
Military Officers Association of America
National Military Family Association
Paralyzed Veterans of America
Student Veterans of America
Swords to Plowshares
Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors
U.S. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officers Association & Enlisted Association
Veterans for Common Sense
Veterans Education Success