January 14, 2019

For Immediate Release

 Contact: Barrett Y. Bogue, Senior Communication Advisor (202) 670-5587

Announcing New Staff and Key Partnerships to Better Support Military-Connected Students in Higher Education

VES is expanding their team and adding new key partners while anticipating growth in 2019

 Washington, D.C. — Carrie Wofford, President at Veterans Education Success (VES), announced personnel changes, new additions, and key partnerships today to meet the increasing demand for advocacy and programmatic support of military-connected students in higher education.

Ms. Tanya Ang was promoted to Vice President at VES in November 2018 and will, in collaboration with Ms. Wofford, lead the effort to grow the organization and increase program support and partnerships at the federal, state, and local levels.

Ms. Ang joined VES in 2017 and previously served as the Director of Policy & Outreach. With over 18 years of experience in higher education, most recently as Project Director at Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, and Director of Veterans Programs at the American Council on Education, Ms. Ang is imminently qualified to grow VES’ impact in 2019.

Mr. Tyson Manker was also promoted, in November 2018, to Director of Veterans Engagement from his previous role as Veterans Advocate. In this role, he will continue to empower military-connected students to share their experiences in higher education with key- stakeholders including lawmakers at the state and federal level.

Mr. Manker, a former infantry Marine and combat veteran of Iraq joined VES in June 2017. He brings experience mobilizing service-members and veterans across the country to participate in the 2016 presidential election. He has also advocated on a number of veterans’ policy issues including discharge-upgrades and veterans’ treatment courts in Illinois.

Additionally, Mr. Barrett Y. Bogue joined VES in November 2018, as Senior Communication Advisor to support VES’ goal of improving communication and outreach across the country. Mr.

Bogue is President & Founder of Evocati LLC, a veteran-owned consulting company that helps business and nonprofit leaders realize their potential in the military-connected community.

Mr. Bogue brings experience as Deputy Director for Oversight and Outreach for the GI Bill at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), where he successfully executed public campaigns promoting the largest expansion of education benefits for veterans since World War II, helped implement and advertise the Post-9/11 GI Bill, trademarked “GI Bill” and built the enforcement process, and served on VA and the Department of Education’s For-Profit Joint Task Force to coordinate cross-agency enforcement action against bad actors in higher education. Mr. Bogue most recently served as Vice President for Public Relations and Chapter Engagement at Student Veterans of America, where he led the grassroots campaign to pass the Forever GI Bill – a truly bipartisan achievement that made the GI Bill a lifetime education benefit; something never achieved in its nearly 75-year history. He co-authored the National Veteran Education Success Tracker, a peer-reviewed report on the academic outcomes of nearly 900,000 students which transformed the country’s prevailing narrative around veterans in higher education.

He served six years in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II where he earned a Combat Action Ribbon and Meritorious Mast for effectively leading his team under enemy fire.

“At Evocati we have a passion for helping leaders and organizations discover their potential in the military-connected community. And I can’t think of two leaders who are making a better impact for military-affiliated students than Tanya and Carrie,” said Mr. Bogue. “I’m honored to serve as Senior Communication Advisor to what I’ve already come to learn is a fantastic team at VES.”

VES also announced two key additions to the team as they begin 2019:

Mr. Ramond Curtis was hired in December 2018, as VES’ first State Policy Manager. Mr. Curtis served in the U.S. Army National Guard and recently graduated from Columbia University.

VES also welcomed Mr. Luke Opyd in January 2019, as Policy Analyst. Mr. Opyd served in the U.S. Navy and graduated from Cornell University. He recently served as a Legislative Intern in the Office of Senator Tammy Duckworth.

“Post-secondary attainment for veterans is essential to their civilian and economic success. There’s never been a greater need for supporting veterans and their loved ones than now, especially as we see curtailed student protections and less accountability for bad actors in higher education,” said Ms. Wofford. “As we look towards the 75th anniversary of the GI Bill on the horizon, we want to ensure VES can support the academic success of all military-connected students in a sustainable way. That’s why I’m excited to announce these changes to support our growth. I look forward to working with our Board of Directors, and existing and new partners to make 2019 an impactful year for the millions of military-connected students we serve.”

Veterans Education Success is a veteran advocacy organization whose mission is to protect and defend the integrity and promise of the GI Bill and other federal education programs for veterans and servicemembers. The organization offers free legal services, advice, and college and career counseling to servicemembers, veterans, their survivors, and families, and helps them participate in their democracy by engaging policymakers. VES also conducts non-partisan research on issues of concern to student veterans. More at www.VeteransEducationSuccess.org.

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