A better-timed retention tool
GI Bill transferability was created as a retention incentive. This explainer makes the case for change on those terms, using the 2015 compensation commission's map of where military careers are won and lost.
I turn complicated policy into stories and data that congressional staff, coalition partners, and members rely on.
This is where I keep a record of my work and occasionally talk about workflow and process improvement. I love to learn, so I'm always looking for ways to improve, and I enjoy sharing what I find with others.
Policy
Making duty status make sense
Before: About 29 duty statuses After: Four proposed categories
One explanation had to work for an experienced officer and for a new intern in a lawmaker's office. I scoped a tool that shows how the current system works, then how much simpler the proposed reform would be.
Relationships
Who I work with
Committee staff, member offices, agency officials, coalition partners, and media on military and veterans policy.
Congress
- Senate Armed Services Committee staff
- House Veterans' Affairs Committee staff
- Senate HELP Committee staff
- Member offices
Agencies
- Department of Veterans Affairs, Central Office
- Department of the Air Force, Legislative Liaison
Coalition
- The Military Coalition: co-chair, Retired Affairs and Awards committees
- Partner organizations across The Military Coalition and beyond
Media
- Press releases
- Press conferences
How I work with them
- Prepare
- Before a Senate Armed Services staff meeting, I mapped each item to the majority and minority staff who owned it.
- Explain
- I shared the Duty Status Explorer with Hill staff. It helped them understand a complex issue and run it up their chain.
- Align
- For that meeting, coalition colleagues and I assigned talking points and presented a unified front.
- Inform
- I prepare statements for the record for committee hearings, such as one for a House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Health legislative hearing in January 2026.
- Coordinate
- I work with member offices to coordinate statements of support for legislation. Recent examples: the MISSION Rx Act (May 2026), the Written Informed Consent Act (August 2025), and the Health Care Fairness for Military Families Act (July 2025).
- Amplify
- I work with media on press releases and press conferences.
- Follow up
- I flag staff responses on individual issues, so follow-ups are easier to track.
Member advocacy
Who do I call?
Before: Unsure how to start After: A meeting with a district office
For Legislative Awareness Week 2026, I gave chapters one place to find their officials, reach out, and keep the relationship going. One chapter that wasn't sure how to start used it and met with its district office.
AI and efficiency
Checks at every stage
For our Legislative Awareness Week videos, I set up the prompt so I could check at every stage that my vision came through. My review caught zooms cutting off key text, harsh sound, and white lines glitching in a scene.
- Storyboards
- Footage log
- Paper edit: stop for my approval
- Draft: stop for my notes
- Final checks
Coalition work
One matrix for the NDAA
I built a matrix for myself to track the complicated NDAA process, from preparation through a coalition meeting with committee staff and follow-up. Next, I'll bring coalition members into it.
Latest work
October 2026 · Website
Chapter toolkit
October 2026 · Web page
Legislative record in before-and-after redlines
2026 · Animation
Legislative Awareness Week animation
About
I've been a Legislative Policy Advisor at the Air Force Sergeants Association since May 2023. I also co-chair the Retired Affairs and Awards committees of The Military Coalition.
I hold a BA in Political Science from the University of Delaware and completed Georgetown's Government Affairs Institute.
Outside of work, you'll find me on the golf course, out on a hiking trail with my camera, or in the kitchen cooking. I also build my own computers. Whatever the project, I like learning how things work and getting a little better each time.
Contact
I'm glad to talk through any of this work.