Governor Ivy Announces New Veterans Affairs Board Members
Statement comes after controversial restructuring of Board into advisory role
Governor Kay Ivey has announced the newly restructured Alabama State Board of Veterans Affairs (SBVA), which supporters claim is a significant step forward to enhance support for Alabama’s Veteran community. The move, however, comes in the wake of a controversial leadership change and legislative overhaul that has drawn criticism from some Veterans’ advocates. The announcement was made by a statement from the Governor’s office on Friday, May 30.
"In Alabama, we proudly support the men and women who wore the uniform to fight for our freedoms," Governor Ivey said in the statement. "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. 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 new SBVA includes veterans from across military branches and organizations. New appointments are noted with an asterisk(*):
- 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, Veterans of Foreign Wars
- Robert Schmidbauer, Veterans of Foreign Wars*
- Michael Davis, Vietnam Veterans of America*
- Colonel (Ret.) Lori Rasmussen, At Large, U.S. Air Force*
Governor Ivey, by virtue of her office, also sits on the board.
The appointments follow the passage of Senate Bill 67 (SB67) during the 2025 legislative session. Sponsored by Sen. Andrew Jones (R-Centre) and Rep. Ed Oliver (R-Dadeville), the bill reclassified the SBVA as an advisory body and gave the Governor the authority to appoint the Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs. This marked a significant departure from the previous process, in which the Board itself selected the Commissioner.
The change sparked backlash earlier this year when Gov. Ivey abruptly dismissed then-Commissioner Kent Davis after the Board voted unanimously to retain him, invoking the “supreme executive power” of her office to do so. According to reporting by the Associated Press, the Board’s chair described Ivey’s decision as “unprecedented” and contrary to the statutory process in place at the time. Davis, a retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral who had served as Commissioner since 2019, was known for expanding Veterans' Homes and workforce initiatives. His removal came as a shock to many within the veteran community.
Critics of SB67 accused the Governor’s office of overreach. “We acknowledge that commissioner should serve as part of the Governor’s cabinet, but the Board was created to provide checks and balances to ensure fair representation for all veterans’ organizations. Under HB154 (the House version of SB67) the Board is reduced to a mere advisory role, stripping it of their ability to oversee budgets, policies, and key decisions about veterans.”” said Willie Rogers, Commander of the American Legion Department of Alabama.
Despite these objections, the bill passed and was signed into law by Ivey on March 18. Ivey then appointed Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Jeffrey Newton as the new Commissioner.
The Governor's office maintains the changes were necessary to align the Department of Veterans Affairs with the structure of other State agencies, and allow for greater executive oversight and accountability.
More information on the Board's restructuring is available at the Governor’s website.
