WASHINGTON, DC – As part of the Trump Administrations purge, according to the Military Times, Veterans Affairs leaders dismissed directors from the Center for Women Veterans and the Center for Minority Veterans this last week.
As mentioned by the story, among those who lost their job due to staffing changes was an Air Force veteran, Lourdes Tiaglao, who was the department’s main advisor concerning women veteran issues since 2021.
Another veteran who served in the Navy, James Albino, was dismissed, having dealt with internal advocacy for minority veterans.
Military Times added, “Both were relieved of their duties without explanation.”
A farewell message from Tiaglao in the Military Times stated she was “grateful for the opportunity to serve and praised VA employees’ “unwavering commitment to support and meet the needs of our nation’s women veterans.”
According to the Military Times, “Biden did not appoint new directors for the offices until several months into his presidency. The dismissals under the new administration took place just nine days after Trump’s inauguration – and before a new VA secretary was confirmed by the Senate.
“Officials said the dismissals were not related to efforts to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs across government agencies. They also said current plans call for the work of both offices to continue under acting leadership until permanent replacements can be named.”
Military Times said Debra Walker, Center for Minority Veterans Deputy, would be the acting director of that office, and Lynda Davis as current acting director of the Center for Women Veterans.
Established in 1994, the Center for Women Veterans, said Military Times, advocates for “improved outcomes and access to VA benefits, services, and opportunities for women veterans. Women veterans make up about 12 percent of the total U.S. veterans population and are expected to continue to grow as a percentage over the next decade.”
Military Times added the Center was launched 30 years ago, and cited its “focus on conducting outreach activities to promote the awareness and use of VA benefits and services” for minority vets. About one in four veterans in America belong to a minority racial group, and that number is expected to rise to about one in three over the next 20 years.”
As outlined by the Military Times, and announced by VA officials, 60 employees have been placed on administrative leave, unaware of the status of their future employment following Trump’s executive order that bans all equity and inclusion programs in the federal government.
