The Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University (IVMF) has announced the appointment of Daniel Savage as chief of staff. In this role, Savage will assume responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the institute, to include financial management, grant administration and oversight of all administrative processes impacting IVMF operations. As a member of IVMF’s senior leadership team, he will also play a role in the development and execution of the institute’s strategic policies and programs.
“It is a pleasure to welcome Dan to the IVMF team. He will play a critical role as we further expand our programming and take on new collaborations, projects and initiatives focused on serving our nation’s veterans and military families,” says Mike Haynie, IVMF executive director and founder. “Dan is a combat veteran and a passionate advocate for our veterans. Given his military experience and passion for our mission, when combined with his policy expertise focused on veterans’ issues and resources, he is a perfect fit to serve as the IVMF’s first chief of staff.”
A veteran of the U.S. Army, Savage is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and served for five years as an infantry officer. After completing infantry, airborne and Ranger training, he led a 46-man Stryker rifle platoon through eight months of training and a 15-month deployment to Iraq. In Baghdad, Savage led his platoon on nearly 300 combat missions during “the Surge,” including the three-month Battle of Sadr City, and was awarded the Bronze Star for his leadership. Upon redeployment, he served as an operations officer at the headquarters of Army Central Command, where he participated in multinational training exercises in Egypt and Kuwait.
After separating from the military in 2010, Savage enrolled in the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University to begin graduate studies in the area of public policy. During the course of his studies at Harvard, Savage also served on the staff of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel as a mayoral fellow, conducting policy research and analysis for mayoral senior staff and working with several Chicago veterans services organizations to develop their vision and strategy. Throughout his graduate education, Savage conducted research on veterans’ issues in both Chicago and Massachusetts, mapping the network of service providers to identify gaps and inefficiencies; the resulting report continues to serve as a resource guide for many of Chicago’s service providers. Savage also serves as a fellow with the New Leaders Council and an associate fellow with the Truman National Security Project.
