The Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) has announced a series of organizational changes and promotions, designed to best position the institute for continued growth and impact in the years ahead.
“In just three short years, the IVMF team has grown to over 30 professional staff members, all committed to our mission of advancing social and economic opportunity for the nation’s veterans and their families. Given this level of growth—and also an expanding need and opportunity across the veterans’ community—we recognized the need to realign our team in a way that meets the demands of our stakeholders, and also those of a growing organization,” says IVMF Executive Director J. Michael Haynie. “It is also important that we recognize and reward those team members who have contributed greatly to our success, with new challenges and responsibility—and the organizational changes we announce today accomplish that objective.”
Among the changes announced include the addition of Lowell Lustig as senior director for advancement and capital giving and the promotions of Ray Toenniessen to managing director of development and external relations, and Col. (Ret.) Jim McDonough to managing director of community engagement and innovation. In addition, Christine Tarnowski was appointed senior director of administrative operations; Dan Savage will join the community engagement and innovation team as senior director; Rosalinda Maury will assume the role of director of survey research; and Lyndy McLaughlin has been promoted to director of digital media and marketing.
In addition, IVMF co-founder James Schmeling becomes managing director of the institute’s programs mission, overseeing the merged business/industry-facing and veteran/family-focused programs group. “I’m excited to work with this unified and growing team to further develop our world-class programs, including our employer partnerships, newly expanded Boots to Business program, our entrepreneurship programs and our Veterans Career Transition Program‘s rapidly expanding team, which serves transitioning service members, veterans and spouses,” Schmeling says.
Additional changes and promotions impacting the IVMF’s programs mission area include the promotion of Dan Cohen to director of distance education programs and a new role for Tina Kapral as director of residency programs. Also joining the programs mission are Mirza Tihic as director of program support and Me’Shae Brooks-Rolling as director of special events and conferences.
