Linda Schwartz Goes to Washington: WATCH OUT NOW YOU BUREAUCRATS!

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Dr. Linda Spoonster Schwartz – Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Policy and Planning, Department of Veterans Affairs

President Obama said, “These dedicated individuals bring a wealth of experience and talent to their new roles and I am proud to have them serve in this Administration.  I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come.”

 Linda Spoonster Schwartz, Nominee for Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Policy and Planning, Department of Veterans Affairs

Linda Schwartz, a disabled veteran, is Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs, a position she has held since 2003.  She concurrently serves as an Associate Clinical Professor of Nursing at the Yale School of Nursing, where she has been on Faculty since 1999 and was appointed Associate Research Scientist and Scholar.  From 1980 to 1993, she taught at several University and College Schools of Nursing and held leadership roles in Nursing organizations in Connecticut. 

 From 1979 to 1980, she was a caseworker in the Office of the Field Director of the American Red Cross at Rhein-Main Air Base in Germany.  Dr. Schwartz served in the United States Air Force (USAF) Nurse Corps from 1968 to 1986, both on Active Duty and as a Reservist.  She retired as a Flight Nurse Instructor, with the rank of Major after sustaining injuries in a USAF Air Craft accident.  In 2001, she served on the Board of Directors of the American Nurses Association and was elected to the American Academy of Nursing.  From 1996 to 2000, she served as a Member and Chair of the VA Advisory Committee on Women Veterans.  She also previously served as President of the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs.

She received a B.S. from the University of Maryland, an MSN from Yale University School of Nursing, and a Dr.P.H from the Yale University School of Medicine.