WOMEN VETERANS

VFW Names First Woman Veteran to Lead its National Legislative Efforts

VFW Life member and legislative advocacy expert says she’s ‘ready for the challenges the future holds’

WASHINGTON (March 18, 2025) — The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) is proud to announce the selection of the first woman veteran as director of the VFW’s National Legislative Service (NLS).

 

Kristina Keenan is a familiar and well-respected face on Capitol Hill. As a member of the NLS team since 2018, her tenacity and dedication have been proven time and again. Most notably, her advocacy efforts contributed greatly to the passing of the PACT Act — the largest expansion of veterans benefits since the Vietnam War. Her legislative victories also include passage of the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Location Act and the Alexander Lofgren Veterans in Parks (VIP) Act, among others.

 

Keenan has been recognized as one of the country’s top lobbyists by the National Institute of Lobbying and Ethics (NILE) and the Washington, D.C., publication, The Hill.

 

"It is an absolute honor to serve veterans and the VFW. I am thrilled to be the organization's next legislative director,” said Kristina Keenan. "I began my advocacy work with the VFW as a volunteer in 2016, focusing on women veteran issues and the Deborah Sampson Act. Two years later, I moved to Washington, D.C., to join the VFW's National Legislative Service. This journey has been incredible, especially being part of efforts over the past several years to advance toxic exposure legislation and the success of the PACT Act. I have learned so much from outstanding VFW leaders, and I hope to continue the organization's century-long legacy of legislative achievements.”

 

Keenan, a veteran of the Minnesota Army National Guard, earned her VFW eligibility during a 2003 deployment to Bosnia. Immediately following her deployment, she volunteered for a second deployment to Bosnia, working as a tactical human intelligence team leader with an allied military intelligence battalion. Keenan finished her military service in 2005, with the rank of sergeant.

 

Following her military service, Keenan completed a bachelor’s degree in political science at the American University of Paris in France and later earned a master’s in human rights and humanitarian action from the Institut d'études politiques de Paris (Paris Institute of Political Studies, commonly known as Sciences Po). Kristina completed a 10-month internship in 2008, at NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), in Mons, Belgium, where she was an intelligence analyst on counternarcotics issues in Afghanistan.

 

As director of NLS, Keenan’s responsibilities include the planning, coordination and implementation of the VFW’s national legislative agenda with members of Congress, their staff, and other federal departments, agencies and organizations. Her goal is to work with Congress to create and protect all programs and services provided by the federal government to veterans, service members and their families, and to help defeat proposals that are not beneficial to America’s veteran and military communities. This includes executing the VFW’s annual Priority Goals, as it pertains to budgets, education, employment, health care, benefits and capital infrastructure as well as working on The Independent Budget, which is a comprehensive budget recommendation and policy document created by veterans for veterans.

 

She says she is ready for the challenges the future holds for the VFW Washington Office. "Together, I know we can successfully push forward the legislative priorities that are so important to VFW members, while also working to strengthen the VA system and fight for policies that uphold the dignity and well-being of those who have sacrificed so much for our country.”

 

Keenan maintains her Life membership at VFW Post 605 in Paris, France — the oldest Post in Europe. She served two years as VFW Post Commander, and has held roles as VFW Department of Europe Chaplain, Student Veterans of America Chairwoman, and was a member of the National Women Veterans Advisory Committee.

 

For interview requests, Contact: Rob Couture, VFW Washington Office Director of Public Affairs & Strategic Outreach, 202.374.9998, RCouture@vfw.org.

 

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About the VFW: The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. is the nation's largest and oldest major war veterans organization. Founded in 1899, the congressionally chartered VFW is comprised entirely of eligible veterans and military service members from the active, Guard and Reserve forces. With more than 1.4 million VFW and Auxiliary members located in nearly 6,000 Posts worldwide, the nonprofit veterans service organization is proud to proclaim "NO ONE DOES MORE FOR VETERANS” than the VFW, which is dedicated to veterans’ service, legislative advocacy, and military and community service programs. For more information, or to join, visit our website at vfw.org.

 

 

The Palmetto State is home to more than 45,000 women veterans. Women Veterans are one of the fasting growing populations. According to the National Center for Veterans Analysis & Statistics, the women veteran population in South Carolina will continue to increase by 1% yearly for the next three years.

 Explore state and federal resources available to women Veterans

 

National Council of Administration Weekly Update

March 24, 2023

Membership

  • Thanks to a $5,000 grant from Comcast/NBCUniversal, we’re able to offer an additional year of annual membership to female veterans joining as members-at-large through the vfw.org/Join online application. When an application is filled out for a new member and they select an annual membership ($45) and indicate female, they will get a pop-up asking them if they would like to receive a second year of membership at no charge, sponsored by Comcast/NBCUniversal. The $5,000 grant will cover the cost for 111 new members, and the program runs until the grant money is exhausted. In the past, this usually occurred over a three-month period.
 
 
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Reproductive Health message

Dan West Mon, Nov 7, 2022 at 6:06 PM

My fellow war veterans,
As we all know veterans have earned VA care at the price of our time in service. Unfortunately, not all care is distributed equally. Our women veterans still see a disparity when accessing their earned health care. We continue to see that disparity although we have moved forward in so many positive ways to include women veteran healthcare access.
 
After the Supreme Court decision on Dobbs, we are reminded that there is still work to be done. Some of our women comrades are concerned with facing limitations in access to care and certain treatments that they are due to receive – even though the VA and Defense secretaries have tried to clarify that reproductive care standards remain unchanged.
This puts women veterans at a great loss if they cannot utilize the healthcare they have worked hard to obtain. There should not be a hesitation over whether VA is going to provide a service rather than a conversation of which services will be most effective for the veteran. We as an organization owe it to our fellow comrades to ensure they have support when it is needed the most.
 
If you have a woman veteran who is having trouble receiving care, VFW National Veterans Service has two women veterans on our team that you can direct them to contact. We have also included a Reproductive Health: VA & DOD Fact Sheet that you can share with veterans that provides helpful information also.
 
Thank you for your attention on this matter affecting our comrades.   
 
National Veteran Services
202-543-2239
Marion H. Fera
Health Consultant
National Veterans Service
Office: (202) 608-8349
Email: mfera@vfw.org
 
Meggan K. Thomas, MPH
Special Assistant for Veteran Health Policy
Office: (202) 608-8364
Email: mthomas@vfw.org
 
Dan West
Adjutant General
Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States
406 W. 34th Street
Kansas City, Missouri 64111
816.968.1110
www.vfw.org
 
Join at www.vfw.org/join/eligibility
 
The following information contains reproductive health facts and guidelines determined by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense.