The Veterans Consortium (TVC) is pleased to announce the newly elected members of the Executive Board.  The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) has joined TVC as a Member Organization and has designated Mr. John Muckelbauer, Esq. as its representative director on the Board.  In addition, Ms. Aniela Szymanski, Esq. has been elected as an independent director.  Both Mr. Muckelbauer and Ms. Szymanski will join the Board effective immediately. As directors, they will be responsible for guiding TVC, enabling and enhancing the success of the mission, and monitoring the activities and impact of the organization.

TVC warmly welcomes John Muckelbauer and Aniela Szymanski. They are joining a dedicated team of advocates who share the same values and commitment to veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors. We are very fortunate to have them both join forces with us to ensure that our nation's defenders receive the care, benefits and compensation they were promised and the best legal services, free of charge, to meet their challenges.

John Muckelbauer currently serves as General Counsel for the VFW, which is a nonprofit veterans service organization (VSO) comprised of eligible veterans and military service members from the active, guard and reserve forces.  VFW is the nation's oldest war veterans' organization which advocates for justice for our nation's veterans, service members and military families.  VFW lobbies on behalf of veterans to ensure health care and disability needs are met, and that education and employment assistance are available to help them return to civilian life. John is a combat veteran who served ten years in the U.S. Marine Corps, including a deployment to serve in Operation Desert Storm in 1990, as part of a light armored reconnaissance unit.

Aniela Szymanski currently serves as the Senior Director for Legal Affairs and Military Policy at Veterans Education Success. Veterans Education Success works on a bipartisan basis to advance higher education for veterans, service members, and military families.  Aniela Szymanski has practiced in the field of veterans law since she left active duty with the U.S. Marine Corps in 2009.  Since that time, she has clerked at the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, practiced veterans' law at a law firm, and been a Professor at William & Mary Law School, where she taught veterans benefits law. Prior to joining Veterans Education Success, Ms. Szymanski was the Civil Affairs Officer for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves and Director of Veterans and Survivor Services at Military Officers Association of America.  Ms. Szymanski is a former member of our TVC National Volunteer Corps, having had successful outcomes for all three of the clients she represented. She continues to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve as a Judge Advocate.

"On behalf of the TVC Executive Board, we are excited that the VFW has decided to join TVC and are looking forward to having the benefit of their viewpoint as one of the preeminent veterans' advocacy groups in the nation.  I also want to express our gratitude to John and Aniela for volunteering for this duty.  They each bring a unique perspective and background that will be a great asset to the current board dynamic," William S. Foster, Jr., Chairman, TVC Executive Board. "We look forward to working with them to further the critical mission of TVC."

The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program (TVC) is the leading national 501(c)(3) charity providing free legal services in federal venues for veterans in need. TVC operates a global federal Veterans Pro Bono Program on behalf of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims to represent pro se veterans denied care, benefits, or compensation earned from military service.  Our TVC National Volunteer Corps? attorneys also litigate cases that are appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court.  Our TVC Discharge Upgrade Program? represents service men and women before military Discharge Review Boards and Boards of Correction for Military Records.

For more information about TVC, how to get involved, how to support the organization and our national outreach initiatives associated with the federal Veterans Pro Bono Program please visit our website, www.vetsprobono.org or contact TVC via email at outreach@vetsprobono.org.