Registration

Event Description

The Veteran Funders Group's second quarterly meeting of 2024, taking place during Pride Month, will focus on the current priorities, policy issues, and pressing needs impacting veterans who identify as LGBTQ+. The VFG will be joined by leaders of organizations working closely with and serving LGBTQ+ veterans: Rachel Branaman, Executive Director of the Modern Military Association of America and Brian Jenkins, Executive Director of Armed Services Arts Partnership. Attendees will also hear from a local veteran with lived experience, Jonathan Willett, Housing Coordinator for Senior Services with the Los Angeles LGBT Center, who also facilitates support groups for LGBTQ+ veterans ages 50 and older.

The meeting agenda will also include some time for member sharing and discussion, updates on LA County public-private partnerships impacting veterans and military families, and exciting events on the horizon. The VFG will also be welcoming back Nate Graeser, SCG's Veterans Initiative consultant, who recently returned from his overseas deployment with the U.S. Army over the past year. 

This meeting is open to current SCG members. If you have any questions, please contact Jessica LeTarte. 
 

About the SCG Veteran Funders Group

The SCG Veteran Funders Group focuses on members’ response efforts in relation to veterans and military families, trends and challenges our nonprofit partners are facing, and opportunities for philanthropy to take a strategic role in our region’s veteran space in the months and years to come. 

Speakers

Profile photo of Rachel Branaman

Rachel Branaman

Executive Director, Modern Military Association of America

Rachel joined MMAA in May 2023. Before MMAA, she was the interim development director for Turtle Survival Alliance and National Women’s Health Network. She is a nonprofit executive and professional fundraiser with 20+ years of experience in nonprofit operations, fundraising, leadership and board development, strategic planning, program development, evaluation, and needs assessment.

Rachel is also the founder and principal consultant of Talem Consulting, a national, full-service diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ), woman-owned firm that provides nonprofits the tools they need to build capacity, fundraise, and dismantle systems of inequity. Previously, she served as executive director of Alley’s House and in development roles at the Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Jewish Community Center of Dallas, Dallas Heritage Village, and Dallas Children’s Museum. She served as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Namibia from 2009-2011.

She is an alum of Austin College with a BA in French, Regis University with a Master’s in Nonprofit Management, and Leadership Texas’ program for women leaders. She currently serves as a board member of the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU). Her community work includes state and national advocacy efforts around healthcare, reproductive care, national/international civil rights policies, and Peace Corps reform.
Brian speaking on stage into a handheld microphone.

Brian Jenkins

Executive Director, Armed Services Arts Partnership

Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2024 as an innovative leader shaping the future, Brian Jenkins is the Executive Director of the Armed Services Arts Partnership, or ASAP. Brian began leading ASAP at age 24 and has grown the organization from a small start-up to the nation’s largest military-arts organization. Beyond Forbes, his work has also been covered by national media like The Washington Post and Good Morning America.
Tan skinned male with short salt and pepper hair and short beard smiling wearing a navy blue collared shirt

Jonathan Willett

Senior Services Housing Navigator, Los Angeles LGBT Center

Jonathan Willett is a veteran of the United States Air Force. He was discharged from the service when the military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy was in effect. In his work with the LA LGBT Center, Jonathan facilitates support groups and other community-based services including housing for older/senior veterans (age 50+). Jonathan is also a strong advocate for the discharge upgrades for veterans discharged during Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

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