GOV. MALLOY, LT. GOV. WYMAN STATEMENTS ON APPOINTMENT OF COMMISSIONER LINDA SCHWARTZ TO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Dannel P. Malloy and Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman applauded Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Linda Schwartz on her nomination to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. If confirmed, Commissioner Schwartz will serve as the new Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Policy and Planning , a key administration position.

"I applaud President Obama on his nomination," said Governor Malloy. "For more than ten years, Commissioner Schwartz has been a strong and important voice for veterans in Connecticut, and she is an excellent choice to serve veterans on a national level. Her appointment is also a great loss for Connecticut. The Commissioner's integrity and her work on behalf of Connecticut's veterans and women veterans, and on the Governor's Veterans Cabinet has a critical impact on improving how the state delivers programs and services to our veterans and military service members. She has greatly improved the lives of our military men and women."

"I have known and worked with Commissioner Schwartz for a very long time and have witnessed her commitment and passion for countless veteran's issues first-hand," Lt. Governor Wyman said. "Connecticut has been fortunate to have her service and her patriotism, and I am confident that in her new role she will bring that same unmatched sense of caring to our nation's veterans."

Commissioner Linda Spoonster Schwartz, a retired U.S. Air Force nurse who served from 1968-1986, has led the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs since 2003. She is a member of the Governor's Veterans Cabinet, an in initiative launched by Governor Malloy in 2012 to improve delivery of services to veterans, and played a key role in the creation of veterans.ct.gov , a one-stop tool that links veterans and their families to other state and federal agencies offering services in areas such as employment and job training, health care and education.

Commissioner Schwartz is also the President of the Board of the Connecticut State Veterans Memorial , the state's first memorial honoring all Connecticut veterans. The Veterans Memorial is being constructed in Minuteman Park across from the William A. O'Neill State Armory in Hartford and will be a site for official observances, activities, and ceremonies that honor veterans.