Are you interested in hearing about the work that the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) does on a daily basis?
For the next Vet Connect Seminar Series at The War Memorial, we are excited to welcome Brian Love, MVAA director. Love will present on the work that MVAA does, what services are offered to veterans, and more.
The free seminar is planned for Thursday, September 12, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
The Veterans Committee has a goal to offer more initiatives and programs for veterans. From family events to seminars that are pertinent to those who have honorably served our country, The War Memorial is eager to give back to our veterans!
Interested in getting involved? If you would like to sponsor an educational seminar or event for veterans at The War Memorial that focuses on relevant topics for those who have served, please contact the Development department at mhanoian@warmemorial.org or 313.332.4026. Opportunities for company logo placement and remarks are available.
Schedule
8:30am: Guest arrival to the Alger Center
9am: Seminar begins
10:30am: Seminar ends
Registration
The event is free, but registration is required. Please register at the button below.
About Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency
Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency is the central coordinating agency, providing support, care, advocacy, and service to veterans and their families. The agency was created by Executive Order 2013-2 and began operations on March 20, 2013, the 10th anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The MVAA is a state government agency and is housed within Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. The agency works to identify and break down barriers veterans face in employment, education, health care, and quality of life, making Michigan a great place for veterans and their families to call home. Unlike the federal Department of Veterans Affairs, which provides health care, educational, compensation, and pension benefits, and more, the MVAA assists veterans and their families by connecting them to their federal resources and benefits, as well as those state benefits they have earned. The agency does this by working with various state departments and agencies, as well as hundreds of community-based veteran programs to create a no-wrong-door access to benefits and services. Services provided by the MVAA include:
The Michigan Veteran Resource Service Center (800-MICH-VET) and Michigan.gov/MVAA website provide one-stop access for veterans and their families seeking information, resources, and staff support. The Michigan Veterans Trust Fund assists wartime-era veterans experiencing unforeseen financial hardship through its Emergency Grant Program. MVAA's Discharge Document Retrieval Service provides veterans copies of DD-214 discharge documents.
MVAA's Vision:
For Michigan to be the place veterans choose to live, raise a family, work, and retire.
About Director Brian Love
Brian L. Love, a Marine Corps veteran with extensive experience in veteran advocacy, education reform and political strategy, became director of the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency on Oct. 31, 2023. He was appointed to the position by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Director Love previously worked as director of community outreach at Education Trust-Midwest, a nonprofit organization that works to advance educational excellence and equity for Michigan students.
Born and raised in Detroit, he enlisted in the Marine Corps and served in the infantry from 1986-90, prior to the Gulf War. His family has been active in the Marines since World War II, when African Americans were first allowed to serve in the Corps. Over the years, he has continued to advocate for veterans as they acclimate to today’s world.
Director Love has been in professional politics for nearly twenty years. His love for politics comes from the passion he learned from his professors at Morehouse College as a political science major. His focus began by conducting political campaigns on the local, state, and federal levels in Michigan. He has also managed and implemented community outreach operations for several Michigan legislators.
After working for the Michigan Democratic Party as a political director and base vote director during the 2004 presidential campaign, he began running constituent outreach programs for local campaigns for Michigan state representatives and state senators.
This experience led him to become the urban/external affairs director for the Michigan House of Representatives in 2007. Beginning in late 2010, he spent a year consulting on local campaigns and enjoying time with his family. In 2012, he became campaign manager for U.S. Rep. Gary Peters. Following that victory, he became the lobbyist/outreach director for Students First Michigan, a national education reform organization.
He is the former public affairs director for the Greater Detroit Area Health Council and education blogger for Education Post.
Director Love lives in Redford Township and is married to his high school sweetheart, Lonita. They are the proud parents of a son, Jamario, and a daughter, Tori.