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Roanoke Regional Office

Meet Our Leadership Team

 

RO Director

Director: Bruce Voigt

Bruce Voigt was appointed Executive Director of the Roanoke Regional Office in September 2022. As Executive Director, he is responsible for administering VA benefits to more than 780,000 Veterans and their families living in Virginia. These services total approximately $410 million in monthly benefits payments. He supports over 2,800 participants in the Veteran Readiness and Employment Program, assisting them in overcoming barriers to employment and securing independence in their daily living. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Voigt served as Director of the Des Moines Regional Office, Mr. Voigt was responsible for administering VA benefits to 42,000 Veterans and their families living in Iowa’s 99 counties. During this time, he was also detailed as Director of Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) Service. In this role, Mr. Voigt was responsible for overseeing the delivery of VR&E services for Veterans with service-connected disabilities to prepare for, find, and maintain suitable careers, or obtain independence in daily living. He led operations employing approximately 1,400 employees located at over 350 VBA locations including 56 Regional Offices, approximately 142 out-based offices, 70 Integrated Disability Evaluation Systems (IDES) installations, and 104 VetSuccess on Campus (VSOC) sites.

RO Assistant Dir

Assistant Director: William (Bill) R. Barksdale III

Bill Barksdale currently serves as the Assistant Director at the Roanoke Regional Office. He assists the Executive Director in the administration of benefits to over 780,000 Virginia Veterans and works with over 560 fellow employees dedicated to serving Veterans and their families. He has been with the Department of Veterans Affairs since August 1991. He began his career as a Veterans Claims Examiner serving in this capacity until 1993. In January 1993, he became a Veterans Benefits Counselor, until becoming the Supervisor/Coach of the Veteran Services Support Team (Now the Public Contact Team) in March 1999. He served in this capacity until October 2009, when he was promoted to Assistant Veterans Service Center Manager (AVSCM). Bill then served as an AVSCM until his promotion to VSCM in April 2020. Bill served as the VSCM until his promotion to Assistant Director in August 2020.

Bill is a 1991 graduate of Bridgewater College and received an Advanced Certificate in Professional Public Management from Old Dominion University in 2002. He currently lives in Roanoke with his wife and enjoys playing golf and shooting basketball. Bill and his wife have two adult daughters. Bill is a member of the Leadership VA class of 2011 and is a 2017 graduate of the Aspiring Senior Leaders Practicum

VSCM

Veterans Service Center Manager: Joeseph (Joe) J. Szvetitz IV

Joe Szvetitz was selected Veterans Service Center Manager (VSCM) at the Roanoke Regional Office in August 2023. As VSCM, he provides leadership to 491 employees who serve the more than 671,000 Veterans in the state of Virginia. The Roanoke VSC provides over $5.8 Billion in annual compensation benefits to veterans and their families in the state of Virginia. Joe has been with the Department of Veterans Affairs since July 1999. Prior to his arrival in Roanoke, Joe has served on multiple national details including the Acting VSCM for the Jackson MS Regional Office. He spent most of his career in the Winston-Salem Regional Office and for the last 14 years as an Assistant Veterans Service Center Manager (AVSCM). During his time as an AVSCM, Joe was responsible for all facets Winston-Salem VSC, which is of the third largest in the country. Joe is a 1999 graduate of Catawba College in Salisbury, NC with a BA in Business.  He also holds a Master’s Degree from Liberty University in Human Relations. 

VREO

Veteran Readiness and Employment Officer (VR&E) Officer Trina Brown

Ms. Trina Brown started her career in counseling within the private sector and with the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services. She has been with the Department of Veterans Affairs since February 1999. She began her career as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor in the Hampton out based office providing vocational/education counseling to disabled Veterans in the Chapter 31 program. In May 2007, Ms. Brown was promoted to the first Supervisory Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor in the Division and was responsible for the Hampton and Norfolk out based offices in addition to serving as Acting Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment Officer in the absence of her Division Chief. Following the completion of VBA’s Leadership Development Program (LDP) in 2009, she was promoted to an Outreach Coordinator position with VR&E Service in Central Office, Washington DC. In 2010 Ms. Brown returned to the Roanoke Regional office as the Assistant VR&E Officer. On June 6, 2021, Ms. Brown was promoted to the Veteran Readiness and Employment Officer for the Roanoke Regional Office.

Ms. Brown earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from James Madison University in 1991 and a Master of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1994. She is also a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC). Ms. Brown is a native of Hampton, VA and currently enjoys traveling, reading, and music lover. She is also an amateur cyclist with a goal of completing a century bike ride by the end of 2021.

 

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