Staff Directory List

Steven J. Combs serves as Chief Deputy Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS), where he supports the work of DVS Commissioner Chuck Zingler and the DVS team.

The son of an Air Force veteran, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia in 1990 and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. He served 10 years in the Air Force in operations and logistics, including a tour as a squadron commander at Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany. Other assignments took him to California, Korea, the United Kingdom, Germany, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Nevada.

Following his military service, he earned Masters' degrees in Business Administration and in Public Policy from the College of William & Mary.

He served as DVS Director of Policy & Planning from 2004–2015 and as Deputy Commissioner from 2015–2019. He also served as Acting DVS Commissioner from August 2019 to February 2020.

He and his wife Brigitte live in Hanover County. They have six adult children, including daughters who are Navy and Air Force veterans. He is a member of the Air Force Association, the American Legion, AMVETS, MOAA, and the VFW. He serves as the Vice President, Richmond for Old Dominion Honor Flight, on the Board of Directors of Families of the Wounded Fund, and as an Officer of Election in Hanover County. In his spare time, he enjoys travelling, reading, and the study of historic coast defense forts.