Dr. Colleen Ewing Joins Virginia Department of Veterans Services, Named Director of Virginia Veteran and Family Support Program
Colleen A. Ewing, PhD, has joined the Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS) as Director of the Virginia Veteran and Family Support (VVFS) Program. Dr. Ewing most recently served for ten years as a licensed clinical psychologist and as an executive assistant to Mr. John A. Brandecker, MBA, MPH, medical center director, at the Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center in Richmond, Virginia.
The Virginia Veteran and Family Support Program operates statewide and provides outreach, connections and assistance to veterans and their families as they address the challenges of military service, deployments, transition from active duty, homelessness, post-traumatic stress and other behavioral health concerns as well as traumatic brain injuries and physical injuries.
“We are extremely pleased to have such a recognized professional and experienced leader in the care of veterans as Dr. Ewing to lead our VVFS Program,” said John L. Newby II, DVS Commissioner. “We look forward to working with her in continuing this vital mission of assisting our Virginia veterans, Guardsman, Reservists and their families.”
A native of Richmond, Dr. Ewing is a member of a military family as her father served in the U.S. Air Force and brother served in the U.S. Army. Dr. Ewing received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University, a master’s degree in General Psychology from Virginia State University, and a master’s degree and doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from Oklahoma State University. She completed a Clinical Psychology internship at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and a post-doctoral fellowship in Neuropsychology at the New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center.
Commissioner Newby noted that from the time Dr. Ewing began her training to become a psychologist to the present, she has worked with veterans, members of the Armed Forces Reserves, the National Guard, and their family members/caregivers. Her first experience working with a veteran population was as an intern at the Oklahoma City VA Medical Center. Dr. Ewing continued to care for veterans, members of the military and their families at a children’s hospital and community service board prior to joining the McGuire VA Medical Center.
“I have found serving veterans, active military and their family members in a clinical position a very rewarding experience,” Dr. Ewing said. “I am looking forward to transitioning to a leadership role as VVFS Director where I can have an impact on the lives of veterans, military members and their families across the broad spectrum of service areas that VVFS provides.”
About VDVS
The Virginia Department of Veterans Services (VDVS) operates 30 benefit offices throughout the state that assist military veterans and their families in filing claims for federal veterans benefits; two long-term care facilities offering in-patient skilled nursing, Alzheimer’s/memory care, and short-term rehabilitation for veterans; and three cemeteries that provide an honored final resting place for veterans and their families. VDVS provides veterans and family members with direct linkages to services including behavioral healthcare, housing, employment, education and other programs. The Department also operates the Virginia War Memorial, the Commonwealth’s monument to honor the memory and sacrifice of Virginia’s men and women who served and fought to defend our way of life from World War II to the present. For more information, please visit www.dvs.virginia.gov.