CW04 Lelia P. Jackson, USMC (Ret), is playing a vital role in the VA’s efforts to become a more accommodating organization to women veterans.

After serving as a fellow in the White House Leadership Development Program in 2018-19, the MOAA board member became director of the Assault and Harassment Prevention Office in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). She was tasked to improve an organization under scrutiny at that time from Congress due to research indicating 25% of women veterans reporting inappropriate/unwanted comments or behavior by male veterans on VA grounds.

Three years later, Jackson has rewritten policy, established procedures to make it easier to report sexual harassment, addressed gaps in training for employees and veterans, and oversaw the production of anti-harassment infomercials that have been aired in 80 VA facilities. That dedication earned her the 2023 AMSUS (Society of Federal Health Professionals) Management and Administration Award.

According to the AMSUS website, the award is given to individuals who have made “conspicuously outstanding contributions in management and administration to include areas of healthcare administration, information management, resource management and logistics, and demonstrated superior leadership while serving in the federal healthcare system.”

“I was honored to be selected because I know there are a lot of people who have done major things in VHA,” Jackson said. “We have people who have invented things and won some major achievements in public service.”

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Since starting in the Marine Corps in 1983, Jackson has shown an aptitude in getting things done. While she was often the only woman in her Marine Corps unit, Jackson said she was always given the opportunity to lead while serving on inspections and process improvement teams. This has carried over into her civilian life, with each position helping her to prepare for her next responsibility.

Dr. Oladipo Kukoyi, executive director of the Birmingham VA Health Care System, is not surprised with Jackson’s recent accolade. As an example of her abilities to work well with others, Kukoyi cited Jackson’s role in pairing service dogs with servicemembers with PTSD and other mental health issues while working at the VHA’s Office of Community Engagement Center for Compassionate Care Innovation.

“Lelia gets to do jobs at the VA that no one has done before because no one else has been able to do it,” said Kukoyi, who met Jackson at the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville six years ago. “And she figures out a way to make it happen.”

VA colleague Dr. Karen Ott, who teamed with Jackson in her current role, echoed Kukoyi’s sentiments.

“She has a force field around her, and that generates a lot of excitement,” said Ott, director of Policy, Legislation, and Professional Standards in the VA’s Office of Nursing. “She dedicates herself to veterans’ needs all the time, and she’s so enthusiastic about the VA’s mission that she lives it on a daily basis.”