Cindy is the Assistant Director of the Onondaga County Veteran Service Agency in Syracuse, New York. She earned a Paralegal degree from Central Texas College, European Campus and holds New York State certifications in Special Education Teaching Assistance, Foster Care Therapeutic Crisis Intervention, and Behavioral Management Support.
Cindy is recognized as one of the first non-veterans in New York State to hold dual congressionally accreditation from the New York Department of Veteran Services and the National Association of County Veteran Service Officer, Inc. These certifications and recognition helped paved the way for other non-veterans to pursue opportunities to help bridge critical gaps in veteran advocacy through innovative, non-traditional means.
She is a dedicated servant leader for multiple nonprofit organizations that directly impact military family readiness, quality of life challenges, and overall community engagement to include, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), The American Legion, Honor Flight Syracuse, and Wreaths Across America.
Cindy has been a military spouse for more than 30 years with experience spanning across enlisted, officer, Air Force, and National Guard communities. Her family has gone through seven PCSes across the globe and multiple combat deployments from the Gulf War to ongoing NATO Allied Assurance Operations. Now, her sons have followed in their father’s footsteps – both serving in the Air Force and living their own military journeys full of deployments and PCSes.
Military quality of life programs fuel her passion for advocacy. Cindy is a steadfast champion for National Guard families, elevating their stories to national levels and highlighting how the “part-time” forces live up to their mission of “Always Ready, Always There.”
She loves creating community partnerships that collectively contribute to the overall solutions allowing modern military families to not just survive, but thrive, in the community they plant their roots in temporarily or well into retirement.
Cindy enjoys traveling, experiencing new food and cultures, and spending time with her family.
