News
Romney names Smith to a military committee
Scott Wagar
10/30/2012
Pamela Smith has been named to Mitt Romney’s Military Family Advisors committee and will serve Romney in a number of ways in supporting the nation’s military service members, their families and veterans.
“I was nominated by Leslye Arsht, former Undersecretary of Defense for Community and Family Policy. Leslye and I worked together at the Pentagon before I moved back to Bottineau. I ran her Military Spouse Employment program,” Smith said. “During my time at the Pentagon I piloted an educational program called MyCareer Advancement Account (MyCAA) with the Department of Labor. The success of that program led to federal legislation and funding. The program pays for up to $2000 a year for military spouses to receive a license or certification. Dakota College of Bottineau is one of the participating schools in the MyCAA program.”
Romney chose Smith for this committee because of her extensive work with military families for close to two decades.
“I was chosen to be on Mitt Romney’s Military Family Advisors committee because of my first-hand knowledge and my career experience of understanding the issues military families face. I’ve worked almost 20 years on military family programs ranging from child care, special education, spouse employment and veterans support at the local or operational level all the way to the policy development level,” Smith said. “Likewise, I was a military and veteran spouse for 17 years to George Smith, a retired Army Major who died in 2009. Both as a military spouse and then a federal civilian who worked on overseas installations, I saw first-hand, the unique needs, challenges and opportunities my children and family had as well as those I served through the programs I worked.”
Smith started her work with military families back in 1992 in Japan.
“Initially, I started my career as a military spouse myself. My first paying job was as the Early Intervention Program Coordinator in Okinawa, Japan. I set up the very first birth to three early intervention programs overseas. From there, I managed the Army Family Childcare program for all the army installations in Europe, and then went on to work for General Chuck Wald, an NDSU alum, at Headquarters European Command as his Quality of Life Branch chief,” Smith said. “Upon returning to Washington, D.C., I worked for Headquarters Army as their Family Programs Strategic Integration chief and ended my federal civilian employment at the Pentagon working for the Military Community and Family Policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Currently, and 20 years later, I worked for a contractor and provide program support to the same Military Community and Family Office.”
If Romney is elected the president of the United States on Nov. 6, Smith and the seven other committee members will have the opportunity to place input into policy and staffing in the Romney administration.
If Romney is elected president, Smith will still serve under Romney with this committee because it is a virtual advisory committee.
Smith stated that she is pleased for Romney nomination of her on his Military Family Advisors committee.
“During my military career experience and as a citizen of this country, I’ve witnessed the sacrifices our wonderful all-volunteer force make and understand that their families have even more challenges than the typical American family. I have always been honored to be able to be a part of the larger military family through both my work and my life; and now I am extremely humbled to be asked by Mitt Romney to be one of his Military Family Advisors.”