Kristina Keenan Named First Woman to Lead Legislative Advocacy at Veterans of Foreign Wars

Keenan brings substantial experience in both Washington and the VFW, where she has served since 2018 in NLS communications and legislative roles. Her efforts were instrumental in the passage of the 2022 Honoring Our PACT Act, a landmark law that expands health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxins. For three consecutive years, she has been named one of the nation’s top lobbyists by the National Institute of Lobbying and Ethics and The Hill.

It was in Paris that Keenan’s work in veteran advocacy took shape. At AUP, she helped launch the first European chapter of Student Veterans of America, was introduced to the Paris chapter of the VFW by political science professor–and Vietnam veteran–Steven Ekovich. Keenan was quickly recruited and, meanwhile, discovered a longstanding American expatriate veterans' community, dating back to soldiers who stayed after World Wars I and II and built lives in Paris. “We often think of American artists and writers and inventors coming to France,” she says. “But veterans who came and fought during these wars stayed in France and got educated, married.”

Changing misperceptions of who veterans are, is personal to Keenan, especially as a woman. “There’s a lot of assumptions about what a veteran looks like. I don't think I fit the mold, even though I was in uniform,” she says. When wearing her military hat and ribbons, she’s often asked if it was her father or husband who served. “I served, and my mom served,” she answers.

As of 2021, women made up 17.3% of the active-duty force (U.S. Department of Defense), and that number continues to grow. Yet, women veterans use VA services at much lower rates than their male counterparts. “Part of our work is letting underserved veterans know about their benefits,” Keenan says. “And women make up a large part of that. It’s about creating equity for all people who serve in the military.”

Keenan’s appointment comes at a moment of significant transition in Washington and challenges facing agencies like the VA. But adaptive leadership is second nature to her. “It’s not a new thing to deal with a new set of parameters,” she says, noting that Congress changes every two years and presidential administrations every four. “I'm excited to continue to pass laws.” In addition to sweeping, headline-making reforms, she’s equally committed to “low-cost, incremental changes that impact people’s lives.” Her top priorities include supporting veterans’ mental health, reducing the suicide rate, and expanding education benefits.

Keenan’s approach–relationship-driven and shaped by years of navigating diverse environments–is just as vital at home as abroad. “It’s a lot of the same skills. Maneuvering in an international world can help you be around people with different ideas.” She points to the PACT Act as an example: “That took a huge coalition of advocates and cultural competency to get passed. Everyone’s got a different story.”

For Keenan, progress goes hand in hand with continuity. “My goal is to continue the legacy of the VFW and our advocacy efforts,” she says. “This work is something I love and want to keep doing for a long time.”