Paving the way to improving the lives of veterans, Merissa Larson shares with us her journey to creating the Wounded Warrior program and how she strives to make differences in the lives of others.

Merissa Larson, Executive Director of Quality and Risk, Office of Information Technology
Ms. Larson serves as the Executive Director for Compliance, Risk, and Remediation/Deputy Chief Risk Officer for the Office of Information Technology (OIT). Throughout her career, she has worked at the operational, strategic, and executive levels, serving in multiple federal agencies, including GSA, the Department of the Navy, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. At the Department of the Navy, Ms. Larson was hand-selected to lead the creation of their Wounded Warrior Program from scratch, including developing the program’s first-ever mission, vision, strategic goals, and objectives. She continued her passion for advocating for service members and their families and transitioned to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Ms. Larson served as the Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor at OIT’s Office of IT Resource Management since October 2018, where she leveraged her background in budget, policy development, and human resources, which led her to be called upon to lead high-level initiatives for OIT.

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government that provides lifelong healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers and outpatient clinics throughout the country. Non-healthcare benefits include disability compensation, vocational rehabilitation, education assistance, home loans, and life insurance. The VA also provides burial and memorial benefits to eligible veterans and family members at 135 national cemeteries.