Cheryl L. Mason is an American attorney, executive, and government official who is currently serving as the Senior Advisor and Executive Director for Veteran and Military Spouse Employment Programs and Partnerships for The Department of Veterans Affairs. From November 2017 until August 2022, she served as the first woman, military spouse, and suicide survivor Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals. In 2020, she was named a PREVENTS Task Force Ambassador, along with Lead Ambassador Second Lady

Karen Pence Karen Sue Pence ( Batten, formerly Whitaker; born January 1, 1957) is an American schoolteacher, painter, and was the second lady of the United States from 2017 to 2021. She is married to the 48th vice president of the United States, Mike Penc ...

. PREVENTS was the first national public health campaign to address suicide prevention. Previously Mason served as Deputy Vice Chairman, Chief Veterans Law Judge, and Veterans Law Judge at the Board. Starting in early 2021, Chairman Mason has worked closely with First Lady Dr. Jill Biden’s

Joining Forces Joining Forces is a United States government initiative, run out of The White House, that seeks to support the families, caregivers, and survivors of members of the United States Armed Forces. It was founded in 2011 by First Lady Michelle Obama ...

initiative to address the challenges and issues of military and veterans families to include military spouse employment and veterans transition. Chairman Mason also serves as a VA champion and advocate for suicide prevention. A graduate of

Ohio Northern University Ohio Northern University (Ohio Northern or ONU) is a private United Methodist Church–affiliated university in Ada, Ohio. Founded by Henry Solomon Lehr in 1871, ONU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It offers over 60 programs to ...

and

Creighton University School of Law Creighton University School of Law, located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States, is a component of the Jesuit Creighton University. According to Creighton's official 2019 ABA-required disclosures, 75% of the Class of 2019 obtained full-time, long-t ...

, Mason served as an intern for U.S. Representative Bob McEwen. After law school, she worked in private practice in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

. Mason became a paralegal coordinator for Central Texas College and an instructor at

Central Texas College Central Texas College (CTC) is a community college in Killeen, Texas. Founded in 1965, it has branch campuses in Europe and on military installations across the U.S. History Central Texas College was established by a vote of the citizens of C ...

's branch at Kaiserslautern Military Community in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. She was an attorney with the Federal Labor Relations Authority and was a Department of the Air Force (DAF) Civilian with the

United States Air Forces in Europe United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Mason also served as a contract attorney investigator for the

United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division The U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division is the institution within the federal government responsible for enforcing federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, sex, disability, religion, and national origin. T ...

specializing in the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Awards and honors

* Hiring Our Heroes Bonnie Amos Lifetime Achievement Impact Award 2022. * Disabled American Veterans' Outstanding Federal Executive 2021. * Department of Veterans Affairs Exceptional Service Award 2020 * FedHealthIT 2020 Leading for Impact: Women in Leadership Award. * Hiring our Heroes Military Spouse Employment and Mentoring Award 2019 * Ohio Northern University Distinguished Alumni Award 2009.Ohio Northern University Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients
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References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, Cheryl L. Living people Ohio Northern University alumni Creighton University School of Law alumni People from Portsmouth, Ohio 21st-century American lawyers Trump administration personnel Biden administration personnel United States Department of Veterans Affairs officials Year of birth missing (living people)