I joined Auxiliary 10188 in 1991 under the eligibility of my husband, Gary, who was a Vietnam Veteran. While at that Auxiliary, I served in many capacities as a chairman and officer, including President. When Auxiliary 10188 disbanded, I joined Auxiliary 5990 in Avra Valley – Marana and became active there.

I have been very active in District 5 since the beginning of my Auxiliary career. My favorite offices were Conductress and Color Bearer. District 5 was, I believe, the last District to do floor work, and I hated to see it discontinued. I served as District 5 President twice.

I was honored to serve the Department as a Department Chairman for Youth for several years, as well as Americanism and Jr. Girls, the latter bringing home a 1st place award for our Department. I have also served the Department as Chief of Staff and am currently the Assistant Secretary for the Department.

My journey in the Department line began in 2011 with my election as Department Guard and culminated in 2015 when I was elected as Department of Arizona President. This was 1 year prior to the implementation of Circle of Excellence, but I was awarded President of the Year. During my term, we became the VFW Auxiliary and began accepting males in the Auxiliary.

I was honored and blessed to be appointed as the Scholarships Ambassador in 2018. It was an adventure of a lifetime! Accompanying the Voice of Democracy students on the Washington, D.C., trip was amazing.

At the 2023 Department convention, I was elected National District 15 Council Member representing Arizona and New Mexico, and I am excited about this next chapter in my Auxiliary service.

I have witnessed many changes in our Auxiliary over the years. Programs have come and gone, the uniform has changed twice, as has the official look, awards and recognition have improved, and of course, we now accept males into our organization and have had a name change.

Service & Leadership Roles