The Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs was created by the State Legislature in 1999 as an executive agency with the mission of assisting veterans, active duty service members, their families, and dependents, in securing benefits earned through military service.
Anthony C. Woods
Secretary
https://veterans.maryland.gov
Prior to his appointment, Secretary Woods served as the Executive Director of the Quad Fellowship, strengthening ties among the next generation of scientists and technologists.
Before founding the fellowship, Tony worked for Cisco Systems, The Boston Consulting Group, and Capital One.
He attended West Point and was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He served two tours of duty in Iraq and earned a Bronze Star. Tony was discharged in 2008 under the military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy, which barred members of the LGBTQ community from serving openly in the military. Tony helped repeal the law and resumed his service in the U.S. Army Reserve. He holds the rank of Major and is an intelligence analyst assigned to the Pentagon.
Tony served as a Program Director at ServiceNation and was a White House Fellow under President Barack H. Obama.
He served on the VA’s commission on minority veterans and on the Blue Star Families race, equity, and inclusion advisory board.
Tony graduated from the U.S. Military Academy West Point with a B.S. in Economics and Political Science. He holds a Master's in Public Policy and an Executive MBA.