Peralta District Invited to Washington to Discuss College Veterans Programs

Peralta Community College District Board President Meredith Brown was pleased to open a letter this month from the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Veterans Affairs inviting Peralta to Washington to discuss college veterans’ programs with the VA’s Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.

The invitation came after a visit in February to Washington by a delegation of Peralta trustees who met with the office of Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, the staff of the Education and Workforce Committee, the senior legislative assistant for the Committee on Veterans Affairs, Saki Ververis, and other policymakers. The Peralta Colleges — the only community colleges in the nation invited to testify — have full veterans services, including certifying officials, VA counselors and veterans resource centers to serve the 640 veterans taking classes this spring.

Brown tapped trustee Bill Withrow, a 24-year U.S. Navy veteran and former mayor of Alameda, to attend. Withrow testified this week before the subcommittee and detailed the resources and programs the Peralta community colleges offer our community’s youngest generation of vets.