5 Questions: Cumberland County has new director of veterans' affairs and services

May 3—Garnering the benefits they deserve can be a challenge for Cumberland County veterans.

"We know that getting through all the information and paperwork can be difficult," said Keeter Kallam, director of the county office of veterans' affairs and services.

"I am honored to be able to assist our veterans as they navigate how to apply for county, state and federal benefits," she said. "We are here to help."

In April, county commissioners hired Kallam to advocate for the county's more than 17,000 veterans and their families. A native of Arlington, Texas, she holds a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Mary Washington in Virginia.

Prior to her county government job, Kallam was a contract specialist at the Naval Support Activity in Hampden Township. Her past jobs include work as a deployment readiness coordinator for the Marine Corps at Camp Pendleton in California, and Family Readiness Program Manager at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms in California.

In today's 5 Questions, The Sentinel gave Kallam the opportunity to delve deeper into her background and role in veteran services:

Q: Do you have some kind of tie or connection to the military — a relative who served?

A: My grandfather and dad both served and my significant other just retired from the Marine Corps. We moved to Mechanicsburg last summer.

Q: Who/what inspired you to pursue advocacy as a career?

A: I began my career as a volunteer for the Marine Corps in the family readiness program and as a volunteer for the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society and later became a certified society caseworker at the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society in Camp Lejeune. I had two incredible bosses there who were both retired Marines, Gini Schopfel and Pat Kelly, and I have always drawn on their passion and leadership qualities that they instilled in me.

Working for Navy Relief really lit a spark in me because I got an up-close and personal look at the toll active-duty life can sometimes take on our service members and their families. I was a military spouse myself and when I was volunteering with the Marine Corps, I got close to many of my fellow spouses during multiple deployments. In 2009, I was fortunate to get a civilian job with the Marine Corps where I was able to help our Marines, sailors and their families with resources and navigating the military lifestyle.

Q: Why is advocating for veterans so important to you?

A: I truly feel grateful to those who serve and have served our country knowing what they sacrifice. I have seen firsthand how war changes a person and the effects it has on not only the person who served, but all those around them. I feel so incredibly grateful for a career where I was able to serve active-duty Marines and sailors and now serving our veteran community.

Q: What lessons learned from prior jobs prepared you for this new role?

A: My years of working closely with active-duty service members have given me a great foundation for this transition to caring for our veterans. Along the way, I have worked with so many great leaders who showed me the qualities I hope to emulate in my role with Cumberland County. I have an incredible team: Lynn Hoak, Brittnee Moore and Brittany McCann, and we are all passionate and dedicated to serving our community.

Q: Do you plan on introducing new programs/initiatives? What changes do you have in mind?

A: I have only been here a few weeks and I'm delving into how to continue to best serve our veterans. The county office assists service members, veterans and families who apply for local, state and federal benefits.

Joseph Cress is a reporter for The Sentinel covering education and history. You can reach him at jcress@cumberlink.com or by calling 717-218-0022.

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