Poway Resident Named Veteran of the Year

Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, I-San Diego, Wednesday announced that he named Poway resident Gary Rossio Veteran of the Year for the 75th Assembly District.

Rossio has been an advocate for San Diego veterans, leading an initiative to facilitate veteran affairs services to the North County, South Bay and Imperial County. Rossio played an instrumental role in developing the OneVA program, a plan designed to bring veteran organizations, advocates and community leaders together on a monthly basis for regional coordination. The solution-oriented program has broken down silos that typically separate veterans from the services they need and the benefits they earned.

Rossio currently serves as a Health Systems Consultant. His career started in military medicine on active duty in the United States Air Force. He joined the Department of Veteran Affairs in 1975 and worked in various medical centers throughout the country. In 2009, the Altrarum Institute of Ann Arbor established the Veteran Community Action Team Project, bringing Rossio on board to develop a more integrated approach to benefits delivery. Rossio currently serves as the co-chair of the San Diego Veterans Coalition, where he continues advocacy work on behalf of veterans and their families.

Rossio, his wife, Beverly and their four children reside in Poway and are involved in faith-based performing arts and athletic activities throughout San Diego.

Fletcher honored Rossio in Sacramento today at a ceremony on the Assembly floor.

“As a combat marine veteran, I know first-hand the critical importance of providing needed services to those who have honorably served our country,” Fletcher said. “With local leadership, coordinated community-based responses can help ensure all veterans live with the dignity and respect they deserve. I am pleased to honor Gary for his commitment to San Diego’s veteran community.”

-Courtesy office of Nathan Fletcher