VA Healthcare-VISN 4
Get to Know the Veterans Experience Team in VISN 4
Cover Stories
Get to Know the Veterans Experience Team in VISN 4
Jim Wartski
District Veterans Experience Officer
Primarily Covers: the North Atlantic District, from Maine to North Carolina
VA Background: Received presidential appointment to this position in July 2015
Military Experience: Retired Army Col. Wartski is a proven subject matter expert in customer relations, client satisfaction, and organizational results. He is a graduate of West Point with a distinguished military career, having completed Airborne School, Air Assault School, the Armor Basic and Advanced Schools, Combined Arms Services Staff School, Military Acquisition Management School, and the Command General Staff College.
Joy White
Deputy District Veterans Experience Officer
Primarily Covers: the North Atlantic District, from Maine to North Carolina
VA Background: Prior to joining Veterans Experience (VE), Ms. White served in the Office of the Secretary as an executive assistant for support and mission operations. She also served as senior health system specialist in the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Policy and Services and the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Operations and Management for the Veterans Health Administration. In the field, Ms. White was an integral member of the senior executive team at the Hampton VA Medical Center in Hampton, Virginia, serving as the chief of service excellence and Veteran advocacy, with responsibility for Veteran experience and non-VA care coordination.
Military Experience: Ms. White is the proud wife of a U.S. Army Veteran.
Eugene W. Skinner Jr.
Relationship Manager
Primarily Covered (in VISN 4*): Philadelphia and Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Centers, but also oversaw the Veterans Experience program across all of VISN 4.
VA Background: Joined the Department of Veterans affairs in January 2013 with the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, where he was responsible for programs that promote small business participation in VA procurements, with special emphasis on Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses and Veteran-Owned Small Businesses; was specifically responsible for the development and deployment of small businesses' informational tools, professional services requirement development, resource management, and networking activities.
Military Experience: Served in the U.S. Army for 31 years, including assignments with The Federal Republic of Germany and The United Arab Emirates; served as an air defense artillery officer with the 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he commanded and led his organization during Operation Just Cause in Panama.
Was assessed into the Army Acquisition Corps in 1990 after serving in Operation Desert Shield/Storm; acquisitions assignments included assistant project manager, Department of the Army system coordinator, and deputy program manager. The highlight of his acquisitions career was being board selected to serve as product manager and project manager. He completed 2 ½ combat tours in Iraq, and a deployment to Afghanistan.
Editor's Note: Effective Nov. 1, Mr. Skinner transferred to VISN 6 to continue to serve as a relationship manager with the North Atlantic District. We wish him luck and thank him for his service to VISN 4. Ms. Toni Bush-Neal, the current relationship manager for Virginia and North Carolina in VISN 6 will replace Mr. Skinner in VISN 4.
Carlos Robinson
Field Consultant
Primarily Covers (in VISN 4*): Wilmington, Coatesville, and Lebanon VA Medical Centers, and South New Jersey VA Outpatient Clinics (Atlantic County, Cumberland County, Cape May County).
VA Background: Joined the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) in 2000 as a Veterans service representative; also served as a Veterans claims examiner (training specialist). Served as a national management analyst for the Caregiver Support Program within the Veterans Health Administration, and a management and program analyst for the Executive and Employee Recruiting Service, Office of Human Resources Management & Development, Office of Information Technology.
Military Experience: Joined the Louisiana Army National Guard in 1987, and was activated to active duty on November 30, 1990, to serve in Operation Desert Storm and Operation Desert Shield; was honorably discharged in 1991.
Lamont Taylor
Field Consultant
Primarily Covers (in VISN 4*): Pittsburgh, Altoona, Erie, and Butler VA Medical Centers.
VA Background: Joined the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) in 2004 as a Veterans service representative; also served as a field examiner and management analyst. Served as a supervisory Veterans service representative and an assistant supervisory Veterans service representative at the Pittsburgh VA Regional Office as well as the assistant Veterans service center manager at the Atlanta VA Regional Office. Most recently served as the supervisory management analyst at VBA's National Work Queue.
Military Experience: Served in the U.S. Army and Army Reserves from December 1995 until May 2002; assigned to Fort Carson, Colorado; Fort Hood, Texas; and Kuwait; served as a fuel supply specialist.
*The Veterans Experience Team also works closely with the local Veterans Benefit Administration, National Cemetery Administration, and, especially, the community.
