Executive, Regional, and Ancillary

Chief Donovan is a retired chief petty officer who served 24 years in the Navy. He has served in various roles on the AVER board for more than ten years, including as the AVER national president, then past president, now twice. As Past President, he also continues to serve the organization as the National Membership Chair. In early 2005, Chief Donovan spearheaded the creation of and became the first coordinator of the Tom Dooley Chapter for at-large AVER members. Chief Donovan lives in Plainville, IL, with his husband of many years. In 2008, they were legally married in California, prior to the November passage of Proposition 8.

Born to Holocaust refugees at the close of WWII when Truman was President, Denny began a lifetime of activism at the age of 13 when he joined a NAACP picket line. Since then he has battled for Gay rights, Women's rights, Transgender rights, and GLBT veterans rights. During the Vietnam Era he left college and volunteered to serve his country, joining the Navy (either for love of the sea or for the dress blue bell bottom 13 button uniform). In less than 4 years he was a Petty Officer Second Class. Later he worked for the Army Reserves as a civilian administrator and, after joining his reserve unit, rose to Sergeant First Class. After AIDS took the life of his love of 20 years, Denny became inspired to found the New York Chapter of AVER - AVERNY, he served as Region 1 VP for a number of years, and currently serves as both the AVER national Public Affairs Officer and Vice President of Veterans Affairs. He is currently battling cancer. Denny can be contacted via email or by phone at 718.849.5665.

The Forward Observer, AVER's national newsletter was put under committee control in November 2006, to help lighten to workload placed on any one volunteer. Assistant Editors are Region 4 VP James Apedaile, and Bill Beaman.

Marie Bohusch served four years in the Army. After growing up 'in the arts', she shipped in August 1990. She became Mandarin qualified during two years at POM, and finished '92-94 at Ft. Huachuca, where she graduated intelligence training and spent more than a full year on MMRB status. In 1994, she was tasked to her AIT school, where she OJT'd graphic design and layout hanging whilst assisting with a curriculum overhaul. She started learning web design in 1996. After surgery in 1999 for a service-related spinal condition, marie completed her BA in Cultural Anthropology, and most of her MA work in the same, though she is currently on extended medical leave. marie is the founding President of NEOAVER, the founding Chair of the AVER IT & Web Development Committee, and the founding Chair of the National Veterans Coming Out Day Committee.

Nancy Russell served in the United States Army for 20 years, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. In her military career, LTC Russell was first a member of the Women s Army Corps, until it s integration in 1978 when she became a member of the Adjutant General s Corps. During her twenty year service, she commanded two companies and a battalion. She is a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College. She was awarded the Army Commendation Medal and the Meritorious Service medal with two oak leaf clusters. Nancy founded the San Antonio Chapter in 1993 and was elected National President three times, in 1994, 1995-1996, and 2003. Nancy Russell has been a lifetime LGBT activist, having served as a Democratic party precinct Chair and as a delegate to Democratic Conventions, founding the Stonewall Democratic Club of San Antonio and serving as Vice President of the Texas Stonewall Democratic Caucus, as well as serving on the Texas Democratic Executive Committee. She is currently on the advisory committee of the San Antonio LGBT Chamber of Commerce, of which she was a founding member. Nancy runs her own real estate business, Rainbow R.E.Group where over 90% of her business is "family".

Patrick Bova has served AVER/GLBVA as National Archivist since 1993. A graduate of Georgetown University, Mr. Bova spent the last 38 years working as a librarian for National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago. At the present time Mr. Bova resides in Chicago with his life partner of 44 years, Jim Darby.