Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services Hires Director of Strategic Partnerships
The Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services (MBVS) is pleased to announce Sarah Sherman, a native of Mid-Coast Maine, has been named the Bureau’s Director of Strategic Partnerships. Sherman has been serving in an interim capacity with the Bureau since August of 2018.
Throughout her tenure with MBVS, Sherman has worked extensively on issues surrounding homeless and incarcerated veterans; has created numerous memorandums of understanding with our community partners; and has established relationships with populations of Maine veterans that have been previously under-served, including the Wabanaki Tribes and LGBTQ veterans.
“I believe that the Bureau’s mission means that we have a duty to serve all veterans and I have worked very hard to improve the feeling of inclusiveness that MBVS offers to veterans and their families,” said Sherman. “Having the opportunity to continue this important work in a permanent capacity is an honor, and I’m looking forward to building off of the framework we have established.”
Sherman earned a B.A. in English with a minor in Behavioral Science, with honors, from the University of Maine at Augusta, and a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Boston University. She serves as a Trustee for the Hendricks Hill Museum on Southport Island, is an Angel Volunteer for the Lincoln County Recovery Collaborative, and served as the Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 238 for ten years, where she mentored four Eagle Scouts.
“Sarah has been a tremendous asset to our agency,” said David Richmond, Director of the Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services. “Over the past year and a half, she’s shown a passion for serving Maine veterans and has developed many new partnerships in the community. We have highly skilled and dedicated people that work across the state, and she is certainly a valued member of the team.”
Like many Mainers, Sherman’s family has a long history of military service dating back to the Revolutionary War. Her father, Maurice A. Sherman, served as a Forward Observer for the U.S. Army during the Second World War, was wounded in Italy, and awarded the Purple Heart. Most recently, her nephew, Jack Sherman, served with the United States Marine Corps overseas.
To find the Veterans’ Services Office nearest to you, please visit maine.gov/veterans/veterans-services-offices. You can also call the Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services at 207-430-6035 or visit their website www.maine.gov/veterans to learn more about available resources.
About Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services
The Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services was established in 1947 by the State of Maine and is part of the Maine Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management. Our mission is to help Mainers who served, and their loved ones, understand and navigate the benefits, services, and programs available to them. The Bureau does this by being a responsive, experienced, and dedicated advocate. The Bureau is headquartered at Camp Keyes and has seven field service offices located throughout the state and a claims office located at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Togus, Maine. The Bureau also operates the Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery System which includes four veterans’ cemeteries. For more information about the Bureau or to request assistance, please visit our website at www.maine.gov/veterans.
Melissa Willette
Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services
207-430-6004
melissa.willette@m
