WASHINGTON — Gordon H. Mansfield, former head of the Washington office of Paralyzed Veterans of America and a decorated Vietnam veteran, was sworn in today to lead the congressional liaison office at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
“Gordon brings to the job a keen sense of the needs of veterans and the policymakers who shape their benefits on Capitol Hill,” Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi said. “His experience as a veterans advocate will serve the administration well in our partnership with the legislative branch to improve benefits for America’s veterans.”
Mansfield leads a staff of 40 as VA’s assistant secretary for congressional and legislative affairs. He will serve as a top adviser to Principi on legislative matters. Among other duties, Mansfield will maintain relationships with members of Congress and their staff members, provide them timely information, promote VA’s legislative agenda and coordinate VA participation in congressional hearings.
Since April 1993, Mansfield has served as executive director of Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), an organization serving veterans of the armed forces with catastrophic paralysis caused by spinal cord injury or disease. Mansfield himself sustained a spinal cord injury in Vietnam. As PVA’s executive director, he directed the daily operations of its national office in Washington, D.C.
Prior to a stint as assistant secretary for fair housing and equal opportunity at the Department of Housing and Urban Development from 1989 to 1993, Mansfield also served PVA for eight years in a number of positions including associate executive director for government relations.
An Army veteran enlisting in 1964, Mansfield served two tours of duty in the Vietnam War. His combat decorations include the Distinguished Service Cross, the Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge and the Presidential Unit Citation. He sustained his spinal cord injury while serving as a rifle company commander with the 101st Airborne Division during his second tour.
He is a recipient of the Presidential Distinguished Service Award and the Villanova University Alumni Human Relations Medal. He was inducted into the U.S. Army Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame in 1997.
A former practicing attorney in Ocala, Fla., Mansfield received his law degree from the University of Miami after earning a B.A. from Villanova University.
He resides in Alexandria, Va., with his wife Linda.
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