COLUMBUS – When a woman’s time in the military is through, her experiences and capabilities aren’t left behind. Instead, they often serve as a platform for contributions to her profession, community, volunteerism, advocacy and further education.
In recognition of Women’s History Month, Ohio women veterans will share their stories and experiences during a panel discussion on Thursday, March 29, 11 a.m., at the Ohio History Connection, 800 E. 17th Ave., Columbus.
Additionally, in coordination with Vietnam Veterans Day, Vietnam Veterans are encouraged to attend so that they can be formally presented with a special commemorative lapel pin. Ohio Department of Veterans Services Director Chip Tansill will share remarks expressing the importance of honoring Vietnam Veterans.
The women veterans’ discussion will include:
• What motivated them to join the military
• Their challenges and opportunities in training and in war
• Their continued mission of service after service through volunteerism, advocacy, professional distinction and public service
• Life lessons in tenacity and adaptability
These distinguished women veterans will participate on the panel:
• Emcee: Angela Beltz, US Army
• Moderator: Claudia Foss, US Air Force
Panelists:
• Robin Mahady, US Army Retired, Ohio Department of Veterans Services Deputy Director, Education & Compliance. Mahady earned her commission as an Ordnance Officer from St. John’s University in 1992. She served in numerous operational positions in three countries and seven states over her 23 ½ year career in the active Army. Some of her most notable assignments include her deployment to El Salvador in support of Hurricane Mitch and her two deployments to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. She is grateful for the opportunities she had while serving our great nation and for her extended Army family. Mahady is the parent of Ryan, Ashley and Conor who have sacrificed, supported and served alongside her throughout the years.
• Lori Good, US Navy, Ohio Department of Veterans Services Office Manager A peacetime era Veteran, Good enlisted in the US Navy in 1983. After attending boot camp in Orlando, Florida, Lori attended several Radioman schools specializing in communications technology. She eventually served on the USS Dixon, a submarine tender located in Point Loma, California. The Dixon was up out of the water undergoing a complete overhaul. Good spent the next year and a half repairing equipment and writing operating procedures while on board. Good counts her military experience as rewarding and yet humbling. She transitioned her military service to public service as a State of Ohio employee. She is currently serving veterans through her role with the Ohio Department of Veterans Services. She is proud to be among the ranks of women who can call themselves ‘United States Veterans’.
• Kari Pfeifer, US Air Force, National Veterans of Foreign Wars Student Veteran Liaison & Women Veteran chairman. Pfeifer joined the Ohio Air National Guard in 1990 and served as an Aeromedical Technician for the 179th Airlift Wing for 21 years. During that time, she had the opportunity to serve the unit by both deploying and ensuring that members deploying were medically fit. After retirement from the ANG, Pfeifer found she was still able to serve the troops deploying as an active member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). She is Quartermaster of her local VFW Post 2920 and CoChair for Veteran & Military Support and Student Veteran Liaison for the VFW Department of Ohio. She represents the VFW on the Executive Committee for the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame and serves as Chair of the committee. She was appointed to the National VFW Women Veteran Advisory Committee in August 2017 and the. Ohio Women Veterans Advisory Committee in March 2018.
• Susan Green, US Army, owner, Eagle Rock Adventures. Green entered the United States ilitary Academy at West Point in 1981. After commissioning as an Army Signal Corps officer in 1985, she served in a variety of active duty and reserve assignments both stateside and abroad before retiring in the rank of lieutenant colonel in 2005 with more than 24 years of service. Army reserve assignments included assistant and adjunct professorship at Capital and Otterbein universities in support of Army ROTC. She left active duty in 1994 to work in corporate business for six years and public education for 10 years before establishing her business, Eagle Rock Adventures, in 2011. Her honors include induction into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame Class of 2916 and selection for the Ford Oval of Honor, which included serving as a grand marshal for the 2017 Columbus Red, White and Boom Parade.
• Jasmin Hurley, US Army, Attorney, Kegler, Brown, Hill + Ritter, LPA. Originally from Massachusetts, Hurley graduated from the United States Military Academy in 2005. She commissioned in the U.S. Army as a Military Police officer and served at the platoon and battalion levels while stationed in Germany, Missouri and Kansas. She deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 08-09, where she earned the Bronze Star Medal. Upon leaving active duty in 2011, Hurley began working in health and safety and business development for an industrial cleaning company in Columbus, Ohio. Jasmin graduated from the University of Dayton School of Law in 2016, where she was a founding member and Director of the Veterans and Military Advocacy Group. Jasmin is an attorney with Kegler, Brown, Hill + Ritter, where she focuses her practice on assisting businesses with formation, structure, and protection of intellectual property assets, with a focus on women, minority, and veteran owned businesses
• Dorothy Windau, Navy. Windau was born on Sept. 29, 1922, in Milford, New Jersey. She enlisted in the Navy in July 1944 and was discharged in January 1948. Windau went to basic training at Hunter College in New York City and received her advanced training in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Windau was a Yeoman 1st Class and her Duty was Com Air Lant in Norfolk, Virginia. She worked for the Commander of Atlantic Fleet Air Corps. While she was in the Navy, she met her husband, Paul Windau. Her Commander Admiral Cagle actually gave her away at their wedding and Windau and her husband named one of their children after him. Dottie was discharged from the Naval Operating Base in Norfolk, Virginia. Windau lives in Sandusky, Ohio.
Admission to the Ohio History Connection for the panel discussion is free for veterans and military members. Other guests who mention the panel discussion while purchasing tickets will receive a $2 discount rate – $8 for adults, $7 for seniors (60 and over) and $3 for children ages 6-12. Group rates also are available. Members and children 5 and under are free; parking is free.
The event is open to the public. No reservation necessary.
Background on Women Veterans in Ohio
More than 67,000 women veterans reside in Ohio. They have served with distinction in every war in a variety of capacities. In the 1980s, military specialties previously closed to women were opened, putting women service members much closer to direct combat; their roles further expanded during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Today, women service members are directly engaged in the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Currently, 9.4 percent of our military members are women, and it is projected that by 2043 the figure will grow to 16.3 percent.
