View the Veterans Advisory Board By-Laws

Mayor's Appointments

• Mercedes Elias: Mercedes is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, having served for over nine years on active duty. She completed tours in Quantico, Virginia, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Okinawa, Japan, Camp Pendleton, California, and Garden City, New York. She is a combat veteran and served in Afghanistan from 2011 to 2012. After leaving the military, Mercedes attended Columbia University where she obtained her Advanced Business Certification. Mercedes currently serves as the Head of Veteran Engagement at AmeriVet Securities, a veteran-owned boutique investment bank. She is actively involved with numerous veterans' organizations throughout New York City and its surrounding areas. Mercedes represents Queens.


• Andrew D. Walcott: Andrew D. Walcott, ESQ, CPA is the owner and operator of Fusion East Restaurant located in the East New York section of Brooklyn. Fusion East restaurant is a full-service upscale Caribbean and Soul Food restaurant with an Afro-Fusion menu that has been featured on Good Day New York, News 12 Brooklyn, Caribbean and Life, and the Amsterdam News. The restaurant opened for business in 2015 and was awarded its first New York State contract in 2017. Andrew is a product of East New York, Brooklyn, and the local public schools. He is a licensed attorney, Certified Public Accountant, and Air Force veteran. In addition, he has served on his local Community Board for 20 years and formerly taught at his alma mater Brooklyn College for 10 years. Andrew began his career as a staff accountant at a local accounting firm and moved up the ranks continuously in his career. At various times in his career, he has served as Chief Financial Officer and General Counsel for a national recruiting company and Chief Auditor for the USA operations of a foreign investment bank. Andrew also had a private law and CPA practice for many years whereby he provided legal and accounting services throughout the Brooklyn community. Andrew holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Brooklyn College, a Master of Business Administration degree from Pace University and Fordham University School of Law.


• Linda Ollis: Linda Ollis was born in Manhattan and raised in Brooklyn. In 1971, she and her husband Bob, a Vietnam Veteran, moved to Staten Island and started a family. They are parents to Kimberly, Kelly, and Michael. Linda is a Gold Star Mother to Michael Ollis, whom New York City's newest Staten Island Ferry is named after. After the death of Michael while serving during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, Bob and Linda founded the Staff Sergeant Michael Ollis Freedom Foundation. Its mission is to honor their son's memory and legacy and to assist Veterans in need. Linda is the Secretary-Treasurer of the Foundation. She is also an active member with the VFW Auxiliary. Linda is a graduate of Hunter College/Bellevue School of Nursing. After a 43-year career as a nurse, she retired seven years ago. Linda enjoys volunteering at Staten Island University Hospital/Northwell, traveling, and spending time with her five grandchildren.


• Marisa Estrella: Marisa is a Jersey City native with Dominican roots, who transitioned from humble beginnings to a distinguished military career as a chaplain assistant in the U.S. Army. It was during her time in the service that she honed her resilience, kindness and compassion. Following her service, she thrived in diverse roles including entrepreneur and legal assistant, ultimately founding Worldwide Veterans and Family Services, Inc. in 2015. Despite personal and professional challenges, Marisa's unwavering dedication to supporting homeless veterans and their families, both in the U.S. and the Dominican Republic, stands as a testament to her strength and empathy.


• Joshua Sooklal: Joshua Sooklal is a United States Navy Veteran, who served five years active duty as a Hospital Corpsman. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, he immigrated to Queens, NY where he joined the Navy. Serving from 2011-2016 on active duty, Joshua took a liking to the Hospital Corpsman role and earned the title of “doc” to the United States Marine Corps. After serving and deploying to the Middle East in 2015, "Doc Sook"- as he was called, returned to NYC and has been a drilling reservist. He has also been involved in the Veteran space as a student, advocate, and a Military and Veterans Program Manager for Hope For The Warriors – a national non-profit devoted to providing and instilling HOPE within the Warrior community. As a recent appointee, Joshua seeks to embrace his Hospital Corpsman Creed with a line he held of high regard when performing his duties while serving, “I dedicate my heart, mind, and strength to the work before me.”


• Diego Rubio: Diego Rubio is a Combat Veteran and served as an officer in the US Army. He started his career enlisting at an early age later earning his commission as a US Army Officer from the Early Commissioning Program–an accelerated and selective program, making him one of the youngest Army Officers in the US Army at the time. After his active-duty career he continued his military service in the National Guard, until 2019. While in the National Guard, he began his civilian career at EY, where he quickly rose through the ranks and became a pivotal person in the development and enhancement of the EY Veterans Network. Diego took the organization’s Veterans network to new heights. By increasing focus on recruiting, retention, and Veteran community engagement, his efforts have contributed to EY being regarded as one of the top military employers in recent years. After his career at EY, he was a Senior Vice President at Wells Fargo, where he co-chaired the Veterans Enterprise Resource Group and continued to support Veteran initiatives internally as well in the community. Currently, Diego is an executive at Morgan Stanley and helps lead and support various Veteran initiatives within the bank. He has received accolades and recognition for his efforts within the Veteran community, including being named Crains Magazine’s 40 under 40 most influential Veteran executives, and the first ever Hearts of Oak Award.

Speaker's Appointments

• Wendy McClinton: Wendy Charece McClinton serves as Chair of the Veterans Advisory Board and and represents Brooklyn. She served in the United States Army for a decade. This decorated Veteran served during the Desert Storm Persian Gulf Era. Wendy is an administrator with Black Veterans for Social Justice, Inc, and the National Association for Black Veterans. McClinton is the New York State Commander of the National Association of Black Veterans (NABVETS). While in the United States Army, McClinton was assigned to the United States Army Information Systems Command, Pentagon, Washington DC, the 118th Detachment Postal Unit, Pusan, Korea, and the 25th Infantry Division Light Mechanized, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. McClinton is a graduate of the United States Army Logistical Management College, and she holds a BA in Theology from the Andersonville Baptist Seminary, and a Masters of Arts in Theology from the Rehoboth Theological Institute in Brooklyn, NY.


• Dennis Torres: Dennis Torres is the Associate Director of Veteran & Military Support Services at Queens College, CUNY, where he provides academic, career, and benefits-based support to hundreds of military-connected students. A two-time Iraq combat Veteran, he served eight years in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve as a communications specialist before transitioning to Veteran workforce development as a Veterans Specialist with NYC's Workforce1 - Veteran Priority1 program. Dennis holds a B.A. in Labor Studies from Hofstra University and an M.A. in Industrial Organizational Psychology from Adelphi University and is currently a doctoral candidate in Social Welfare at The Graduate Center, CUNY. His work has been recognized through the Department of Defense's ESGR Patriot Award and DoD MOU Compliance recognition, a Lifetime of Service Award from City & State New York, and a national Certificate of Achievement from Student Veterans of America. He has also served on U.S. Service Academy Nomination Committees for Representatives Joseph Crowley and Grace Meng and has received letters of appreciation from New York State Senators James Sanders Jr. and the late Bill Perkins.


• Ashton Stewart: Ashton Stewart is the Veteran Liaison for MJHS Hospice & Palliative Care. In this role, Ashton manages We Honor Veterans (WHV), a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Prior to joining MJHS, Ashton served in the U.S. Navy during the First Gulf War and more recently as program manager of SAGEVets, a New York State program for older LGBTQ+ veterans. Ashton holds a bachelor’s degree from Lehman College and a master’s degree in public administration from Baruch College. He is a member of the New York State Council on Veteran Organizations, the Intrepid Museum’s Council of Veteran Advisors, and the Cultural Diversity Team at MJHS. More recently, Ashton accepted an appointment from Governor Hochul to serve on the New York State Veterans Home at St. Albans Advisory Board.


• Ryan Graham: Ryan Graham is an Air Force and Iraq War Veteran from Queens, New York. Enlisting after the 9/11 terror attacks, Ryan’s military service spanned six years from the 52nd Fighter Wing in Germany, working within the A4 directorate of the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) headquarters at Hurlburt Field, Florida, the Logistics Support Center under Air Combat Command (ACC) headquarters at Langley AFB, Virginia, as well as deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom to Camp Sather, Baghdad International Airport. Since coming home, Ryan's broad experience includes working within the Fortune 500 and Aerospace industries as a Supply Chain Management professional, and has been active in the Veteran community and the VFW. Among his various roles, Ryan served as the Queens County Council VFW Commander from 2014 to 2018, representing 2,000 members throughout 20 Posts, and currently serves through policy initiatives as the Chairman of the Legislative Committee for District 1, as well as the Vice Chairman for Legislative Affairs for the Department of New York VFW. Locally, Ryan is the Commander of the Flanders Field VFW Post 150 in Corona, serves on the Veterans Advisory Council for Queens DA Melinda Katz, and served on Queens Community Board 10. Ryan holds a Bachelor of Science degree from St. John's University, and an MBA from Syracuse University.


• Frank LaMarsh: Frank LaMarsh enlisted in the U.S. Navy Seabees in 1969, serving in multiple construction battalions; including deployments to Da Nang and Bien Hoa, Vietnam. He completed his active duty service in 1972 and was honorably discharged from the Reserve in 1975, earning numerous military commendations. Frank went on to hold extensive leadership roles within the American Legion, including Gold Star Post Commander, County and District Commander, Department Legislative Chairman, National Legislative Commission member, and ultimately Department of New York Commander from 2021-2022. Frank continues to serve through work with the American Legion National Children & Youth Committee, multiple state committees, and affiliations with the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Vietnam Veterans of America, and the Salvation Army Advisory Board.


• Dondi McKellar: Dondi McKellar is a service-disabled United States Navy Veteran, Military Sexual Trauma (MST) survivor, lung cancer survivor, and a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community with more than two decades of community leadership in New York City. Originally from North Carolina and the youngest of nine boys, Dondi comes from a family deeply rooted in military service; his father helped build Fort Bragg in 1954, and two older brothers served in Vietnam. He has called New York City home since 1982, where living through the height of the AIDS epidemic as a young gay servicemember informed his lifelong dedication to supporting marginalized communities and fellow Veterans. A Veteran street vendor since 2004 and former Chairman of the Street Vendor Project's Veterans Committee, Dondi has served on the Bronx Community Board 2, the Bronx Borough Landmarks Preservation Committee, and the Historic District Council's Six to Celebrate. He is a member of Black Farmers United NYS and the Bronx Borough President Veterans Advisory Council. His is also a member of the Josephine Herrick Project Advisory Council, with his photography featured in the "At Ease" exhibition at the Morris-Jumel Mansion in 2022.

VAB Member Borough Representation & Contact Info

• Dennis Torres (Queens)
  Email: dennis.torres@qc.cuny.edu


• Wendy McClinton (Brooklyn)
  Email: WMcClintonVABNYC@gmail.com


• Ashton Stewart
  Email: ashstewa@mjhs.org


• Linda Ollis
  Email: LOllisVABNYC@gmail.com


• Mercedes Elias
  Email: MEliasVABNYC@gmail.com


• Ryan Graham
  Email: ryansgrah@gmail.com

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