It will mark the 11th ceremony since the inaugural event in 2013. This year’s class will bring the total number of honorees to 41, and four military branches — the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and Navy — are represented. The ceremony will take place during an invitation-only event.

Introducing CalVet’s 2024 Trailblazer Award recipients:

Yolanda Hagen

Yolanda Hagen, Sacramento. Hagen spent three decades in the United States Air Force (active, reserve, and guard) during a career that included a deployment to Iraq and assignments in Japan and South Korea. She earned a bachelor of science degree in nursing in 2006 and retired from the Air Force Reserve as a major in 2020 — a year into her new duty as the Women Veteran Program Manager and Nurse Manager for the Northern California Healthcare System of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Sacramento. There, she has bolstered the Women Veteran Program by expanding staff and funding that benefits the 13,000-plus women veterans enrolled in VA Northern California. That includes services focused on mental health and wellness, education, employment, and programs that address homelessness.

Marti Ingraham

Marti Ingraham, Fallbrook. Following two years of active duty in the Marine Corps, Ingraham turned her energies toward numerous service organizations supporting veterans and active duty men and women in the San Diego area. Her primary focus, is on women veterans. She hosts coffee get-togethers that enables them to share concerns and stay connected. She works with an organization that aids active-duty moms by providing the items they need for their babies. She serves on the board of another organization that provides assistance to any veteran or active duty servicemember. She also belongs to both the American Legion — she served as Post 776 commander for four years — and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, holding Post and District officer positions. And she collects clothing and hygiene items that go to homeless veterans at stand downs in San Diego County.

Keshia Javis-Jones

Keshia Javis-Jones, San Diego. Javis-Jones is the director of community partnerships at the Foundation for Women Warriors. She spent a decade in the Marine Corps as an administrator and in reserve career planning. She took on additional duties including coordinator for funeral honors, Toys for Tots, and served as women’s search team advisor. Javis-Jones went on to add a Harvard Business School course for nonprofit management to her credentials. She serves on the San Diego Mayor’s Veterans, Military and Families Council. Javis-Jones also is an advisor to the KPBS GI Film Festival, among other community endeavors. She draws from her leadership skills and personal experience to advocate for the women veteran community and directly impact the success of transitioning veterans.

Caity Lynch

Caity Lynch, Oakland. Lynch served for seven years as an Army Reserve officer and Afghanistan War veteran, where she earned a Bronze Star medal while commanding an Engineer Construction Company to expand coalition bases in 2017-2018. While serving in Afghanistan, she commanded an Engineer Construction Company to expand coalition bases. Upon her return to the U.S., Lynch served as a special investigator at the California Department of Cannabis Control before enrolling in law school to become a veterans’ law attorney. Now in her final year at U.C. Berkeley School of Law, she helped low-income veterans obtain VA benefits as an intern at Swords to Plowshares and is one of the Veterans’ Law Practicum student-authors of the recently published report “Broken Promises: How America Deports its Veterans and Deprives Them of Healthcare and Benefits.” As a leader of the student-led pro bono project Legal Obstacles Veterans Encounter (L.O.V.E.), she trained and led 21 law students to donate 403 volunteer hours and help 40 California veterans.

Rocio Palmero

Rocio Palmero, Los Angeles. Palmero served 14 years in the Navy before returning to school to work toward a master’s in public administration. She is now the program coordinator for Women Vets on Point, an organization that brings together a team of program developers, service providers, and researchers from U.S.VETS and Education Development Center, Inc., and is supported by the Bob and Dolores Hope Foundation. Palmero is a tireless advocate for women veterans struggling with mental health issues, housing insecurities, and childcare issues. She serves on the Los Angeles Veterans Advisory Board that shapes policies that benefit veterans throughout the Los Angeles area. She also is a volunteer chaplain for the American Legion, providing spiritual guidance and emotional support to troubled veterans.

Marina Rabinek

Marina Rabinek, Temecula. A 24-year Navy veteran, Rabinek founded the Military Women’s Collective in Temecula in October 2021. A talented networker, her organization unites military-affiliated women through an array of innovative programs, community events, and strategic partnerships. In its first year alone, she engaged over 8,000 members. She led the way for a mental health initiative that aided community members. And working with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Million Veteran Program to book participation of women veterans in genetic research aimed at better predicting diseased and conditions affecting veterans. She also has worked with Fortune 100 companies to improve the veteran recruitment process.

California is home to nearly 163,000 women who served in our U.S. military. They are veterans, family members, friends, business owners, professionals, community leaders, and advocates. Women veterans served in every major U.S. conflict and in peacetime since our Revolutionary War. For this they are owed a great debt of gratitude. For more information, visit our Women Veterans​​ division website.
Source: CalVet