Leadership team and advisory council

Leadership Team and Advisory Council

Gillian V. Jaeger, MHA
Founder, President & Chief Executive Officer

Gillian V. Jaeger serves as Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Veteran Shield Medical, providing executive leadership, strategic direction, and enterprise-level oversight for the organization. She brings more than three decades of experience across federal healthcare systems, managed care, and healthcare innovation, with deep expertise operating in complex clinical, operational, and policy-driven environments.

Ms. Jaeger has held senior leadership and advisory roles supporting the Department of Defense, Veterans Health Administration, and other federal healthcare programs. As CEO, she is responsible for organizational governance, strategic partnerships, and ensuring that innovative medical solutions are introduced responsibly, aligned with federal healthcare standards, and supportive of mission readiness, patient safety, and system resilience.

Ricky D. Allen, Ph.D.
Chief Operating Officer

Dr. Allen serves as Chief Operating Officer of Veteran Shield Medical, responsible for operational execution, enterprise controls, and organizational scalability. He oversees the translation of strategic direction into disciplined operational performance.

His responsibilities include day-to-day operations, compliance readiness, process standardization, and the transition of pilot initiatives into sustainable, repeatable programs.

Leroy Harris Jr.
Vice President, Strategic Engagement and Partnerships

Leroy Harris serves as Vice President for Strategic Engagement and Partnerships at Veteran Shield Medical, leading strategic engagement with federal agencies, healthcare systems, and industry partners.

He is responsible for stakeholder alignment, partnership structuring, and pilot coordination in support of mission-aligned healthcare initiatives. His role emphasizes long-term engagement, trust-building, and alignment with agency priorities rather than transactional sales activity.

Joseph Lynch
Vice President, Logistics, Supply Chain & Deployment

Joseph Lynch serves as Vice President for Logistics, Supply Chain, and Deployment, overseeing end-to-end supply chain readiness and operational delivery.

He is responsible for supplier coordination, logistics planning, inventory controls, continuity planning, and deployment execution. His role ensures that Veteran Shield Medical maintains reliable, compliant, and scalable delivery capabilities across federal, VA, and healthcare operational environments.

Advisory Council

Veteran Shield Medical’s Advisory Council is composed of former Senior Executive Service leaders, senior military officers, and nationally recognized subject-matter experts. The Council provides independent strategic guidance, mission oversight, and senior-level insight to support responsible innovation, federal engagement, and operational alignment.

Beverly Kuykendall
Senior Advisor – Federal Market Strategy & Acquisition

Beverly Kuykendall serves as Senior Advisor for Federal Market Strategy & Acquisition, bringing nationally recognized expertise in federal procurement, contracting strategy, and government market positioning.

She advises Veteran Shield Medical on federal engagement strategy, acquisition pathways, and alignment with agency priorities across VA, DoD, and related federal organizations. Her role supports disciplined market entry, compliance, and sustainable federal growth.

Wayne D. Wells, M.D., FABQAURP, CHCQM
Chief Medical & Clinical Governance Advisor

Dr. Wayne D. Wells serves as Chief Medical & Clinical Governance Advisor, providing senior clinical oversight and guidance to ensure patient safety, clinical integrity, and regulatory alignment.

He supports clinical evaluation, pilot design, and adoption decisions for innovative medical solutions. His background spans global health, disaster response, academic medicine, utilization management, and federal medical compliance, bringing a systems-level clinical perspective to organizational decision-making.

Kevin Sligh
Senior Advisor – Federal Healthcare Programs & Preparedness

Kevin Sligh serves as Senior Advisor for Federal Healthcare Programs & Preparedness, bringing executive leadership experience as a retired U.S. Coast Guard officer and former FEMA Senior Executive Service leader.
He advises on federal program alignment, preparedness frameworks, and engagement within high-accountability government environments, supporting Veteran Shield Medical’s work across disaster response and federal healthcare systems.

Roberto Ruiz
Senior Advisor – Public Health Systems & Readiness

Roberto Ruiz serves as Senior Advisor for Public Health Systems & Readiness, bringing senior-level public health leadership experience as a former CDC Senior Executive Service executive and retired U.S. Coast Guard officer.
He provides guidance on public health alignment, infectious disease preparedness, and system resilience, supporting integration of solutions into national and federal health system environments.

Gary K. Sumihiro
Senior Advisor – Governance, International Market Entry, and Cross-Border Growth

Gary K. Sumihiro serves on the Advisory Council, providing strategic guidance on governance, international market entry, and cross-border growth strategy. He brings more than 30 years of executive, legal, and advisory experience supporting corporate expansion, investment strategy, and public-private collaboration. Mr. Sumihiro has advised the U.S. Department of Commerce through the SelectUSA program and served on the U.S. Investment Advisory Council, offering insight into federal priorities related to foreign direct investment, domestic manufacturing, and global competitiveness. His counsel supports disciplined growth, regulatory navigation, and engagement with U.S. government and international partners.

Brooks Tucker
Senior Advisor – Veterans Affairs

Mr. Tucker serves Senior Advisor for Veterans Affairs, bringing more than two decades of senior federal leadership, military service, and policy expertise to the Advisory Council. He served as Acting Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (2020–2021) and as Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Legislative Affairs (2017–2021), where he led engagement with Congress on veterans’ health and national security priorities.
A retired U.S. Marine Corps Infantry Officer with 20 years of service, Mr. Tucker has extensive operational and legislative experience, including service as a Senate Defense Legislative Fellow and overseas deployments across multiple regions. He is a recipient of the VA Exceptional Service Medal and numerous military honors. Mr. Tucker currently serves on the board of Our Community Salutes and was appointed to the American Battle Monuments Commission in 2025. He also advises organizations on health care technology, military health, and veteran policy through his independent consulting work.

Dhriti Roy, Ph.D.
Senior Advisor Regulatory Strategy and FDA readiness

Dr. Dhriti Roy serves on the Advisory Council, providing strategic guidance on regulatory strategy, FDA readiness, and risk-informed execution for healthcare and medical technology innovation. A recognized regulatory thought leader and U.S. Department of Commerce MedTech mentor, Dr. Roy advises founders, operators, and investors on navigating FDA pathways, mitigating regulatory risk, and scaling responsibly. She brings additional perspective as a limited partner in select venture capital firms and a life sciences platform leader in Oxford, contributing regulatory, operational, and investment judgment to early-stage healthcare innovation and commercialization strategies.

Trevor Fleming
Senior Advisor – Clinical Operations & Systems Integration

Trevor Fleming serves as Senior Advisor for Clinical Operations & Systems Integration, bringing experience from both military leadership and healthcare operations. A retired military officer, he also brings industry expertise from his tenure with STERIS, a global leader in infection prevention and surgical technologies.
He advises on clinical workflow integration, operational feasibility, and alignment with provider and procurement environments, ensuring that proposed solutions are operationally sound and deployable within real-world care settings.

Let's Connect

EMAIL ADDRESS

info@VeteranShieldMedical.com

LOCATION

Reston, Virginia