D.C. area veterans center welcomes senior advisor
The Virginia Tech Boeing Center for Veteran Transition and Military Families welcomed Patricia “Patty” Montes-Barron as senior advisor, effective February 1, 2026.
Barron brings decades of senior leadership experience at the intersection of federal policy and national advocacy, with a career defined by translating complex defense priorities into programs that materially improve the lives of service members and their families. Most recently, she served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy from 2021 to 2024. In this role, she directed department-wide efforts to strengthen quality of life for the military community, expand spouse economic opportunity, and oversee critical support infrastructure – including Military OneSource.
“Patty Barron is one of the most experienced and effective leaders in the military family policy space in the country,” said Debbie Bradbard, director of the Boeing Center. “She has shaped policy at the highest levels of the Pentagon and driven change on the ground through the nonprofit sector. Her joining our team is a significant milestone — and a signal of what the Boeing Center is becoming for veterans and military families.”
Barron is the founder and principal of PMB Consulting. She holds degrees from the University of San Francisco and Long Island University; executive education credentials from Georgetown University and the Harvard Kennedy School; and an honorary doctorate from the University of San Francisco. Barron previously held senior leadership positions across leading national nonprofit and advocacy organizations, building a track record of systems-level change on behalf of the military family community.
The Boeing Center for Veteran Transition and Military Families is a partnership between Boeing, the Virginia Department of Veteran Services, and Virginia Tech. The Boeing Center harnesses the resources of its partners to deliver opportunities that expose veterans and military families to workforce focused education, upskilling, and entrepreneurship training that builds on their military experience and prepares them to thrive in the innovation economy.
Learn more about the Boeing Center for Veteran Transition and Military Families: https://dcarea.vt.edu/veterans-center.html.
