Tammy Barlet is the Vice President of Government Affairs for Student Veterans of America (SVA), where she leads the organization’s federal and state policy strategy to strengthen higher education pathways and student success. She works closely with Congress, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Education, and national partners to advance policies that improve degree completion, modernize VA education programs, strengthen campus support structures, and expand opportunity student veterans enrolled nationwide. Her portfolio includes G.I. Bill modernization, Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) enhancements, Guard and Reserve parity, student veteran data collection, and improvements to basic-needs support and campus resource centers.

Tammy served eight years in the United States Coast Guard as an Operations Specialist Third Class Petty Officer. In 1998, she deployed to the Persian Gulf aboard USCGC Chase (WHEC-718) in support of Maritime Interdiction Operations, during which the crew diverted vessels violating United Nations sanctions and interdicted more than 1.5 million gallons of fuel oil. At her final duty station, Vessel Traffic Service Houston/Galveston, she earned the Coast Guard Achievement Medal for diffusing a potential homeland security threat.

After transitioning to civilian life, Tammy returned to Pennsylvania and pursued her higher education journey as a first-generation, nontraditional student. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from Temple University and a Master of Public Health from The George Washington University. Her policy foundation includes a State Policy Internship with the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and her selection as a 2019 VFW-SVA Legislative Fellow, where her research contributed to testimony before the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act.

Tammy is also a graduate of the Bush Institute’s Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program, where her Personal Leadership Project focused on expanding national pathways for veterans entering the nursing profession. Drawing on her own transition experience and the country’s critical nursing shortage, she highlighted the leadership, resilience, and mission-driven mindset veterans bring to healthcare careers, work that continues to influence her advocacy.

Throughout her role at SVA, Tammy has championed veteran-centric higher education reform, advocated before both the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees, and helped shape national conversations around student veteran success, women veterans, mental health, and access to education benefits. Recognized as a 2023 VA Center for Women Veterans “Women Veteran Trailblazer,” she remains committed to improving outcomes for those navigating the transition from service to higher education and into meaningful careers.

Tammy resides in Maryland and enjoys quilting, kayaking, hiking, biking, and geocaching.