95 – Jessie Jane Duff: Veterans Advocate – Spokesperson for Concerned Veterans for America

Summary: Jessie Jane Duff is on the Organizing Committee for Concerned Veterans for America. Jessie served 20 years on active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps and retired a Gunnery Sergeant. Along with multiple overseas deployments and combat related exercises, she provided logistical support to combat arms and wing units throughout her career, including Desert Storm and the Iraq/Afghanistan wars. In a collateral duty, Jessie served on the Executive Staff as the Equal Opportunity Advisor to the Commander of Marine Forces Pacific, the largest operational command in the Marine Corps prior to her retirement. She completed her career as a Motor Transport Operations Chief at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri. Jessie’s personal awards include three Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, four Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, and two National Defense Medals in addition to various awards for excellence during her time on active duty. In 2009-2012, Jessie was the spokesperson for Military Voting Rights USA, a national network dedicated to ensure active duty military voters have their votes cast and counted on time. She made national media appearances and advocated for timely and expedited mail delivery of ballots to American service men and women stationed overseas. Jessie testified before Congress’ Elections Subcommittee, Committee on House Administration based on her first-hand experience and concerns about voting rights for active duty military overseas personnel. She also was a highly visible advocate for Military and Overseas Empowerment Act (MOVE Act), which became federal law the same year. In 2005-2006, Jessie was Chairman for Americans for Dr. Rice, a national political 527 focused on Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her political future. As Chairman, she traveled extensively to numerous state party conventions and provided political analysis for Fox News, “Fox and Friends,” MSNBC’s “Hardball with Chris Matthews,” and CNN’s “The Situation Room.” Jessie currently works as an independent consultant in the cyber security industry. She has a Bachelor Science degree in Business Management and is a member of Disabled American Veterans, The John Carroll Society, Women in Defense, and Woman Marines Association.