Schatz Congratulates Hawai‘i Judge Coral Wong Pietsch on White House Honor

Washington, D.C. —U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) congratulated Judge Coral Wong Pietsch, U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, on being among 10 women leaders honored today by the White House as part of their “Women Veteran Leader Champions of Change” Program.

“This White House honor recognizes the significant contributions General Pietsch has made to our nation,” said Senator Schatz.  “As the first Asian-American woman to be promoted togeneral officer, Judge Pietsch is the embodiment of leadership at its best. I extend my congratulations to her on receiving this well-deserved award.”

Judge Pietsch serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and has had a lifetime of distinguished public service at the state, national and international levels. She began her public service when she joined the military and served on active duty in the U.S. Army as a Judge Advocate. Later, she continued her service in the U.S. Army Reserve and rose to the rank of Brigadier General, becoming the first woman in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps to be promoted to general officer and the first woman of Asian ancestry to be promoted to general officer in the Army. In 2007, as a Department of Defense civilian, she volunteered to deploy in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and served as Deputy Rule of Law Coordinator for the Baghdad Provincial Reconstruction Team. In cooperation with the Iraqi Bar Association, she helped establish a first-ever Legal Aid Clinic at one of Iraq’s largest detention facilities, a clinic that has continued to operate. On the state level, she served as the Chair of the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission. During the time she served, the Commission improved its administrative process, eliminated backlogs and implemented public education and awareness programs. Judge Pietsch was appointed to the bench in July 2012.

Women veterans account for 10 percent of all veterans and are one of the fastest-growing populations of veterans. The Champions of Change program was created as an opportunity for the White House to feature individuals doing extraordinary things to empower and inspire members of their communities.  

The Women Veteran Leader Champions of Change honored by the White House today were: 

• Erica Borggren, Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Chicago, IL
• Martha Daniel, President and CEO Information Management Resources, Inc.. Aliso Viejo, CA
• Mary Johanna Forbes, Assistant Director for Veterans Services for the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs. Dupont, WA 
• Ellen Houlihan, Vice-Chair, Board of Directors, West Point Association of Graduates, Allen, TX
• Sonia Jo Kendrick, Founder of Feed Iowa First, Hiawatha, IA
• Stacey Young-McCaughan, Director of Research for the STRONG STAR Consortium, Llano, TX
• Dana L. Niemela, MSW, Coordinator of the Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program, Denver, CO
• Graciela Tiscareño-Sato, CEO and Founder of Gracefully Global Group LLC, Hayward, CA
• Deborah Scott Thomas, Founder, President & Chief Executive Officer of Data Solutions & Technology, Inc., Edgewater, MD

###