FRANKLIN, WI – Forward Latino, a national non-profit, non-partisan advocacy and service organization dedicated to assisting Latinos pursuing the American Dream, today named Ms. Yolanda Medina of Waukesha, Wisconsin to the position of Policy Director For Military & Veteran Affairs. Ms. Medina enlisted in the United States Marine Corp in 1981, graduated from boot camp at Parris Island, SC. and went on to become the first female aircraft system technician in the Corp working on AV8-A and AV8-B Harrier Jump Jets. Upon completing her military service with her husband Joe Medina, they moved back to Waukesha where she served as Director of the Office of Military & Veteran Student Services at Carroll University, joined and served in the American GI Forum, launched the Wisconsin Latino Veterans Memorial Foundation and assisted with the Milwaukee County War Memorial. She is currently the Director of the UW-Milwaukee’s Military And Veterans Resource Center (MAVRC). Darryl Morin, President of Forward Latino stated “We are excited to have Yolanda Medina serving in this important role. She is a person of outstanding moral character and capacity and is truly committed to serving others. As we are dedicated to defending the rights of all, we are equally committed to ensuring our Hispanic men and women on active-duty and our Veterans, receive the full benefits and services promised. It is a sacred charge, a charge I am grateful Yolanda Medina will be leading for Forward Latino.” Ms. Medina received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious Studies and a Master’s degree in Adult, Community and Professional Education from Carroll University and plans to enter the Ph.D. program in Anthropology at UW-Milwaukee in the spring of 2020 to continue her research on Moral Trauma in the military.