Division Heads

Division of Administration
Kenneth G. Grant

Ken Grant serves as Division Administrator for the Division of Administration. He oversees the range of support services needed by the Department to include Risk Management, Employment Relations, Human Resources, Records Management, Payroll and Benefits, Fiscal Services, Information Technology, Facilities Management, Purchasing, Fleet Management and Continuity of Operations.

For the past three years, Ken was employed with the Department of Workforce Development as the Program Director for the Veterans Employment Program also known as the DVOP/LVER Program. Prior to this Ken was employed at WDVA for eight years as a Bureau Director in charge of many of the same programs he now is responsible for.

Ken is a retired Army veteran who enlisted as a private and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel with 25 years of military service. His service includes serving as a helicopter crew chief on Huey Helicopters, various infantry, ordinance, recruiting and personnel assignments in Europe and while serving with the Wisconsin Army National Guard. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and numerous other military management and leadership schools.

Ken received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Mount Senario College, Ladysmith and his Masters Degree in Business Administration from Touro University. He has one grown daughter and resides in Waunakee with his wife Mitzi.

Division of Veterans Benefits
Tom Rhatican

Tom Rhatican serves as the Administrator of the Division of Veterans Benefits. He oversees the Division's programs and benefits which includes the Bureau of Grants, Loans and Transitional Services and Bureau of Cemeteries and Memorial Services. He joined the WDVA after ten years with the Wisconsin State Senate and three years in private law practice.

Tom is a U.S. Army veteran with over 28 years of service in active duty, Guard and Reserve. He served the majority of his career in Army Aviation with initial duty in Germany and then as a flight instructor at the Army Aviation Center. In 2003, he served as the commander of an aviation task force in Kuwait and Iraq. Colonel Rhatican graduated with a Master of Strategic Studies degree from the U.S. Army War College in 2008 and recently served as the commander of the 3rd Battle Command Training Group at Fort Sheridan, Illinois.

He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Boston University and his Juris Doctor from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Tom lives in Madison with his wife, Linda. They have five children.

Division of Veterans Homes
Randall M. Nitschke

Randall M. Nitschke was appointed as the Division Administrator of the Division of Veterans Homes in September 2011 by Secretary John Scocos. Nitschke previously served as the second Commandant of the Wisconsin Veterans Home at Union Grove. Prior to that Nitschke served as the Executive Director of Mt. Carmel Medical and Rehabilitation Center. He has a total of over 20 years healthcare experience in both the private and government sectors.

Nitschke served in the United States Navy from 1971–1976. In 1971–1972 he served in Gulf of Tonkin, and from 1972–1976 he served in the U.S. Naval Submarine Service.

After Nitschke’s military service he completed his B.A. in General Studies from UW–Milwaukee and his M.Ed. from the College of William and Mary. He has been active in community affairs and service organizations including being a member of the American Legion and VFW.

Veterans Home Commandant – Chippewa Falls
Mark Wilson

Mark Wilson serves as the Commandant of the Wisconsin Veterans Home at Chippewa Falls. He is responsible for operating the facility in a manner which ensures quality care for veterans while maintaining operational efficiency and financial accountability.

Mark is a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator and a Fellow in the American College of Health Care Executives. He has over thirty years of health care leadership experience which includes acute care hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and physician group practice organizations.

As a Vietnam Era veteran of the United States Air Force, Mark relied upon the GI Bill to earn a Bachelor of Science Degree (BS) from Minot State University and a Master of Business Administration Degree (MBA) from the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater.

Mark lives in Chetek with his wife, Julie. They have three adult children.

Veterans Home Commandant – King
Jim Knight

Jim Knight serves as the Commandant of the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King. A licensed nursing home administrator for the past twelve years, he has worked in both private and public sector facilities. Prior to administering nursing facilities Jim served as a budget analyst for the Department of Health and Family Services, assigned to the Family Care program.

Jim served six years in the U.S. Air Force upon graduating from college in 1981. With his subsequent graduation from air navigation training, he was assigned to the B-52 aircraft and to K.I. Sawyer AFB in upper Michigan. Upon discharge in 1988 Jim had attained the rank of Captain. In 1991 he completed his Master of Arts degree in Administrative Services from Northern Michigan University in Marquette.

Jim lives in King. His two daughters attend college in their home-state of Michigan.

Veterans Home Commandant – Union Grove
Reid Aaron

Reid Aaron serves as the Commandant of the Wisconsin Veterans Home at Union Grove. As Commandant, Reid has the responsibility of overseeing the continuum of care for veterans requiring assisted living as well as skilled care. A licensed nursing home administrator, Reid has over thirty years of experience in healthcare operations, thirteen of which were in the field of geriatric care.

A retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, he spent four years on active duty as an Army Aviator and seventeen years in the U.S. Army Reserve. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Aviation Command and Staff Officer’s Course and U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.

Reid received his Bachelor’s Degree from Hofstra University as a Distinguished Military Graduate and his Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration and Planning from Johns Hopkins University.

He now resides in Kenosha.

Division of Veterans Services
James Bond

James Bond serves as Division Administrator of the Division of Veterans Services. He oversees the Division's programs and services which include the Milwaukee Claims Office, State Approving Agency, Outreach Unit, Eligibility Unit and the Veterans Benefits Resource Center.

Prior to employment with the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, James was employed by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development as Deputy Division Administrator in the Divisions of Employment and Training and Family Supports, and as Bureau Director of Management Services, in the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.

James received his Bachelor of Science and Masters of Science degrees from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He served on active duty in the United States Marine Corps from 1983 through 1988 with assignments at home and abroad.

James is a life-long resident of Madison and lives with his partner Todd Crouch.

Special Staff

Office of Legal Counsel
James A. Stewart

James A. Stewart serves as the Chief Legal Counsel of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs. He was previously employed by the Department as the Assistant Chief Legal Counsel from January 1991 until his appointment to Chief Legal Counsel in August 2007. His duties include the provision and coordination of legal services to the Veterans Board and Department staff and conducting administrative hearings on behalf of the Department.

He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas and Juris Doctor degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Prior to employment with the Department he was general counsel for two international software companies and served on the boards of several companies and an industry-lobbying group. He is author of several books on computer science programming and has written numerous articles for computer and legal journals.

He served in the United States Coast Guard from 1971 through 1974. He was an Electronic Technician specializing in Long Range Aids to Navigation and his tours included one year in Southeast Asia, where he was disabled and decorated. He is a member of the American Legion and AMVETS.

He has two grown daughters and lives in Monona, Wisconsin with his wife Mercedes.

Office of Policy, Planning & Budget
James A. Parker

James A. Parker serves as the Director of the Office of Policy, Planning and Budget (OPPB). He oversees the development, monitoring and managing of the department’s annual and biennial capital and operating budgets; provides financial, policy and statistical analysis of department programs; coordinates risk assessment, internal control development and internal audit services; and maintains effective working relationships with the State Budget Office, Legislative Fiscal Bureau and United States Department of Veterans Affairs officials. He also coordinates collection and analysis of demographic data concerning Wisconsin veterans; Department-wide planning and development of internal policies, administrative procedures and business improvement projects; and implementation of strategic planning.

Prior to employment with the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, James was a manager in the private sector and later became an entrepreneur. He has 17 years of state service with several state agencies (DWD, former DHFS, DOR and DSPS) and the University of Wisconsin. His positions were responsible for budget, finance, human resources, policy and information technology. He has performed in Division Administrator roles and as a Budget Director.

James received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Office of Public Affairs
Carla Vigue

Carla Vigue serves as the Communications Director. She oversees communications and public relations efforts to enhance the visibility of the Department’s programs, services and benefits. She also manages media relations for the agency.

Prior to joining the Department of Veterans Affairs, Carla was Communications Director for the Wisconsin Department of Administration where she was responsible for developing and implementing communications strategies for proactive outreach and crisis communications, as well as responding to day-to-day media inquiries. Carla has also served as the Communications Director and Spokeswoman for Governor Doyle and worked in the Secretary’s Office on communications and public relations at the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services. Prior to her work in Wisconsin, she worked in Washington, D.C. in the areas of federal relations and media and public relations.

She holds a Master of Arts from Loyola University in Chicago.

A native of Oneida, Wisconsin, Carla lives in Madison with her husband Brian.

Wisconsin Veterans Museum
Michael Telzrow

Michael Telzrow serves as the Director of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum. He has been working in the museum field for over fifteen years. He graduated from the University of Central Florida and earned a master’s degree in public history/museum studies from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. His formative years were marked by extensive work in collections management and exhibit development. From 1995–1997, he served at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum as a curatorial assistant. Subsequent museum assignments included the Neville Public Museum of Brown County and the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum. In 2006 he was named executive director at the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He has developed over 20 museum exhibits covering a wide range of subject matter and recently authored a photographic history of the Wisconsin State Reformatory.

In 2008 he was named an “everyday hero” by the Green Bay Press Gazette for his public service, and was recently honored by the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce as one of 20 local individuals who have made a particular impact in their field or industry. An eight-year veteran of the United States Coast Guard, Telzrow is married with two children.