CLEVELAND, Ohio (July 15, 2016) — Next week, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) senior leadership will be present at the Republican National Convention to focus the candidates and delegates on issues affecting veterans and service members.

WHAT: Leading veterans experts will be available for media at the Republican National Convention.

WHEN: Monday, July 18 – Thursday, July 21, 2016

WHO: Paul Rieckhoff, Founder and CEO Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Tom Porter, Legislative Director Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Art Davis, Ohio Member Leader Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

WHERE: The Quicken Loans Arena, 1 Center Ct, Cleveland, Ohio 44115

Paul Rieckhoff is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the leading voice for post-9/11 veterans and their families. As a non-profit founded in 2004, IAVA’s mission is to connect, unite and empower Post-9/11 veterans. Rieckhoff is a staunch political independent and IAVA is a non-partisan organization not affiliated with a political party or candidate.

On September 11th, Rieckhoff’s National Guard unit was formally activated for rescue and security operations. Later, Rieckhoff served as Platoon Leader for 3rd Platoon, B Company, 3/124th INF (Air Assault) FLNG, attached to 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division and spent almost a year conducting combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq. Rieckhoff was released from active duty in March 2004 and the National Guard in 2007.

A 1998 graduate of Amherst College, Rieckhoff currently resides in New York City. His first book, Chasing Ghosts, a critically-acclaimed account of his experiences in Iraq and advocacy on behalf of veterans, was published by Penguin in May 2006.

Rieckhoff is a widely sought after voice on veterans issues in the media. His recent appearances include: NBC’s “Nightly News,” CBS’s “The Early Show,” PBS’s “Tavis Smiley,” “The Charlie Rose Show,” and “ NewsHour with Jim Lehrer,” CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360,” MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show,” HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher,” MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports”, Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist and numerous NPR programs. He contributes to the New York Times, Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and Newsweek, The Hill and is a regular blogger for The Huffington Post and Military.com.

Tom Porter brings more than 20 years of strong government relations, campaign and military experience to IAVA. In his role as Legislative Director, he leads IAVA’s efforts to advocate for our nation’s veterans in Washington, D.C., bringing greater attention to Post-9/11 veterans’ issues to Capitol Hill.

Prior to joining IAVA, Porter was Vice President at Morgan Meguire, LLC, a Washington, D.C. federal government relations firm, since 2004. He was successful in achieving goals on behalf of a nationwide client base through aggressive and bi-partisan advocacy before Congress and federal agencies. Prior to Morgan Meguire, he served nine years on the staffs of three Members of Congress, most recently with former House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter.

Porter is a Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve with nearly 20 years of service, including two post-9/11 mobilizations to Afghanistan and the Arabian Gulf. He is a California native and holds a B.A. in Political Science from California State University, San Bernardino.

Porter is also a spokesperson for IAVA’s Capitol Hill initiatives and has recently contributed to Task and Purpose, NPR and PBS NewsHour.

Art Davis is from Amherst, Ohio and is an active IAVA leader in the Ohio area. Davis served for 12 years in the Navy as an Operation Specialist in the Air Defense community and served four tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Davis is currently enrolled at Youngstown State University, majoring in Social Work.

Davis has recently contributed as a guest columnist to Cleveland.com.