Seal of Dane County County of Dane
Translate
Dane County Veterans Service Office

About Us

The Veterans Service Office of Dane County has a dedicated team.  Focused on service and advocacy for veterans and their families, we are proud to be VA-accredited through several nationally recognized veterans service organizations. Please get to know our team below.

Daniel Connery

Veterans Service Director

An image from 2018 of Dan

October 2018

Dan served in the United States Army from July 1988 to July 1991. After basic training and AIT, he was stationed in South Korea (Camp Ames) for one year before heading to Fort Knox, Kentucky.  He spent six months in the Middle East during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, working in support of the 1st Cavalry Division out of Fort Hood, Texas. He joined the staff of the Veterans Service Office in May 2006, after over 6 years with the Dane County Juvenile Court Program. Dan proudly served as president of the County Veterans Service Officers Association of Wisconsin from September 2018 to September 2019. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Upper Iowa University.

Dan enjoys following local sports.  He lives in McFarland and has three sons - Bailey, Kieran, and Riley.

An image from 1991 of Dan in service

January 1991

Southwest Asia

Bridgette Nelson

Deputy Veterans Service Director

An image of Bridgette

February 2015

Bridgette joined the Veterans Service Office in January 2015. She was enlisted in the United States Army and served as a Combat Medic. Her service included deployments to the Republic of Haiti in 1994 during Operation Uphold Democracy and various desert deployments to Cairo, Egypt. As a medic, Bridgette worked in field, hospital, and clinic environments. After service in the Army, Bridgette attended Columbus State University and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Information Technology/Information Systems. She enjoys reading, writing short plays, and is an active member of PEO, a philanthropic organization to promote the advancement of women through education.

Bridgette is married to Jesse who is an avid photography enthusiast and she is a proud mom of daughter Victoria.

An image from 1994 of Bridgette in service

1994

Republic of Haiti

 

Janelle Gallatin

Assistant Veterans Service Officer

An image from 2021 of Janelle at her desk

May 2021

Janelle joined the Veterans Service Office as an Assistant Veterans Service Officer in February 2021. She served in the Wisconsin Army National Guard for 7 years. She spent 3 years AGR in Richland Center, WI and in 2003 was deployed to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Janelle supported military families as a Lead Family Readiness Group Volunteer for the WI Army National Guard for over 11 years. The military is still a very integral part of her life as she continues to support her husband who is still actively serving. She earned a double Master’s Degree in School and Community Counseling from UW-Platteville and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management and Communications from Concordia University.

Janelle lives in Windsor with her husband, Fred, and their four children, Bella, Freddy, Noelle and Jewelles. When they aren’t attending sporting events or other activities for their children, you’ll find them in their happy place on the lake.

An image from 2003 of Janelle in service

2003

Kuwait


Margaret Garvin

Assistant Veterans Service Officer

 

 

 

 

 

Brandon Lutz

Assistant Veterans Service Officer

Brandon Lutz Bio Picture for ACVSO

March 2023

 

Brandon joined the Dane County Veterans office team in March of 2023. He enlisted in the United States Air Force in July of 1996 a Security Forces member. In 2001 he enlisted into the WI Air National Guard as a member of the 115th FW Security Forces. He was also a Combat Arms Training and Maintenance instructor. In 2013 he transitioned to Recruiting. His last assignment was as the 115th FW Recruiting Flight Chief.  He retired as a Master Sargent and full time member of the Air Guard in May of 2023. He deployed to Saudi Arabia in 1997, Baharain 2002 and Diego Garcia 2004.

Brandon Lives in Mount Horeb with his wife Amanda and children Avery and Jaxon.

Brandon Lutz in Military Gear

May 2003

Angela Sears

Assistant Veterans Service Officer

An image from 2021 of Angela at her desk

May 2021

Angela joined the Veteran Service Office in March of 2021. She retired as an E-8, Senior Master Sergeant, from the Air Force in 2019 with over 20 years of active duty and 4 years of part-time service in the Wisconsin Air National Guard. Angela’s military career included a deployment to Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1997 as a medic, and a tour with the Wisconsin Counter Drug Program where she worked with the FBI. During her 24+ years of service, 18 years were in different areas of recruiting & retention to include a five year tour at headquarters in Washington D.C. During her military service she obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Care Administration from Concordia University and an MBA from Touro University.

Angela’s passion is traveling to new places, and she’s an Advanced Open Water Scuba Diver. Angela and her husband, Chris, reside in Sun Prairie with their family. They have 3 kids (Colton, Calvin & Mira) and 2 dogs (Riley and Milly).

An image from 1997 of Angela in service

1997

Bosnia

Pamela Lange

Veterans Support Specialist

Pam in December of 2019

December 2019

Pam joined the Veterans Service Office as a Veterans Benefits Specialist in July 2019. She worked for many years as an EMT-Intermediate. Pam also volunteered her time for eight years responding to ambulance calls as a volunteer for the Waunakee Area EMS. She has spent over 25 years in the Public Safety field and has an Associate’s Degree in Paramedicine. Pam lives in Waunakee with her husband, Rick. They have three sons, Christopher, Jonah, and Zach.

Accreditations

The Veterans Service Office is accredited to represent claimants before the US Department of Veterans Affairs through the following organizations:

Memberships