WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, on Wednesday held a hearing to consider the qualifications of John Lowry, III, to be Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service, or DOL-VETS for short.

At the hearing, Isakson noted the importance of interagency collaboration to make the service-to-civilian life transition process as effective as possible so that our veterans have the foundation to be successful after their service.

“All aspects of life are important for our veterans but nothing is more important than when they return from combat and find purpose and meaning to support their life," said Isakson. "Employment is the key to ensuring a quality life after service, and Mr. Lowry’s nomination is an important position for that reason. He is nominated to be assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service, which is a critical program to help us reduce the amount of unemployment among veterans and see to it that we pay back our veterans for the jobs they have done for us overseas and around the world. I congratulate Mr. Lowry on his nomination.”

Mr. Lowry is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and a consultant with Egon Zehnder, a global executive search firm. He previously served as chief operating officer of Allied Recreation Group and was in the senior leadership group of Harley-Davidson. Mr. Lowry served 15 years on active duty in the Marine Corps as an infantry officer and 10 years in the Marine Corps Reserve. His military awards include the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat Distinguishing Device and the Combat Action Ribbon for his 1991 service in the first Gulf War. He holds degrees from Princeton, Stanford, Harvard, and the U.S. Army War College.

The assistant secretary of DOL-VETS is responsible for a range of programs aimed at helping veterans succeed in the civilian workforce. That includes programs such as the Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program, which provides homeless veterans with resources and support to reenter the workforce.

The veterans’ employment agency also works with other federal agencies to offer the Transition Assistance Program to service members at bases around the globe to help service members leaving the military make a smooth transition to all aspects of civilian life.

In addition, the assistant secretary has the important responsibility of administering and enforcing the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994, which protects service members from discrimination on the basis of their service and provides reemployment rights regarding their pre-service civilian jobs.

A committee vote on Lowry’s nomination will be held in the coming weeks.

Isakson’s full opening remarks can be found here and questioning of Mr. Lowry here. 

Click here to view photos from the hearing.

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The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is chaired by U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., in the 115th Congress. Isakson is a veteran himself – having served in the Georgia Air National Guard from 1966-1972 – and has been a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs since he joined the Senate in 2005. Isakson’s home state of Georgia is home to more than a dozen military installations representing each branch of the armed services as well as more than 750,000 veterans.