Overview & Mission

Overview

NAVR is a national trade association that promotes ethical and transparent business practices among companies engaging with the service-disabled Veteran community while helping advance support for Veteran-owned businesses. With 20 million Veterans in the United States projected to spend $43.6 billion annually, NAVR advocates for businesses that empower Veterans with professional and transparent solutions. Former Acting VA Secretary Peter O’Rourke serves as President of NAVR.

Mission

NAVR’s unwavering commitment is to preserve Veterans’ rights by championing honorable business practices and advocating for companies serving Veterans.

Is Your Company Serving Veterans?

Leadership

Peter O'Rourke

President

Peter O'Rourke serves as President of the National Association for Veteran Rights (NAVR). He is an accomplished leader with a successful professional track record in both government and critical industries. Mr. O'Rourke's expertise spans executive leadership, operations, market strategy, M&A, communications, and government relations.

His notable roles include acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), where he led a workforce of over 380,000 employees and managed a substantial budget. He also served as VA Chief of Staff, and successfully stood up and led the VA Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection.

Mr. O’Rourke is a U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force Veteran and continues to contribute to various industries that support Veteran-focused missions. His diverse experiences, from supply chain management to healthcare technology development, showcase a dynamic career dedicated to public service and corporate leadership. He has held various senior leadership roles with Accenture, Blackland Group, Calibre Systems, U.S. Army, and Western Magnesium Corporation. O’Rourke is Chairman of NorthView Acquisition Corporation’s Board of Directors and sits on the Board of AXIM Biotechnologies.

Ashleigh Barry

Senior Vice President of Communications
Ashleigh@NAVR.org

Ashleigh Barry was appointed Senior Vice President of Communications for the National Association for Veteran Rights (NAVR) in January 2024. She is a multi-award-winning journalist and communications executive, her various coverage as an investigative television reporter has garnered multiple Emmy Awards and nominations, as well as the distinctive Edward R. Murrow Award.

Ms. Barry is a certified executive coach with a unique specialty in executive presence coaching and advising on media techniques, communications strategies, and shareholder reach. As the Chief Executive Officer of Barry Media & Communications Consulting Firm, she currently lends communications expertise, executive coaching proficiency, and serves as the primary host for Global One Media, a digital firm in which she hosts exclusive one-on-one interviews that feature CEO’s of publicly traded companies from New York to Australia.

Ms. Barry most recently served as Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications and Media Relations for Western Magnesium Corporation. Additionally, she spent nearly four years in the Federal Government as a Senior Executive specializing in strategic communications for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Ms. Barry served as the lead communications advisor to four Presidential VA Cabinet secretaries and served as a Senior Advisor in the Secretary’s Center for Strategic Partnerships at the VA where she and her team built multi-million dollar programs with external partners in industry and foundations to establish novel and impactful programs that improve Veterans’ lives. Ms. Barry brought a unique skill set in effectively communicating the value of strategic partnerships to a broad audience of Veterans, their families and caregivers, strategic partners and the larger Veteran-centric community with clarity and impact.

Preceding her dedicated service to Veterans, she spent 20 years as an anchor, investigative, and cold case reporter for television networks including ABC, CBS, Fox News Channel, NBC, and MSNBC. In fact, her close association with the VA began during her investigative work on the highly publicized VA shakeup in Phoenix, AZ. She came to know and form relationships with affected Veterans who were struggling with various combat-related health issues. This ignited a desire to help ease their burdens and to bring their plight to the attention of the viewing audience.

By Veterans, For Veterans

NAVR fulfills the need for an association that genuinely understands the dynamic between businesses serving Veterans and the Veterans themselves. NAVR will create an environment where Veterans feel both respected and valued.

Our mission and vision anchor on a singular tenet: working relentlessly to preserve Veterans’ rights. We aim to encourage and equip ethical companies and business practices that not only serve but also uplift Veterans.