NaVOBA recently formed the Federal Government Advisory Board (FGAB) to create more opportunities for America’s 3 million veteran-owned businesses. The FGAB will provide a single voice to advocate with the nation’s top elected officials ensuring that the government honors its commitments to the nation’s vetrepreneurs. The FGAB will be led by NaVOBA Director of Legislative Affairs Dennis Demolet, and NaVOBA Director of Policy John K. Lopez.

Dennis DeMolet, FGAB co-chairman, is a leading expert in the veteran business movement. Formerly, DeMolet served as the national chairman of the Advisory Committee for Veterans Business Affairs for the U. S. Small Business Administration in Washington, D.C. In 2003, the SBA honored Demolet as the Veterans Small Business Advocate of the Year.

A vetrepreneur himself, Demolet serves as the president of DeMolet Consulting and is an active proponent for vetrepreneurs in the federal government. As such, he has regular access to key executive leadership officials in government, industry and academia. Demolet brings his 35 years of dedicated service to the veteran business community to fight to create opportunities at the federal level for America’s 3 million vetrepreneurs.

John K. Lopez is widely regarded as the godfather of the veterans business movement. Lopez was pivotal in creating the California legislation passed in 1989 that served as the precursor for the federal legislation launching the VOB movement in 1999.

Lopez served as the director of the Business Development Center of Santa Clara County, Calif., and also as a consultant for the governor of California, the Assembly of the State of California and the Entrepreneurial Curriculum Development Program of the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Lopez was founding co-chairman of the National Task Force on Veteran’s Enterprise of Washington, D.C. Each year, the California Governor, presents the “John K. Lopez Excellence in Veteran Business Award” and the Veterans Corporation also annually bestows the annual “John K. Lopez National Achievement Award.” 

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