Commissioner Viviana DeCohen
Appointed in December 2021, Viviana DeCohen became the Commissioner of the New York State Department of Veterans’ Services.
A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, Viviana DeCohen previously served as the Commissioner of the Mount Vernon Veterans Service Agency, and Associate Pastor at Mt. Vernon Heights Congregational Church.
She has dedicated her time and talent to assisting veterans, ensuring food, shelter, clothing, education, employment, and a little motivation, earning her the affectionate title of “Mama V.”
Her military service allowed her to earn a Bachelor’s in Behavioral Science, and a Master’s in Health Service Management, both from Mercy College where she received her start formally working with veterans and developing programs to enhance their academic and overall wellness.
She is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Gerontology, at Concordia University, Chicago.
Executive Deputy Commissioner, Joel Evans
Joel Evans is the Executive Deputy Commissioner for the New York State Department of Veterans’ Services. In his current role, he oversees the daily operations of the agency throughout the State and works closely with both the commissioner and executive staff to ensure the highest quality services and programs are available for veterans, service members, and their families. He has been with the agency since November 2007 when he was hired as a State Veterans Benefits Advisor.
Mr. Evans joined the U.S. Navy in 1984 and served as a torpedoman until 1996. He participated in Combat Operations during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. In 1996, he started his Naval Recruiting Career. His last four years of service were in the Hudson Valley working in Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Ulster, Sullivan, Rockland, and Orange Counties. He retired from the Navy in August 2007 as a Chief Petty Officer.
Mr. Evans is a native of Brooklyn, New York.
Deputy Commissioner of Administration, Jason Chakot
Jason Chakot is the Deputy Commissioner of Administration for the New York State Department of Veterans’ Services. In this role, he assists with ensuring a productive workflow, execution and tracking of Human Resources and fiscal matters within the agency. He joined the agency in September 2010 and served in multiple roles.
As a U.S. Army veteran, he takes pride in the fact he continues to serve Veterans, Service members and their families.
Deputy Commissioner, William Smith Jr.
William Smith Jr. is a dedicated and deeply committed leader within the New York State Department of Veterans' Services (NYSDVS), currently serving as Deputy Commissioner.
As a proud disabled combat veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps (2000-2008), his professional life is built upon a profound, decade-long commitment to supporting his fellow service members and their families.
Extensive Department Experience
William began his career with the NYSDVS in 2016 as a Veterans Benefit Advisor 1. He quickly established himself as a vital member of the department, specializing in guiding veterans and their family members through complex state and federal systems, ensuring they receive the benefits and assistance they have earned. His work is driven by a deep personal understanding of the challenges veterans face during transition and after service.
His extensive tenure prepared him for executive leadership through various key roles:
- Regional Supervision: He supervised the NYC/Westchester NYSDVS region and, most recently, the Eastern Region, fostering new community relationships and maintaining established ones.
- Training and Development: He was instrumental in training and supervising NYSDVS benefit advisors and their supervisors across the eastern region of the state.
- Direct Service: He has direct experience filing claims from the Montrose VAMC office.
Leadership & Community Focus
In his role as Deputy Commissioner, William maintains oversight of the Eastern Region while utilizing his comprehensive experience to enhance departmental strategy and service delivery across the state.
A native of Yonkers, NY, William possesses a philanthropic heart and a passion for community service. He previously served as a youth minister at the Fresh Start Christian Center in Mt. Vernon. He is married and blessed with five daughters.
Deputy Commissioner, Jason Shaddock
Jason Shaddock serves as Deputy Commissioner for the Western Region of the New York State Department of Veterans’ Services, providing strategic leadership and operational oversight in support of Veterans, Service Members, and Military Families across the region.
A proud native of Corning, New York, Deputy Commissioner Shaddock brings nearly 17 years of dedicated service with the Department and a strong reputation for steady leadership, operational excellence, performance management, and a deep commitment to all who served. He joined the Department in 2009 as a Veterans Benefits Advisor (VBA) 1 at the Bath VA Medical Center, where he led the office for more than a decade. In that role, he demonstrated consistent advocacy, sound judgment, and a collaborative approach that earned the trust of Veterans, colleagues, and partner organizations. His promotion to VBA 2 in 2019 reflected both his expertise and his ability to lead at a regional level.
As a VBA 2, Deputy Commissioner Shaddock oversaw two regions encompassing approximately 40 VBAs and administrative staff. He played a key role in staff onboarding and training, career development, and daily operational management. His leadership also included guiding office transitions, supporting the establishment of new service locations, and ensuring consistent adherence to departmental standards and best practices.
Throughout his public service career, Deputy Commissioner Shaddock has managed complex and often challenging situations with professionalism and focus. His ability to navigate conflict, foster productive relationships, and balance the needs of Veterans, staff, Department leadership, and community partners has been a defining strength.
His leadership is grounded in distinguished military service, having served seven years in the United States Marine Corps Infantry and three years with the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army. He has been combat-decorated in both branches and most notably served during the 2006 Battle of Ramadi in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. These experiences continue to shape his mission-driven leadership style.
Deputy Commissioner Shaddock is married and the father of three. He brings clarity, collaboration, and results-oriented leadership to his role, strengthening services and partnerships across the Western Region in continued service to all who served.
Deputy Commissioner of Veterans Education, William Clarke
William Clarke is the Deputy Commissioner of Veterans Education for the New York State Department of Veterans’ Services, Bureau of Veterans Education. In this role, he facilitates the efforts of the agency in promoting and safeguarding quality education and training programs, ensuring greater education and training opportunities, and protecting the integrity of the G.I. Bill for veterans.
Mr. Clarke joined the Navy in 1982 and served as a Storekeeper Chief Petty Officer on several submarines until he retired in May 2006.
General Counsel, Jonathan Fishbein
Jonathan Fishbein is the General Counsel for the New York State Department of Veterans’ Services. In this role, he is the lead on legislative priorities for the agency and manages the legal needs and concerns in regards to laws, regulations and proposed legislation for New York’s veterans, service members and their families.
Previously, he ran a private law firm for 22 years. Mr. Fishbein is a trained mediator and arbitrator, and served 17 years on the Board of Mediation Matters as secretary and later president. He is a former competitive Ice Dancer and for over 25 years held appointments as a figure skating judge.
He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and Juris Doctor degree from the Benjamin Cardozo School of Law.
Deputy Counsel, Benjamin Pomerance
Benjamin Pomerance is the Deputy Counsel for the New York State Department of Veterans’ Services. In this role, he supervises the Department's Appellate Unit and all of the Department's training efforts, serves as the agency’s Legislative Liaison, and leads several of the Department's programming initiatives. His work focuses on advocacy and assistance for veterans, service members, and military families on a wide variety of legal issues, from disability compensation to discharge upgrades to access to healthcare.
Apart from his work in the law, Benjamin is an avid arts journalist with more than 600 published articles, a pursuit for which he has received first-place awards in feature writing from the New York State Press Association, including the Association’s first-place awards for Best Feature and Best Coverage of the Arts in 2022, 2021, and 2020.
Director of Public Information, Joshua Fitzpatrick
Josh Fitzpatrick is a highly experienced communications leader with 31 years of expertise in the nonprofit, public, and private sectors delivering and leading strategic communications, social media, digital photography, government and media relations for diverse organizations.
Josh serves as the Director of Public Information for the New York State Department of Veterans’ Services, creating statewide promotional campaigns, marketing materials, and social media content to raise awareness of DVS services. He develops and implements comprehensive communication strategies to promote veteran-related benefits and programs.
Previously, Josh served as a Communications Consultant at the US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce, the nation’s largest nonprofit representing Pan Asian American businesses. Josh also led communication strategy and execution for the Science Philanthropy Alliance, a national coalition of leading philanthropic organizations supporting basic scientific research, as Interim Director of Communications.
Josh also served as Communications Director for two New York State Assembly Minority Leaders, in a dual role as Chief of Staff/Communications Director for two New York State Senators, as Communications Director for the Town of Halfmoon and the Cobleskill-Richmondville Central School District, and as an Executive Speechwriter for NYSERDA, New York’s clean energy agency.
Josh possesses a master’s degree in public policy from SUNY Empire, a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in English from Siena College and has 14 years of experience as an Adjunct Instructor at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Special Assistant for Community Engagement, Dr. Lessie Branch
Lessie Branch is the Special Assistant for Community Engagement for the New York State Department of Veterans' Services. In this role, she leads a team that supports public programming and initiatives for the Veterans of New York State and their families. In addition to traditional outreach activities for Veterans, her team is increasing efforts to reach women, minorities, and faith-based Veterans.
Dr. Branch joined the U.S. Navy in 1982 and served in various capacities. After leaving active duty in 1986, she served in the U.S. Navy Reserves, after which she enrolled in NROTC as a midshipman, but decided to pursue a different career path.
Dr. Branch is a public and urban policy scholar with a focus on racial socioeconomic and political disparities. She uses her skills, knowledge, and abilities to raise the visibility of human rights challenges and uses her public policy training to mitigate the disparities and create policy solutions to close these gaps. As an equity advocate, Dr. Branch works to make the invisible visible by exposing and reframing harmful speech and language in social policy and other narratives. She does this by helping people to think critically about how language assigns and transfers blame for inequity to those at the margins of society. She promotes social justice-minded education and restorative policies that advocate targeted economic, political, and social rights and opportunities. Dr. Branch cultivates strategies for individual and collective action for success.
Special Assistant for Outreach,
Mark Sollohub
Mark Sollohub joined DVS in 2015 as a Veterans Benefits Advisor for Albany and then Troy, NY, before leading a team serving veterans and family members residing in skilled nursing facilities statewide.
Mark’s last assignment was as a field supervisor, supporting VBAs in the Capital District and in offices from Plattsburgh, NY south to Westchester County. As Special Assistant for Outreach, Mark leads the DVS Outreach Team in their mission to “Find and Serve.”
Mark was born and raised in Niskayuna, NY, and graduated from Union College in Schenectady, NY, obtaining a Commission through Navy ROTC at RPI in Troy, NY. Mark served as a Surface Warfare Officer from 2004-2013, completing two tours onboard USS DUBUQUE (LPD 8) as Auxiliaries Officer and Ship’s Navigator, as Deputy Director of Training Support at Training Support Center San Diego, and as a Medical Officer Recruiter for Navy Recruiting District New England.
Outside of work, Mark has a passion for all things outdoors, especially sustainable food and farming. At his small family farm in Averill Park, NY, Mark and his family enjoy raising grass-fed beef, and growing organic fruits and vegetables.
Contact the Department: (518)-474-6114 | [email protected]