by Jorge Gomez • 2 minutes
Please join us in congratulating Danielle Runyan—who served as First Liberty Senior Counsel and Chair of the Military and Public Arena Practice Groups—on her recent appointment to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
As senior advisor to the Office of General Counsel, Danielle now will play a central role at the federal level in protecting the rights and freedoms of our nation’s veterans. She will be tasked with identifying and meeting the legal needs of the VA, ensuring the just and faithful execution of the laws, regulations and policies that VA Secretary Doug Collins has responsibility for administering.
“Danielle is an excellent choice for this important leadership position at the VA” said First Liberty President, CEO and Chief Counsel Kelly Shackelford. “We’re grateful for her years of service to the mission of First Liberty and the many accomplishments she achieved in defense of religious freedom. We’re praying for her and wish her abundant success in this new mission.”
“Danielle has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to religious liberty and the rule of law all throughout her military career and as an attorney,” said David Hacker, First Liberty’s Vice President of Legal Services and Senior Counsel. “She will be a strong defender of America’s veterans, making sure they’re free to enjoy the freedoms for which they served and sacrificed.”
During her tenure at First Liberty, Danielle was an integral part of our legal team. She was at the forefront of our most important cases involving military service members.
Danielle was instrumental in securing a victory for our U.S. Navy SEAL clients, Navy Special Warfare Operators and other members of the Navy Special Warfare Community. After nearly three years of litigation, Danielle led our legal team in successfully resolving the case and reaching a settlement with the Department of the Navy.
This was a precedent-setting win. It ensured that Navy service members who refused the COVID vaccine for religious reasons—as well as those who elected to leave service after being mistreated by the Navy—would have an opportunity to correct their personal records. Including all those involved in the class action, this outcome protected and saved the careers of thousands of our military heroes.
Danielle also successfully defended Stephanie Carter, an Army veteran and nurse practitioner at the VA medical center in Temple, Texas. Thanks to Danielle’s tremendous work and the courage of our client, the VA implemented a policy to accommodate all VA employees who have religious objections to being forced to participate in abortions. This was a huge victory that not only impacted Stephanie, but thousands of religious employees at the VA.
We also commend Danielle for her contributions and stellar defense on behalf of First Liberty clients such as Jace Yarbrough, Matthew McCarthy and Shields of Strength.
Danielle earned her law degree from St. John’s University School of Law. She joined the First Liberty team in December of 2021, bringing nearly two decades of legal experience. This included serving as Senior Trial Counsel in the Commercial Litigation division of the Department of the Air Force for four years.
Her continuous commitment to leadership and public service earned her the Department of Defense Spirit of Service Award in May of 2021. Danielle continues to proudly serve our nation as a member of the United States Air Force.
We consider this call to service a temporary “leave of absence” and look forward to Danielle returning home to First Liberty at some time in the future.
Thank you, Danielle, for blessing First Liberty with your legal acumen and your fighting spirit! More than just a work colleague, we consider you a dear friend. We pray God will use your talents and experience for His Glory and for the protection of our country.
 |
|
|
