UVLC of Minnesota is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that brings together a consortium of veterans, military, and auxiliary organizations to exchange information and support issues relating to veterans, military retirees, national guard, and military reservists, including their dependents and survivors. Our mission is to speak with one voice to facilitate legislation that makes Minnesota more veteran and veteran business friendly. On February 23, 1968 at the State Veteran Service Building, a historic first meeting was held in the Office of Commissioner of Veterans Affairs – Alcuin Loehr of St Cloud, MN. UVLC has been bringing veterans, legislators, advocates, and community leaders together every 1st Wednesday of the month, for over 50 years.

MIKE RIVARD – Chairman
Mike Rivard is a combat veteran who served with Underwater Demolition Team Twelve in Vietnam 1967-1968, as Officer in Charge of demolition/diving detachments. Administratively he was head of boats, engineering, electronics, and supply departments, which set a Navy readiness record. Tactical nuclear weapons qualified. Prepared team’s annual budgets. Top Secret + security clearance. Rank: Naval Lieutenant (O-3).

After the Navy Rivard became a real estate lender with Minneapolis First Bank (now US Bank). He did construction, land, and industrial-commercial-residential loans and his department earned the bank’s highest net profit margin.

After banking Rivard did rural development projects in Saskatchewan, Alaska, Baffin Island, Oregon, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. In one year Rivard planned, financed, and built an $8 million Native American casino east of Hayward, Wisconsin.

Rivard belongs to the 14,000 members of Minnesota Farmers Union and is an officer of their Hennepin-Ramsey county organization. Rivard also serves informally as the veterans’ liaison to Minnesota Farmers Union.

Mike is a 27 year member of a Masters Swim team. He attended the University of Chicago and the University of Minnesota.

Rivard has a keen interest in PTSD, concussions, and toxic exposure. He and his divers in the Mekong Delta were poisoned by Agent Orange and the ones alive now are cancer survivors. Rivard suffered PTSD and, for a four month period, was homeless. Later, with his permanent disability Rivard decided to dedicate his remaining focus and energy on serving veterans and their families.

Rivard served UVLC as Secretary and Vice Chairman over ten years. He successfully advocated for two new rural Veterans Centers in MN, and for the legislative funding for EMDR services, where he’d helped draft proposals and provided testimony. Early on he assisted Trista MatasCastillo in advancing the MN Women Veterans Initiative.

Like others in this room Rivard’s state-wide service to veterans earned him a MN Humanities Association Veterans Voices Award.

BENJAMIN KRAUSE – 1st Vice Chairman
Benjamin Krause is an award-winning veterans advocate, journalist, and attorney who served in the US Air Force Special Operations Command and Air Mobility Command.

Benjamin is a national leader on military veterans policy. His work has been featured in such publications as Newsweek, Foreign Policy, Bloomberg TV, CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, Star Tribune, Pioneer Press and TheHill. His veterans advocacy work on traumatic brain injury benefits has been regularly featured in the Emmy-award winning work by the Kare11 News Team. He was selected to provide written testimony on VA Veteran Readiness & Employment policy issues and testified before the Democratic National Platform Committee.

Benjamin graduated from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL with a bachelor’s in economics and holds a juris doctor from the University of Minnesota Law School where he graduated magna cum laude.

When not spending time with his family, Benjamin can be found helping veterans in his law practice Krause Law PLLC or publishing news stories on DisabledVeterans.org.

Benjamin is a recipient of the Minnesota Humanities Center Veterans’ Voice Award for his work as a veteran advocate.from the University of Minnesota.

Brian enjoys reading and the outdoors in his free time.

JERRY KYSER – Chairman Emeritus & Legislative Fellow
Jerry is a US Army Aviation Combat Disabled Vietnam Veteran who since 2001 has dedicated his time to serving veterans. He has been the Chairman of UVLC for 7 of the past 16 years, is Co-Chairman of Military Action Group, as well as a Stillwater Prison Veterans Advocate.  He is a pilot with the Commemorative Air Force and Executive Director of the MN Vietnam Veterans Charity Car Donation Program.  Jerry was the recipient of the 2014 Veteran Voice Award.  In 2016, Jerry received National recognition by being awarded the Ellis Island Medals of Honor Award in New York.