Speakers

What I will be discussing: I will be discussing how the Veteran Services Department exists to support veterans and their families by helping them access benefits, services, and community resources they have earned through military service.

Bio: Karen Tyler is a Global War on Terror Veteran who served as a Mental Health Specialist in the U.S. Army, and was stationed in Schweinfurt, Germany. During her service, she provided counseling to soldiers and their families and was selected as a member of the European team for the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, where she contributed to research on pre-deployment mental health screenings. She received a Certificate of Achievement in recognition of her contributions to this work.

Karen currently serves as the District Director for Veteran Services for the towns of Lexington, Bedford, and Carlisle. She has over 10 years of experience as a District Director and Veteran Service Officer, including two years with the Town of Lexington. In her role, she assists veterans and their families with federal, state, and local benefits, as well as comprehensive wraparound services.

In addition to her municipal work, Karen has served on the Executive Board of the Massachusetts Veterans Service Officers Association, contributing to statewide advocacy and professional leadership in veteran services.

 

Much has been written about World War II. What is largely overlooked and rarely mentioned is the vital contributions of the Army Epidemiological Board. Their dedicated and brilliant work in controlling infectious diseases among our troops was a major contribution to winning the war. My father, Dr. Emanuel B. Schoenbach, was a member of the Army Epidemiological Board.

 

My speech is about his medical contributions via the Army Epidemiological Board. The breakthrough lead to American medical strategies pivotal in keeping our troops safe and fit to fight. After the war, Dr. Schoenbach did some of the pioneering research in antibiotics and cancer, which helped lead to the dawn of modern medicine.

 

Wendy Reasenberg holds a degree certified public accounting from Bentley University, a degree in design from the New York State College of Ceramics, and a Master’s in design from Pratt University. She practiced accounting in greater Lexington and then went on to study memoir writing at Lexington Adult Education. Wendy served at the Mittersill Alpine Resort in New Hampshire, as treasurer of Governor Paul Celluci’s campaign fund, as a town meeting member, and she currently runs a ping pong program for seniors at the Lexington Community Center. She is the author of Manny and Frances: An Extraordinary Couple, a biography of her parents’ unusual life and her father’s extraordinary medical career. Wendy is married to Dr. Robert Reasenberg, a physicist. They have a daughter, Suzanne, who is a dieticien at Emeeson Hospital. Wendy and Bob live in Lexington, Massachusetts.