Tammy Van Dame '82

Tammy Van Dame, a 1982 Rush-Henrietta graduate, is Director of Corporate Communication for Naval Surface Warfare Center Dam Neck in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Ms. Van Dame served 10 years in the U.S. Air Force in public affairs positions throughout Europe and the United States, and served during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm in support of the 1st Fighter Wing’s efforts. She received multiple awards and recognitions, including the U.S. Department of Defense’s highest journalism honor, the Thomas Jefferson Award.

After leaving military service in 1994, Ms. Van Dame became a spokesperson for the Virginia State Police. She was responsible for overseeing media relations and public information for southeastern Virginia. In 2000, Ms. Van Dame was selected to join a team that developed interagency doctrine. This led to her accepting an exercise planner position with U.S. Joint Forces Command working at the Joint Warfighting Center’s World News Network. Ms. Van Dame provided simulated media broadcasts to all U.S. combatant commands worldwide, including mission rehearsal exercises for the Salt Lake City and Athens Olympics and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In 2003, Ms. Van Dame became part of the U.S. State Department’s International Information Speaker’s Program and has made several trips to Kosovo. There, in support of public diplomacy efforts, she taught media relations and strategic communication to senior leaders from Kosovo and the United Nations. She continues to bring this program to other governments worldwide and has received ambassador-level honors for her volunteer efforts.

Ms. Van Dame also is serving as the volunteer Outreach and Marketing Coordinator for the MODSIM World 2010 Conference and Expo, which is the premier international conference for modeling and simulation communities of practice. MODSIM World also promotes STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education for middle and high school students to keep the United States focused on maintaining a competitive edge.