Anthony Woods facts for kids
Anthony Christopher Woods (born July 20, 1980) is an American politician who helps veterans and military families in Maryland. Since January 2023, he has been the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Veterans and Military Families. Before this, he was an officer in the United States Army and served in the Iraq War.
Early Life and School
Anthony Woods was born on July 20, 1980, at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California. His mom raised him by herself. She worked hard as a small business owner and housekeeper to support their family. Anthony grew up in Fairfield and Vacaville, which are in the San Francisco Bay Area.
He finished Vanden High School with good grades in 1999. A U.S. representative named Vic Fazio helped him get into the United States Military Academy at West Point. At West Point, Anthony studied economics and political science. He graduated in 2003.
Later, he earned a master's degree in public policy from Harvard University in 2008. He also got another master's degree in business from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Military Service
In 2003, Anthony Woods joined the United States Army as a second lieutenant in the Armor branch. He started his training at Fort Knox, Kentucky. While there, he chose to go to Iraq to lead a group of National Guard soldiers. He served in Iraq for eleven months in the Diyala province.
After his first time in Iraq, Anthony came back to the U.S. in January 2005. Later that year, in June 2005, he went back to Iraq for a second time with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment.
When he returned from his second deployment, the Army chose Anthony to teach at West Point. This was special because he was still a junior officer. To do this, he needed to get a graduate degree first. So, he went to Harvard University to study for his master's degree.
While at Harvard, Anthony helped students from low-income families apply to college. He also helped start a student group for The Fuller Center for Housing. He traveled to New Orleans three times to help families rebuild their homes after Hurricane Katrina. For this work, he and other students won the Robert F. Kennedy Public Service Award.
In the summer of 2007, Anthony helped lead a group of thirty cyclists across the U.S. They rode bikes to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. This trip went from North Carolina to San Diego, California. The group raised over $130,000 and helped build homes in five states.
Before he graduated in 2008, Anthony was chosen as one of three students to give a speech at Harvard's graduation ceremony.
After graduating, Anthony went to Fort Knox, Kentucky, for more training. He was later discharged from the Army in 2008 because of a military policy that was later changed. Because of this, he had to pay back the money the Army spent on his Harvard tuition.
In 2014, Anthony Woods joined the United States Army Reserve as a major.
Civilian Career
After leaving the Army in 2008, Anthony Woods worked for Governor David Paterson of New York. In 2009, he decided to run for Congress in California. His campaign got a lot of attention, but he did not win the election.
After his campaign, Anthony moved back to Washington, D.C.. He worked for a group called Be the Change, Inc. He helped with their "ServiceNation" campaign, which wanted more support for programs like the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps. He also helped cities find ways to use volunteers to solve problems. In 2011, Anthony was chosen as a White House Fellow. During this time, he worked at the United States Office of Personnel Management.
On January 12, 2023, the new governor of Maryland, Wes Moore, chose Anthony Woods to be the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs. The Maryland Senate approved his nomination on February 17.
See also
- Sexual orientation and the United States military
