Temporary Commissioner

Brad Lindsay

Brad Lindsay is the Temporary Commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA). As Commissioner, Lindsay is charged with assisting the state’s 294,000 Veterans and their families. He also represents the Department at hearings before the Minnesota Legislature and United States Congress, and maintains close working relationships with the Veterans’ Service Organizations of Minnesota.

Lindsay has been the Deputy Commissioner of Programs and Services for MDVA since September 2014. In this role, he oversees Programs and Services Department, comprised of the Veterans Programs and Memorial Affairs Division, the Veterans Services Division and the Veterans Employment and Higher Education Division. These divisions consist of staff responsible for managing more than 20 program areas, including Minnesota’s three state Veterans Cemeteries, the Veterans Campus Representatives, Tribal Veterans Service Officers, Veterans Outreach, Veterans Homeless Programs, VA Claims assistance, State Soldiers Assistance Program, State Approving Agency, Gold Star Family Program, Women Veterans Program and Veterans Preference Enforcement.

Temporary Commissioner Lindsay is an Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran. He started his military career in the U.S. Army and served 14 years in the Military Police, within both the Regular and Reserve components. During his military service, he was deployed to Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, Germany and Panama and is the recipient of numerous awards including the Combat Action Badge, the Army Achievement Medal and two awards of the Army Commendation Medal.

He previously served three years as the Senior Director of Programs and Services at MDVA. His other relevant experience includes six years as the Olmsted County Veterans Services Officer and six years prior service in various positions within MDVA.