Brig. Gen. Karen Berry introduces the new Department of Veterans Affairs

WILMINGTON, Del. — Retired Brig. Gen. Karen Berry is stepping into a new role at the center of Delaware’s veterans network as the first director of the Delaware Department of Veterans Affairs, a new cabinet-level department created to elevate how the state supports those who served.

Berry outlined her responsibilities and vision on Monday, November 1o,  on A Better Discussion, a webcast hosted by former Attorney General M. Jane Brady for A Better Delaware, a nonpartisan public policy advocacy group.

The department, referred to as DDVA, formalizes and elevates functions long handled by the state’s Office of Veteran Services and related agencies.

“It’ll come across typically as DDVA… Delaware Department of Veterans Affairs,” Berry said. “Me being in this position just really amplifies that office, the hard work that that office and our commissioners… and our cemetery staff [are doing]. I can help organize them and help us network with other state agencies so that we can fully support our veterans.”

A cabinet seat for veterans

The new department was created following unanimous legislative support.

“It was 100% supported in the House and the Senate,” Berry said. She added that Delaware’s political leaders have shown consistent unity on veterans’ issues. “Whatever your political affiliation is, everyone comes together… and is very supportive of anyone serving… and for veterans.”

Brady said lifting veterans’ affairs to cabinet status was intentional.

“The entire effort was really focused on elevating our obligation to support our veterans to the cabinet level,” Brady said on the program. “Like education, like labor, that’s important to us.”

As a cabinet secretary, Berry will join regular meetings with other top state officials, giving veterans a voice in broader decisions on employment, training, health care, housing, and social services.

“Being in that room with the other cabinet secretaries will help [her] in coordinating employment opportunities, training… and redirecting from the jobs they had in the military to civilian service,” Brady noted.

Berry said that access is critical.

“I can help bring [agencies] together and make sure that we increase awareness and help [veterans] get access to the services that they earned when they served,” she said.

What the new department oversees

Berry’s portfolio brings multiple existing programs and responsibilities under one accountable leader:

• Delaware’s state veterans cemeteries in Bear and Millsboro.

• The Delaware Veterans Home in Milford, established under Gov. Ruth Ann Minner.

• The Office of Veteran Services, including veteran service officers who assist with benefits, claims and casework.

• The Veterans Trust Fund, which provides emergency financial assistance.

“We have seen a great deal this year [of veterans] who don’t have anywhere to turn, they’re having financial difficulties,” Berry said. “We have a Veterans Trust Fund that… can give them some financial support to help them get through some rough points, and also direct them to other resources.”

Berry also oversees a 12-member commission representing veteran service organizations across the state. Her job, she said, is to strengthen coordination among those groups and state agencies, and to build a small core staff focused on outreach, constituent services and legislative work.

“I know I need a constituent [services person], I need someone to help with constituent issues and legislative issues,” she said. Over her first five weeks, she has been visiting other departments to study how they are structured. “It helps me… see what their departments look like, and how I might shape mine to be best supportive.”

Budget and staffing will grow gradually, she said, but the mandate is clear: make sure veterans are not left navigating the system alone.

Bringing national experience home

Berry’s credibility in the role is grounded in a nearly 37-year military career and a lifetime in Delaware.

Raised in the Stanton-Newport area, she attended local schools and graduated from Delcastle Technical High School before enrolling at the University of Delaware. She joined the Delaware National Guard as a college student, later commissioning through Army ROTC and remaining in the Guard for most of her career.

She served as an engineer officer before moving into the Signal Corps.

“I was a communications officer for the majority of my career,” Berry said.

Berry deployed with a U.S. Army Reserve unit to Afghanistan, where she helped run theater-wide communications.

“I was in charge of the communications network in the entire theater of Afghanistan,” she said.

Her Guard service ran alongside a civilian career as a high school math teacher at Sussex Central High School, where both of her children were students.

“I was a high school math teacher for the majority of my career,” she said.

Military service runs deep in her family. Her husband, retired Adjutant General Mike Berry, served in the Delaware National Guard and spent 28 years as a Delaware state trooper. Her son and brother also served and deployed, and earlier generations fought in World War I, World War II and Vietnam. That history, she said, shapes her commitment to today’s veterans, including those who came home to too little thanks.

“We did not treat [Vietnam veterans] right, but I do think we’ve done much better recently, and that’s one of the things that I will continue in this role,” she said.

Coordination, best practices, and community partners

Berry said one of the strengths of the new department is its formal connection to a national network of state veterans agencies.

“We have a national association… so we meet twice a year to talk about national-level issues, share best practices,” she said. “That’s a great resource for me… so that I’m not trying to just recreate things from scratch.”

In Delaware, she highlighted partnerships with organizations, including Friends of Delaware Veterans and the National Association of Black Veterans, which raise money for the Veterans Trust Fund and support local programs.

“They really do an amazing job of networking with big corporations… and they’ve been doing a lot of really good work for veterans across the state,” Berry said.

Her first Veterans Day period in office reflected the visibility and expectations of the new role: events at Delaware Tech, ceremonies at the Delaware Memorial Bridge, and a major gathering in Kent County that draws veteran service organizations from across the region.

Through it all, Berry said her goal is simple but urgent.

“We increase awareness and help them get access to the services that they earned when they served,” she said. “Having this department and this seat at the table helps us do that.”