Administration
Bridgette G. Sorrell, Administrator, Trust and Foundation
DAV (Disabled American Veterans)
Bridgette Sorrell was named manager of Trust and Foundation Administration in 2012 and promoted to administrator in 2015. In this position, she oversees the day-to-day operations of the DAV National Service Foundation (NSF), the DAV Charitable Service Trust (CST) and the Disabled Veterans’ Life Memorial Foundation (DVLMF), three independent nonprofit organizations with combined assets of more than $200 million. These organizations have a long and close association with DAV and serve many valuable functions. NSF supports DAV in the local, state and national capacity through financial assistance to the DAV National Service Program, the Transportation Network, and departments and chapters, as needed. CST supports a variety of charitable programs benefiting ill and injured veterans throughout the country. DVLMF is charged with the responsibility of promoting the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial, located within eyesight of the U.S. Capitol, for the purpose of educating the public on the sacrifices and needs of disabled veterans.
Sorrell began her DAV career in 2001, shortly after graduation from high school. Initially assigned as a donor relations correspondent, she was promoted to the DAV executive offices in 2006, where she provided direct support to both the comptroller and the general counsel.
In 2010, Sorrell was promoted to the newly created position of legal and regulatory affairs coordinator. In that capacity, reporting to the general counsel, she assumed wide-ranging duties that involved a range of issues including fundraising compliance, litigation management and basic legal research.
She also played a major role in the creation and implementation of new procedures for managing contracts and tracking bequests. Working with the National Service Department and the general counsel, she helped structure DAV’s expanded program of veteran representation at the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.
As Trust and Foundation administrator, Sorrell has played a key role in several initiatives involving DAV, NSF, CST and DVLMF. During her tenure, DAV and CST created a unique partnership with the Veterans Legal Clinic at Harvard Law School; the CST achieved its first and second perfect score ratings from Charity Navigator; NSF funded a groundbreaking training/resource program for DAV national service officers; and DVLMF inaugurated an innovative web-based “virtual visit” to the memorial. In 2017, the memorial received the Veterans Community Award for exemplifying extraordinary quality of public service, exemplary advocacy efforts and outstanding service to the veteran’s community.
Since 2015, Sorrell has served as a board member of the Military Families and Veterans Service Organizations of America (MFVSOA) where she was appointed as audit committee chairman in 2018 and served in that role until being elected as treasurer in 2021. She began serving as a Charity Navigator nonprofit adviser in 2020.
Sorrell is a native of Kentucky and is a member of DAV Auxiliary Unit 19 in Erlanger, Kentucky.
