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The Story of SSV

FOUNDING STORY    RECOGNITION   LOOKING AHEAD

OUR FOUNDING STORY

How It All Began

Laura Ayers, with the support of her mother, Dawn Reynolds, began personally helping Veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As the need grew, it became clear the effort required more support than Laura could provide alone.

Will Webb and Jerry Gabig, inspired by their close family friend Scotty Smiley, who lost his eyesight in a suicide car bombing, recognized the urgency of the mission and joined forces. Becky Pillsbury also became involved as a founding board member, bringing deep commitment and strong connections through her husband, Jim Pillsbury, Deputy Commanding General of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command in Huntsville, Alabama.

Together, Laura Ayers, Dawn Reynolds, Will Webb, Jerry Gabig, and Becky Pillsbury founded Still Serving Veterans to ensure Veterans received the benefits, advocacy, and support they deserved when existing systems fell short.

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EXPANDING THE MISSION

Supporting All Veterans

The founders soon recognized that many non-wounded Veterans were also struggling to find and secure meaningful employment. SSV expanded its mission to support all Veterans and members of the National Guard and Reserve who needed guidance during their transition to civilian life.

At the same time, SSV identified that many Veterans faced financial instability during the gap between leaving the military and beginning civilian employment. In 2016, the organization added a counselor dedicated to connecting Veterans and their families with trusted community partners for financial, housing, and food-related assistance through what became the Veteran Support Network.

The goal: refer rather than replicate services, ensuring Veterans quickly access the right help. All referrals and outcomes are tracked through Charity Tracker and Salesforce, creating accountability and measurable impact.

EXPANDING OUR REACH​

Growing Through Change

SSV initially expanded its reach through in-person offices, allowing more Veterans to access services locally.

In 2020, the organization made a strategic shift by significantly expanding its virtual counseling model. This change allowed career support to extend beyond physical locations, giving Veterans greater access to services regardless of where they live.

Today, SSV combines in-person support with virtual services to reach more Veterans and families than ever before.

RECOGNITION & IMPACT

Building Partnerships and Earning Trust

One of SSV’s greatest honors came in 2014, when it was named a Primary Grantee of the Call of Duty Endowment (CODE)—a distinction the organization has earned every year since. CODE recognizes only ten nonprofit organizations across the U.S. and U.K. for their exceptional success in helping Veterans secure high-quality employment.

In 2019, SSV’s VA Benefits Counselors achieved American Legion and Alabama Department of Veteran Affairs (ADVA) accreditation, forming a public/private partnership that greatly expedited claims processing. This milestone became a game-changer, allowing SSV to serve more Veterans while easing the workload of local VA offices.

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Recognition
Supporters & Partners

CHANGING LIVES

Real Impact for Veterans​

Still Serving Veterans remains dedicated to helping Veterans and their families build on their military service to create meaningful and fulfilling lives.

Over the past three years, SSV clients have found new or better jobs with an average salary of $72,351. The VA Claims and Benefits Program has helped Veterans secure $11.2 million in disability, burial, pension, survivor, and education benefits during 2024—creating an estimated $18 million economic impact in North Alabama.

Through the Veteran Support Network, Veterans facing challenges such as financial hardship, housing instability, food insecurity, or mental health concerns receive timely support from SSV and its network of trusted community partners.

Every service is provided at no cost to Veterans or employers.

LOOKING AHEAD

Continuing to Grow and Serve

SSV’s leadership continues to play active roles in state and national Veteran policy and advocacy, ensuring that the organization’s voice—and the voices of those it serves—remain at the forefront of Veteran issues.

Looking forward, SSV plans to expand throughout the Southern U.S., develop scalable programs, and grow its team of remote counselors and support staff. Over the next five years, the organization aims to double its revenue to $5 million to fuel this expansion.

As SSV approaches its 20th anniversary in 2026, its commitment to empowering and equipping Veterans for a secure future is stronger than ever.

HOW WE SERVE VETERANS

Our Programs

SSV’s impact is powered by three core service areas that together address the most critical needs of Veterans and their families: career transition, VA benefits, and community support. Each program is led by Veterans, for Veterans, ensuring understanding, trust, and results.

U.S. Veteran attending a job interview with a careeer counselor by his side.
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Veteran Career Transition

Guiding Veterans and transitioning service members into civilian life through workshops, resume building, job search strategies, interview preparation, and career mentoring.

In 2025:

Increase in
Veteran hires
0 %
Average salary for placed Vets
$ 0 k+
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Happy disabled military man in wheelchair returning home.
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Veteran Claims & Benefits

Navigating VA benefits can be overwhelming. Our accredited counselors guide Veterans through applications and appeals to secure the benefits they deserve.

In 2025:

Secured in disability & pension awards
$ 0 M
Total impact
$ 0 M
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Group of diverse veterans talking during PTSD support group.
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Veteran Support Network​

Connecting Veterans with urgent needs such as food and financial support, this program ensures they can easily access a reliable and responsive network of service providers.

In 2025:

Provided in direct support
$ 0 k+
Veterans and families served
0
Find out more

CARRY THE MISSION FORWARD

Help Us Continue Their Legacy

Still Serving Veterans was founded by people who refused to let those who served fall through the cracks. Nearly twenty years later, that same spirit drives everything we do.

Your support helps ensure Veterans and their families continue receiving the guidance, resources, and hope they deserve.

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The Founding Years of Still Serving Veterans

The story of Still Serving Veterans began with Laura Ayers and her personal commitment to severely wounded Veterans returning from Afghanistan. While working full-time as an engineer for the U.S. Army, Laura spent evenings, weekends and personal leave helping more than 35 Veterans who were 100% disabled as a result of IED blasts and other combat injuries.

Laura visited wounded Veterans at facilities including Walter Reed and the Brooks Burn Center and provided financial assistance so their spouses could be with them. She saw firsthand that Veterans recovering from devastating injuries—often while heavily medicated for pain—simply did not have the energy to navigate complicated VA paperwork. Laura stepped in to help them secure their earned benefits. When Veterans returned home, she found volunteers to build wheelchair ramps and make their homes accessible. Whatever the need, Laura worked to find a solution.

Her efforts soon expanded beyond helping individual Veterans. Laura advocated at the state and federal levels for changes affecting wounded service members, including protecting security clearances for those who sought mental health counseling related to their military service. 

Her advocacy led then-Alabama Governor Bob Riley to appoint Laura co-chair of the Alabama Returning Veterans Committee. With assistance from a large Washington, D.C., law firm, she helped develop federal legislation addressing mental health support, military oversight, travel assistance for spouses of severely wounded Veterans, and support for families following a Veteran’s return home.

Laura also authored the “Reintegration Action Plan,” a practical workbook for service members and their families. She relinquished the rights so it could be widely distributed. The VA printed and distributed the workbook at facilities nationwide, and the U.S. Army approved it for public release, allowing it to be reproduced and distributed throughout government facilities.

Eventually, Laura’s personal resources could no longer keep pace with the growing need. She turned to her mother, Dawn Reynolds, for ideas about how to continue the work. Dawn contacted COL Will Webb, USA (Retired) who brought his West Point classmate Jerry Gabig into the conversation (and later as a founding board member). Becky Pillsbury, whose husband, Jim Pillsbury, served as Deputy Commanding General of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command in Huntsville, was also invited. Becky shared their passion for helping Veterans and brought connections to potential supporters. The group held its first meeting in August 2005.

Another inspiration was Scotty Smiley, a close family friend of Will Webb who lost his eyesight in a suicide car bombing in Iraq in 2005. Although Scotty was never an SSV client, his experience and resilience helped inspire the group as it considered how best to serve wounded Veterans and their families.

With assistance from Huntsville attorneys Joe Ritch and Michael Pillsbury, the new organization moved quickly through the nonprofit formation process, and Still Serving Veterans received its 501(c)(3) status in February 2006.

SSV’s first office was located within Phoenix, a Huntsville nonprofit with a rehabilitation focus. Joe Ritch helped secure the space, and Werner Baker was hired to assist Veterans with obtaining their VA benefits. After the organization had served its first 62 Veterans, Will Webb became CEO and hired Bill Koch, who would spend the next 16 years serving in virtually every role within SSV except CEO.

As SSV gained experience working with Veterans, its leaders recognized that the need extended well beyond those who were 100% disabled. Veterans at many stages of transition needed help obtaining their earned VA benefits and finding meaningful civilian employment. That realization helped shape the broader mission that SSV continues to pursue today.

Laura served a three-year term on SSV’s board. With a strong board and professional staff in place to carry the mission forward, she knew the organization she had helped inspire was in capable hands and turned her attention to other projects. 

What began as an effort to help wounded Veterans one at a time grew into an organization built to carry that commitment forward for generations of Veterans and their families. Will Webb helped guide that transformation, drawing upon the leadership and strategic expertise he gained earning an MBA from Harvard Business School and serving as a White House Fellow during the Reagan administration.

One of Webb’s most consequential contributions was establishing SSV’s relationship with the Call of Duty Endowment (CODE). What began with a $25,000 grant in 2010 grew into a long-term partnership that provided SSV with the resources to invest in current technology, build a strong operational infrastructure, and significantly expand its capacity to serve Veterans. That early investment proved transformational for the young organization. The partnership Webb helped establish has continued to grow, with CODE funding to SSV reaching approximately $12 million cumulatively through 2026.

Serving first as Board Chair and then as CEO, Webb helped transform SSV from a grassroots effort into a professionally staffed, well-equipped and sustainable Veteran service organization. He led SSV from its founding in 2006 until his retirement in 2019, when he passed the leadership baton to MG Paulette Risher, U.S. Army (Retired).

Paulette Risher led SSV through its next chapter of growth—and through one of the most challenging periods in the organization’s history. As the threat of COVID-19 emerged, Risher recognized early that the pandemic could significantly disrupt SSV’s ability to serve Veterans. Rather than waiting for a crisis, she led the development of policies, procedures and remote-work capabilities well before Alabama’s statewide shutdown.

That preparation allowed SSV to transition quickly and continue serving Veterans without interruption. During the two months that state offices were closed, SSV was the only location in Alabama where Veterans could continue receiving assistance with their VA benefits. At a time of tremendous uncertainty, Veterans were still able to reach SSV counselors, receive help with their claims and continue moving through the benefits process.

Risher’s foresight during the pandemic reflected a broader commitment to ensuring that Veterans could depend on SSV even when circumstances changed dramatically. She continued to lead the organization until her retirement in 2023, when RADM Rich Landolt, U.S. Navy (Retired), became CEO.

RADM Rich Landolt, U.S. Navy (Retired), became CEO in March 2023 and has focused much of his leadership on positioning SSV for its next chapter of growth. Recognizing that the organization had outgrown its longtime Huntsville headquarters, Landolt led the effort to identify and secure a significantly larger facility that could better serve Veterans today while providing room for SSV to expand in the years ahead.

At the same time, he led SSV through a comprehensive strategic planning process focused not simply on where the organization is today, but where it should be in the future. That work established a clear direction for responsible growth, expanded reach and long-term sustainability while preserving the personalized service that has defined SSV since its founding.

The results of that planning are already taking shape. In its 20th anniversary year, SSV moved into its new Huntsville headquarters and is building toward its five-year vision of becoming the “Go-To Veteran Service Organization throughout the Southern United States—and beyond.”

Today, SSV carries Laura’s original spirit of service forward through three core programs. And when a Veteran’s need falls outside those programs, SSV draws upon a network of trusted community partners to help connect that Veteran with the right resources. Twenty years later, the promise remains much the same: when a Veteran needs help, SSV finds a way to serve – either directly or by connecting them with someone who can.