A-G Associates Appoints Cicely Burrows-McElwain, MSW, LCSW-C, as Director of the Military, Veteran & Family Center of Excellence (MVF COE)
Federal behavioral health and suicide prevention leader joins the MVF COE to expand and operationalize system-level impact for service members, Veterans, and families.
Columbia, MD (February 2026) — A-G Associates is proud to announce the appointment of Cicely Burrows-McElwain, MSW, LCSW-C, as Director of the Military, Veteran & Family Center of Excellence (MVF COE). In this newly established leadership role, Ms. Burrows-McElwain will work alongside Dr. Matthew Miller, Vice President of the MVF COE, to operationalize and scale the Center’s mission to strengthen systems of care for service members, Veterans, families, and caregivers nationwide.
Ms. Burrows-McElwain brings more than two decades of experience across local, state, and federal systems, with deep expertise in rural behavioral health and suicide prevention. Most recently, she served as Deputy Director of Special Projects within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Suicide Prevention, where she helped lead national education initiatives, foster interagency collaboration, and advance innovation efforts across the Veteran suicide prevention landscape.
During her tenure at VA, she also directed the Technical Assistance Resource Center for Community-Based Interventions, playing a pivotal role in the nationwide implementation and expansion of the Governors and Mayors Challenge—an initiative that engaged all 50 states and five U.S. territories in coordinated suicide prevention planning and action.
Her federal leadership experience also includes service at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she served as Military and Veteran Affairs Liaison at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). In that role, she led the military and veteran family portfolio for the National Child Traumatic Stress Network and strengthened cross-agency collaboration among VA, HHS, and DoD.
A licensed clinical social worker, Ms. Burrows-McElwain earned her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. She is an alumna of the inaugural George W. Bush Institute Stand-To Veterans Leadership Program and has served as senior adjunct faculty at Salisbury University and the University of Maryland Global Campus, where she developed graduate-level coursework in disaster mental health.
Her work centers on strengthening behavioral health systems and improving outcomes for service members, Veterans, first responders, and their families through evidence-informed technical assistance and systems transformation.
“Cicely brings the rare combination of federal leadership experience, clinical expertise, and systems-level vision that defines the future of suicide prevention and Veteran wellbeing,” said Christopher Gonzalez, President and Co-Founder of A-G Associates. “Her experience leading national initiatives and building durable cross-sector partnerships makes her exactly the kind of leader we need to scale the impact of the MVF COE. We are honored to welcome her to the team.”
Dr. Matthew Miller, Vice President of the MVF COE, emphasized the strategic importance of the role:
“Cicely understands how policy, implementation, and lived experience intersect in real-world systems,” said Dr. Matthew Miller. “She has led at the national level, supported states and communities on the ground, and strengthened interagency collaboration across federal partners. As we operationalize and expand the MVF COE, her leadership will be instrumental in translating strategy into measurable, system-wide impact.”
The appointment marks a significant step forward in A-G Associates’ continued investment in strengthening infrastructure across the Military, Veteran, and Family ecosystem. Under the joint leadership of Dr. Miller and Ms. Burrows-McElwain, the MVF COE will continue to advance integrated, data-informed, and culturally grounded approaches to prevention, crisis response, and long-term wellbeing.