An ex-Wisconsin National Guard spokesperson filed a complaint Monday claiming the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs discriminated against him because he was an older white male.
Retired career army officer and Iraq veteran Lt. Col. Tim Donovan, 59, is alleging the DVA passed him over for a job in favor of a less-qualified female candidate with no military experience.
In Wisconsin, special consideration is given to qualified veterans who seek state or federal jobs, according to the state veteran hiring law. This includes disabled veterans or veterans who have served in active duty in a specified period of time.
Donovan finished a 10-month deployment in Iraq this spring.
The complaint accuses DVA Secretary Ken Black of resisting hiring older white men, apparently in favor of seeking a more diverse staff.
Black also faces legal troubles from another administrator who has filed a claim alleging Black and the DVA are firing “old, white men.”
Donovan scored the only 100 percent on the qualifying test and was also the only veteran to make it to the final interview for the position, according to the complaint.
“The WDVA has admitted Colonel Donovan was not only fully qualified for the position, but that he was the only veteran among the seven finalists who could possibly have been hired,” Donovan’s attorney Michael Fox said in a statement.
Donovan also filed a complaint in April alleging the DVA violated the veteran hiring law.
The DVA ultimately awarded the position to Sara Stinski, 36, who scored an 82 on the test and has no military experience, according to the complaint.
Prior to her appointment by the DVA, Stinski worked as the marketing and public relations officer for the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
According to court papers filed by the DVA in response to Donovan’s complaint in the spring, Stinski’s 15 years in marketing writing about discounts for veterans qualified her for the position.
The complaint comes during the statewide Hire a Veteran Week as proclaimed by Gov. Jim Doyle from Nov. 7 to Nov. 13, a fact Fox called “ironic.”
The DVA could not be reached for comment as of press time.
