DAMIAN BATES

Damian Bates, Vice President & Co-Founder of the AVA Group, has over 25 years of dedicated service and experience in support of the Department of Defense and the defense contracting industry. He has co-founded two non-profit organizations and uses his natural and learned leadership styles to successfully serve as a Senior Program Manager in the defense industry. He currently serves as a Senior Program Manager at StraCon Services Group located in Lexington Park, Maryland. He served over 20 years as a United States Marine retiring in 2014. Coming from a long history of family members who served in the military, Damian culminated in a career in the Marine Corps with over 20 years of senior-level experience in building successful organizations, solving complex problems, and conquering tough challenges using creative solutions with the discipline of execution. He has worked with non-profit organizations across the country helping to advance the well-being and vital social networks of the veteran community. He also gained invaluable experience working at the Veterans Administration Hospital providing services in the Substance Abuse and Mental Illness clinic. His creative and empathic approach to social outreach and community organizing produces quality results and impactful change for targeted veteran populations. Damian has a known reputation for building cohesive teams through servant leadership, stewardship, trust, and communication. Damian holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work with a focus on military veterans from the University of Southern California and a BA in Psychology from National University in San Diego.