The Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs announced the appointment of Walter H. “Willie” Slusarski Jr. as superintendent of the Washington Soldiers Home in Orting.
“Willie brings a unique perspective to this leadership position that I am confident will help him guide his team over the coming years,” said Gary Condra, WDVA deputy director.
“His 18 years with WDVA have given him an opportunity to learn from the ground up how the agency serves veterans and their families.”
Slusarski lives in East Bremerton with his wife. He has three daughters and eight grandchildren. He earned an AAS in liberal arts at Olympic College in 1998.
Slusarski joined WDVA in 1996 as a work study in Bremerton, while completing classes at Olympic College, and later received a bachelor of arts degree in Pastoral Ministries from Nazarene Bible College.
A year later he was hired as a full-time veterans benefits assistant. He moved to the USDVA Regional Office in Seattle in 2003, before returning to WDVA to assume the role of veterans benefits specialist at the Washington Veterans Home in 2006.
In 2012 he moved into the administration office as the superintendent’s assistant and began his administrator-in-training program soon after. Slusarski completed the AIT Program and became a licensed nursing home administrator in March 2014.
“From day one, I’ve been impressed with WDVA and its commitment to serving veterans and their families,” Slusarski said.
“After moving to the Veterans Home, I knew I’d found my niche and worked to learn as much as I could about the skilled nursing facility. The Administrator-in-Training program was an opportunity to take my passion for serving veterans and their families and put it into daily practice. As Superintendent at the Soldiers Home, I look forward to continuing that practice alongside the most dedicated team of professionals I’ve ever had the privilege of working with.”
A veteran of the United States Navy, Slusarski enlisted in 1971 as a seaman’s apprentice. He rose to the rank of chief petty officer before entering the Limited Duty Officer Program and commissioning as an ensign. His service included duty as a military policeman and service aboard three submarines, two submarine repair ships, one ammunition ship and two tours at a Trident missile facility. He served until 1996 and retired at the rank of lieutenant.
WDVA operates three State Veterans Homes and provides both Medicaid and Medicare rehabilitative services to veterans and their spouses or widows. Opening in 1891, the Washington Soldiers Home is the oldest facility, sitting on 180 acres in Orting. The Soldiers Home cares for up to 184 veterans, spouses or widows.
Online: www.dva.wa.gov.
