Meet the Newest Members of Our Team

Two new members were added to the Veterans Advocacy and Support Team (VAST) in the Reno office.

John Karg is the new VAST supervisor for the northern Nevada offices which include; Elko, Fallon and Reno.  John recently relocated from Atlanta, Georgia to enjoy the exceptional quality of life northern Nevada offers.  John retired from a 20 year career in the US Navy.  He has an MBA with an accounting emphasis and a Master’s in Taxation as well as a Masters in Business Education.  After retiring from the Navy, John worked for three major Wall Street brokerages as a financial advisor.  He is excited about the many opportunities to work with veterans in his new position.  He lives in Carson City with his wife, Pam and their two dogs and cat.

Justin Prazak is the new VAST Training Officer.  Justin will be working to improve and maintain the Veterans Service Officer and Nevada Veterans Advocate training programs.  His role includes training, curriculum development, process management and records maintenance.  He will also be working to implement multiple training conferences throughout the state each year, including the next NVA conference which will be in Reno, April 6-7.

Justin joined NDVS after five years with the Carson City Sheriff’s Office where he was a Sheriff’s Deputy and Field Training Officer.  He served in the US Army as an Intelligence Analyst.  He moved to Nevada in 2011 and lives in Carson City with his wife and two dogs.

Evan Rush is our new Southern Nevada Outreach Director for the Nevada Department of Veterans Services. He oversees community outreach efforts in southern Nevada, as well as participating in community groups and professional organizations. In addition, Rush manages and supports the Nevada Veteran Advocate (NVA) volunteers within his area of responsibility.

Rush brings vast experience in connecting veterans to needed services and has a strong background in helping veterans with disabilities. He most recently served as a Disabled Veteran Outreach Program (DVOP) specialist for the Department of Education, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) in Las Vegas. He also managed the Combat Stress Recovery Program (CSRP) for Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) in Seattle, Washington and Honolulu, Hawaii.

Rush served in the Navy from 1986 to 2006.  He was a hangar/ flight deck aircraft director on the USS Nimitz (CVN-68).  Seeking other opportunities, Rush changed military occupations and served as a Master-at-Arms (Military Police). He was involved in several deployments around the world. In 2006, he retired from naval service.

Karg may be reached at Kargj@veterans.nv.gov

Prazak may be reached at Prazakj@veterans.nv.gov

Rush may be contacted at 702-486-8041 or Rushe@veterans.nv.gov