Legion departments, posts can help celebrate through state commissions.
The America250 Foundation, formed in support of the congressionally established U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, is looking for American Legion assistance in coordinating the national observance – on every level – of the United States’ 250th birthday in 2026.
As commission representative David Hamon reported in Milwaukee in August, Past Department of California Commander Autrey James serves on the Veterans, Military Affairs & Family Members Advisory Council, one of 12 national councils. On a state level, Legion departments and even posts can reach out to be part of the celebration through state commissions. Below is a list of states with commission contacts, states without commission contacts, and states with no announced commissions yet.
States with established commissions and contacts:
Kentucky
Tyler McDaniel, tyler.mcdaniel@ky.gov
Maryland
Angela Berard, angela.berard@maryland.gov
Massachusetts
Jonathan Lane, jlane@masshist.org
Ohio
Todd Kleismit, tkleismit@ohiohistory.org
Pennsylvania
Cassandra Coleman, ccoleman@america250pa.org
Rhode Island
Nick Edwards, nedwards@sos.ri.gov
South Carolina
Molly Fortune, mfortune@southcarolina250.com
Virginia
Cheryl Wilson, cheryl.wilson@jyf.virginia.gov
States with established commissions without contacts:
Alabama
Arizona
Colorado
Connecticut
Illinois
Indiana
Kansas
Louisiana
Michigan
New Jersey
Nebraska
New Hampshire
New York
North Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
For questions regarding commissions that do not yet have contacts or states that have not yet established a commission, contact Shawn McBurney, America250’s senior manager of state outreach, at smcburney@america250.org, or Grace LeFevre, coordinator of state outreach, at glefevre@america250.org. For questions on veterans and/or military-related issues, contact David Hamon at dhamon@america250.org.
- Honor & Remembrance