Leadership

Michael Bruno serves as the Deputy Executive Director for the Colorado Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.  In this role, he serves as the primary deputy to the Executive Director.  The DMVA has three divisions. The division of the National Guard serves our communities, state and nation by providing ready forces for domestic operations, homeland defense, and overseas contingency operations. The Division of Veterans Affairs assists military members, veterans, and their families to access benefits and services and is a statewide training resource for Colorado’s network of State and County Veterans Service Officers. The Colorado Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, has three missions: emergency services; aerospace education; cadet programs. 

In his military role, Brig. Gen. Michael J. Bruno is the Director of Joint Staff, Joint Force Headquarters, Colorado. In this role, Brig. Gen. Bruno directly supervises the Joint Staff and is the commander of the standing Joint Task Force-Centennial, responsible for leading the Colorado National Guard’s response to domestic events, as directed by the Governor. Additionally, he directs the Colorado National Guard’s specified partnerships, including those with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Republic of Slovenia.

Bruce Cowan assumed duty as the Division of Veterans Affairs Director for the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs on April 1, 2024. He has over 39 years of military service, most recently as the United States Property and Fiscal Officer for Colorado. He has more than 30 years of leadership experience while serving in various positions in the U.S. Air Force, including a deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq).

He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1985, serving as a finance technician in South Korea and Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs. He joined the Colorado Air National Guard in 1988, serving in various leadership roles to include: Medical Operations Officer for a homeland defense mission, Commander of the 140th Medical Group, and Vice Wing Commander for the 140th Wing.

Cowan is honored to serve as the Division of Veterans Affairs Director. He is committed, along with our great team of DVA and in partnership with the County VSOs to ensure our Veterans and their families receive only the highest levels of customer service and assistance. Our vision is to earn and maintain the trust and confidence of all we serve and make Colorado a state of choice for all Veterans.

Cowan holds a Master’s Degree in Project Management from Colorado State University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the University of Colorado. In addition has also completed Squadron Officer School, Air Command and Staff College, and Air War College.

Sarah Edwards has served as the Chief Operating Officer for the Colorado Department of Military and Veterans Affairs since April 2023. She is a veteran with 12 years of military service in the Colorado Army National Guard, where she served as a field artillery officer in diverse leadership and staff positions. Her roles included battalion and brigade operations, intelligence, logistics, executive officer, and battery command. She deployed in support of Operation Spartan Shield and Operation Inherent Resolve and participated in several multinational exercises.

Edwards’s previous civilian experience includes acting as Administrative Director for the Colorado European Union Center of Excellence and Grants and Contracts Administrator at the University of Denver.

Edwards is deeply committed to the Colorado Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. She focuses her efforts on supporting the department’s three divisions and constituents with high-quality services and programs. Her work is guided by the department’s key priorities: people, readiness, and modernization/innovation.

Edwards holds a master’s degree in international security from the University of Denver and a bachelor’s degree in international studies from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She also holds a certificate in conflict resolution and is a trained mediator. Her professional memberships include the National Guard Association of Colorado, the United States Field Artillery Association (Rocky Mountain Redlegs), and the Society for Human Resource Management.