Student Veteran Life Staff

Sam Powers is the inaugural Director and current Director Emeritus of Student Veteran Life at the University of Washington. She provided oversight and management of hiring, development of new programs, and centralization of existing services and resources available to UW student veterans. She provided outreach and collaborates with internal and external constituents. In her role as Director Emeritus, Sam serves as a well of knowledge in program creation and alteration, and serves as an advisor and consultant.

Jordan Houghton is the Assistant Director of Student Veteran Life at the University of Washington. He assists SVL through programs, student needs, and day to day operations. Jordan formerly served as the President of Husky United Military Veterans (H.U.M.V.) that founded the office in 2016.

Ying is a Navy Veteran, and recently finished his public health undergraduate work at the University of Washington. He transferred from Bellevue College and is looking forward to pursuing a career in nutrition or the medical field. Ying served from 2009-2015 as a nuclear electrician on the USS Cheyenne (SSN 773) out of Pearl Harbor. He has served on two Western Pacific and one Eastern Pacific Deployments. Originally from Miami, Florida, before serving in the United States Navy, Ying and his wife decided to move with their son to Seattle for a change in pace.

Liz Oaksmith is a therapist at the University of Washington Student Counseling Center (UWCC). She assists Student Veteran Life as a liaison who does outreach to the SVL center where she is available for general discussions, provides psychoeducation, answers any questions about mental health services, meets with vets for counseling, and provides support for veteran’s mental health at events.