Bob Notch
Appointed as the Commonwealth’s first Veteran Advocate in November 2023, retired Colonel Bob Notch was tasked with standing up the newly formed Office of the Veteran Advocate – a one of a kind in the nation independent state office dedicated to safeguarding the well-being and upholding the rights of the veteran community.
A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in May 1989, Bob served nearly 27 years as a commissioned officer in both the Army and Army Reserve, retiring at the rank of Colonel in 2016. During his service as a commissioned officer, he served in multiple tactical leadership assignments as a Blackhawk helicopter pilot, human resources manager, operations and force development officer, and battalion commander. He deployed to Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm in 1990 and to Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. His subsequent senior assignments include serving on the Army Staff, Office of the Chief, Army Reserve, and the Joint Staff at the Pentagon. During his service, Colonel Notch earned the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit and Bronze Star Medal.
Throughout his civilian career, Bob has been involved with multiple organizations supporting the veteran community. He served as Brighton Marine’s Director of Veterans Programs and Services, President of the Greater Boston Veterans Collaborative, President of the South Shore Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America, Co-chair of Our Community Salutes of Massachusetts, participant in the Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families, Senior Military Consultant to the University of Alabama national study on needs of women who served in the military, and an active participant in multiple national Veteran Communities of Practice.
His formal education includes a Master of Public Administration (Suffolk University, 2023), Senior Service College Fellow (Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, 2011), Master of Science in Operations Research (Kansas State University, 1999), and Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering (US Military Academy, 1989).
