FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                   

Contact:   Bill Hammond, County Administration
                (941) 335-2221
 

                       

LEE COUNTY NAMES NEW HEAD OF VETERANS SERVICE OFFICE

FORT MYERS, Fla. (February 1, 2002) – Lee County Administration has named John Ebling as the county’s new Veterans Service Manager.

Ebling will head up the county’s Veterans Service Office, located at 3691 Evans Avenue, Suite 209, and replaces John Slocum, who retired last year.

Ebling served 21 years in the U.S. Army before joining Lee County in 1993 as a veterans service counselor.  He has a bachelor’s degree in management from International College and a master’s in human resources development and administration from Barry University.  Ebling also is a part-time deputy with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and a Tice Fire Commissioner.

In addition to working as a counselor, Ebling has been involved in local veterans programs, including the annual countywide Veterans Day Celebration, the rededication of the Veterans Memorial Plaque at the Old County Courthouse, and the local showing of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial “Moving Wall.”

A five-member screening panel of county employees interviewed four finalists for the position and recommended two, including Ebling, for final interviews with County Management.

Lee County’s Veterans Service Office advises and assists local veterans regarding eligibility and entitlement to benefits, including filing claims and defending those claims.  It also acts as a liaison to local, state and national veterans organizations, and state and federal agencies.  The office employs four people, including two counselors, and has an annual operating budget of $305,000.  

Ebling can be reached at 938-1100.