A St. Petersburg Success Story – Kozuba & Sons Distillery!

Thomas G. Bowman was nominated by President Trump and confirmed by the United States Senate to serve as The Deputy Secretary of The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on August 3, 2017.  He retired from the VA on June 15, 2018.

Prior to being sworn in as Deputy Secretary, Mr. Bowman served as Majority Staff Director of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. From 2012 to 2014, he served as Special Assistant for Veterans Research at the University of South Florida in Tampa, and from 2009 to 2012 he served as Senior Advisor to the Director of VA’s Sunshine Healthcare Network serving Veterans in Florida, Southeastern Georgia, and the Caribbean.

Mr. Bowman’s previous appointments within VA were Chief of Staff of VA, Deputy Chief of Staff of VA, Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Legislative Affairs, Acting Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs, and Executive Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs. Before joining VA in 2002, Mr. Bowman served as Senior Counsel to the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee. 

Mr. Bowman was commissioned in the United States Marine Corps through the NROTC Program at the University of Texas in 1969.  From 1970 through 1975, he served as a platoon commander, company commander, and battalion, regimental, and division staff officer with the 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th Marine Divisions in Southeast Asia, Okinawa, and the U.S. After law school, he was assigned to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, S.C., where he served as a prosecutor, defense counsel, and Law Center Director. He then served as the Marine Corps Representative and Instructor of Law at the Naval Justice School and a guest lecturer at the Naval War College, Newport, R.I., from 1983 to 1988. 

Mr. Bowman left active duty in 1988 to become an assistant district attorney in southeastern Massachusetts but was recalled to active duty during the Gulf War. Released in May 1991, he practiced law concentrating in military and Veterans issues before returning again to active duty in 1994. He retired from the Marine Corps as a colonel in October 1999, after serving as Senior Military Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs and to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.  

Secretary Bowman is a member of the Board of Directors for The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV).

The eldest son, Matthias, who had worked for his father previously, has an innate passion for spirits. After graduating from Warsaw University with a degree in law and administration, followed by an MBA from SGH Warsaw School of Economics, he began his career at AMT company, where he was a Director and Chief Marketing Officer overseeing client relationships, partner contracts, brand development, and brand promotions. Matt joined Kozuba & Sons in 2005 to assist his father in pursuing his distilling dreams.