Kasim Yarn is Rhode Island’s first Director of Veteran Affairs, a position that was raised to cabinet level in 2016. In his role as Director, Kasim oversees several key initiatives, such as Rhode Island Veterans Resource Center, Rhode Island Veterans Home, Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery, serving as a connector between the state and Rhode Island’s 61,000+ veterans.
His broader impact as a publicly visible member of the Raimondo administration - from his hands-on work with homeless veterans to sporting hilarious costumes at state functions - also caught my attention and serves as a portal into some of the specific work being conducted within the current administration.
With seemingly ubiquitous admiration, and a highly respectable ground game, I was curious about Kasim’s background and how it informs his approach to serving Rhode Island’s veterans and their families, as well as his overall role as a cabinet member.