Veteran-Owned | New York-Based
TrueBoots is a veteran-owned limited liability company that provides services rooted in the lived experiences of military-connected and first responder New Yorkers.
Built from service and experience.
Grounded in local communities.
Ready for real-world work.
Led by Kristen L. Rouse, an Army veteran with emergency management and nonprofit leadership experience, TrueBoots provides tailored services and solutions for companies, campaigns, and organizations seeking authentic connections with military-connected and first responder communities.
“The best way to thank veterans and first responders for our service is to hire us for our experience and expertise.”
TrueBoots team members bring decades of experience in the military, veteran-serving organizations, emergency management, and first responder agencies. And from our lived experiences, we have deep expertise and field-tested skillsets we’re ready to put to work to enhance your company, campaign, or organization’s mission.
Our Team
Kristen L. Rouse
Principal and Owner
Kristen has served in the US Army, US Army Reserve, and Army National Guard for thirty-two years, including three tours of duty in Afghanistan and active service in support of the Department of Defense’s national COVID-19 vaccination mission. Her military roles have included mission planning for resupply convoys to remote combat outposts in eastern Afghanistan and working directly with the Afghan National Army.
She has been a changemaker for veterans and their families in New York and nationally. As Founder of NYC Veterans Alliance, she spearheaded legislative campaigns that have benefited and brought greater recognition to veterans and their families, including establishing and funding an independent Department of Veterans’ Services for NYC, adding protection of military and veteran status to NYC’s Human Rights Law, and naming Manhattan’s VA hospital in honor of Revolutionary War veteran Margaret Cochran Corbin.
She additionally served for three years as Deputy Director of the New York State Department of Veterans’ Services, creating the agency’s first diversity, equity, and inclusion programming to improve inclusivity in services, outreach, and recognition for all veterans and their families across the State of New York. She has served in board, staff, volunteer, and consulting roles with several veterans’ organizations, including Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Team Rubicon, and Service Women’s Action Network. She currently advises Five Borough Veterans and serves on the board of Aspen Elevation Institute.
Outside of her roles in the military and veterans’ spaces, her professional experience has included creating regional and citywide logistics plans and programs for NYC’s Office of Emergency Management, teaching literature and writing as an adjunct professor, and managing a district office for a Member of Congress.
Kristen has written on veteran and military issues for The New York Times, New York Post, New York Daily News, Daily Beast, Tampa Bay Times, and other publications, and spoken about her experience as a veteran and her service in Afghanistan on NY1, CNN, MSNBC/MSNOW, ABC, Fox News, VICE News, BBC, and NPR.
She holds degrees from Loyola University New Orleans and Florida State University. Originally from Florida, she has made Brooklyn her home for eighteen years.