A military spouse for nearly 30 years, Janet is deeply involved in her defense community. With time spent at 12 installations, Janet is very familiar with the joys and difficulties in adjusting to a new location. In her current community, Janet is heavily involved in her local Five & Thrive Team. As part of this team, she gives briefings to multiple base entities to include newcomer’s orientations and advocates for spouses by collaborating with a wide range of organizations – both on and off base.

As military veteran and proud Air Force spouse, Lauren is active on base and in the community — most notably working with South Dakota civic leaders to unanimously pass state legislation supporting spouse reciprocity in 2019. Having recently moved back to Ellsworth AFB, she now serves as lead spouse, key spouse mentor for the 28th Operations Group and an advisor to The Ellsworth Spouses Club. She also works full time remotely as the Assistant Vice President for Community Investment and Analytics for United Way of the Midlands.

Currently stationed in Schofield Barracks Hawaii, Maggie has been a military spouse for 13 years and has called five installations home. Maggie is a mom to three school age children . As a member of the Hui Spouses Club, Maggie is focused on quality of life for the Schofield and local community and the promotion of community spirit through the coordination of revenue-producing projects and events to finance community needs. Maggie also works as an intervention specialist at the local middle school on Wheeler Army Airfield. In this role, Maggie is able to use her background in School counseling and lived experience as a military spouse and mom to better advocate for her students and their families.

Laura has been a military spouse for over 20 years. Currently stationed on the east coast, the Myer family has been served at a multitude of locations, both stateside and abroad. While moves are not without their difficulty, Laura describes them as rewarding, noting that these diverse experiences are deeply enriching for her children. In her current defense community, Laura is involved in programs that help welcome spouses to the installation and to military life.

Maria has served as a military spouse and active-duty officer for 15 years. She is active on the Department of the Air Force Women’s Initiative Team, in Space Spouses of the NCR, and in her local community – as a Sunday school teacher, baseball mom, and neighborhood party planner. Maria is currently assigned to Space Force Headquarters, where she provides strategic-level science and technology program management.

Courtney has been a military spouse for 14 years and is very dedicated to serving her community. She is involved with multiple organizations at Fort Cavazos, proudly serving as President of the Fort Cavazos Spouses’ Club, and is a regular volunteer at Fort Cavazos’ Operation Deploy Your Dress, Santa’s Workshop, the OTC SFRG, and am a member of the Meadows Elementary School PTA. She is also a peer group leader for REACH—a research study conducted by the University of Texas at Austin; the goal of this study is to gauge the effectiveness of how a curriculum-based, weekly, support group for military spouses can improve spouses’ quality of life, mental health, social support, self-care practices, and knowledge of health conditions impacting service members.

As a military spouse of 21 years, Vanessa has been stationed at four different bases. Throughout this time she has been involved in a number of organizations including University of Texas Veterans Spouse Network, Dress for Success, Hiring Our Heroes/Amplify, USAA-MilSpouse Fest, Second Service Foundation, and most recently working for Austin Community College to help veterans and military families in Central Texas.

Renee has been a military spouse for 22 years, is the mother of three children ages 12, 17 and 18 and works as a registered nurse in a local community health clinic. She volunteers in a variety of organizations on base and regularly partners with MCCS on the development and utilization of programming for our military families. Additionally, Renee serves in her local community by coaching girls high school lacrosse and has spent several years volunteering with the Medical Reserve Corps.

As a military spouse for over 30 years, Andra has called 10 installations home. Andra is involved in a variety of organizations within her community, including the local Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Committee, Military Spouses Club and more. She volunteers on base and hosts quarterly roundtable meetings with spouses to discuss issues families face on base and within their community.

Torry has been a military spouse for 25 years. During this time, she and her family have been stationed at over 10 installations. Throughout this time, she has participated in a variety of community organizations – both on and off base. For Torry, the most rewarding part of being a military spouse has been the places her family has seen, adventures they have had, and the people they have met. However, the frequent relocation isn’t without difficulty. Torry said the most challenging part of being a military spouse has been distance from family. For the past 21 years, Torry has been a homeschool educator.