UNDERSTANDING NEEDS OF TODAY’S OFFICERS AND FAMILIES

MOAA has established the President’s Currently Serving Spouse Advisory Council with the purpose of helping the organization better understand the needs and issues facing today’s officers and families. The council, which met for the first time Sept. 12, consists of 14 military spouses representing the active duty service branches and the active components of the Guard and Reserve.

“While MOAA already does a lot for spouses and families of currently serving military members, we want to increase our knowledge of their issues and concerns so we can provide better support to them,” says MOAA’s president, Vice Adm. Norb Ryan Jr., USN-Ret. The council is an internal focus group that reports directly to Ryan with its deliberations, discussions, and recommendations. Council members will meet quarterly and fulfill one-year terms. Each serves on one of four committees: Outreach, Government Relations, Products/Services, and Communications.

The council members, chosen by MOAA headquarters staff, represent a diverse mix of spouses who can offer a range of perspectives. Council members are: Diane Sams, Tammy Guthrie, Alison Loeffler, Kelly Kimball, Wanda Castellaw, Nina Valli, Cathy Jackman, Debbie Koss, Paula Sumrall, Bill Hammond, Michele Rubeor, Nicole Alcorn, Rosemarie Nemeth and Tanya Biank.

Representatives from the Spouse Council were on hand at the Annual Meeting to present a panel entitled, “Today’s Generation of Military Spouses” for our member spouses as well as spouses from the local area (MacDill AFB). The event was well attended and we had some very favorable press from the local paper. Recently, a number of the council members had the oppotunity to go up to Capitol Hill for a “Behind the Scenes” look at Congress. Our hope is that we make the council members more comfortable with the legislative process, get them engaged and send them out there as our best advocates to other currently serving families in regards to the importance of being involved. The Guard and Reserve members of the Spouse Council also had the opportunity to join us at the Family Readiness Group awards that we co-sponsor with the Department of Defense Office of Reserve Affairs. All the members are currently working with the Benefits Information Department to develop a publication for currently serving members and their families. They also serve as an internal focus group for all of our departments and have done extensive work with our publications team as well as marketing.

They are a very engaged group and have already shared a lot of knowledge with us. We believe that when they leave us and PCS to other locations, they will become our best ambassadors to other currently serving families regarding the value of a MOAA membership.

To keep costs down and ensure that they are afforded every opportunity, all the spouses reside in the metro DC area . The first cadre of the spouse council will be coming to the end of their term this June. At that time, another group of spouses will be chosen to serve for the next cycle.

Sue Hoppin
Deputy Director for Spouse Outreach
Benefits Information Department
Military Officers Association of America

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