18 Annualth Military-Affiliated Symposium October 5-6, 2026 Frisco, Texas

WELCOME To Our Symposium Participants, On behalf of the Office of Veteran & Military Services and The Texas A&M University System, it is my privilege to welcome you to the 18 Annual Texas A&M University System Military-Affiliated Symposium. This year’s theme, “Scaling Impact: Practice, Data, Partnerships,” reflects an important next step in our collective work—moving beyond individual programs and promising practices to consider how we build sustainable approaches that strengthen military-affiliated student success across institutions and systems. th Over the next two days, I encourage you to learn from one another, challenge assumptions, share what is working, and build connections that extend beyond the symposium. The expertise and perspectives represented here are what make this gathering so valuable, and our greatest impact comes when we bring those ideas, experiences, and partnerships together. Thank you for joining us and for the work you do every day on behalf of veterans, servicemembers, and military-connected students and families. I am grateful to have you as part of this community and look forward to the conversations ahead. Best regards, Dr. Monteigne Long Director, Veteran & Military Services The Texas A&M University System The Texas A&M University System Office of Veteran & Military Services Director Dr. Monteigne Long Project Coordinator Kaylee Lewis Graduate Assistants Madison Smith Hannah Johnston

MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 20267:30 - 8:30Registration and Check-InFrisco Foyer8:30 - 9:00Welcome and Opening Remarks 8:30 - Welcome by Dr. Monteigne Long, Director, Veteran & Military Services 8:45 - Remarks by Tom Palladino, Executive Director, Texas Veterans Commission 8:55 - Remarks by Eric Ellenberger, Alumni Manager, Wounded Warrior ProjectFrisco 1-29:00 - 10:00Opening Plenary & Moderated Panel Discussion Built Through Relationships Jonathan “JD” Due | Kenneth Heckel | R.J. Jenkins | Dr. Abby Kinch Moderated by Dr. Monteigne LongFrisco 1-210:10 - 11:00Plenary Session R.J. Jenkins - Optimizing Conference Outcomes When You Feel Behind & Everyone Else Seems AheadFrisco 1-211:10 - 12:00Plenary Session Commissioner Charles Wright, Texas Veterans Commission Veterans Education Excellence Recognition Award (VEERA) PresentationsFrisco 1-212:00 - 1:00LunchFrisco 1-21:00 - 1:50Concurrent Sessions 1Jason Walker & Anthony Paolino - Purpose Before Placement: How a Purpose-to-Impact Intervention Moved the Student-Veteran True Success Rate from 23% to 84%ComancheDr. Katherine Selber, Dr. Kelly Clary, Nate Rodrigues - From Veteran Voices to Impact: Scaling Participatory Methods for Veteran Engagement Across CampusGallant FoxKate Wood, Heather McClenahen, Mike Kepner, Matt Disher, Chambala Roach - Scaling Access Through On-Demand Mentorship: How Cross-Sector Partnerships Are Driving Outcomes for Military-Affiliated StudentsRangerEric Ellenberger - Keeping the Promise: Collaborating with Higher Education to Advance Veteran Success on Campus and BeyondSea BiscuitDr. Jeremy Blake Mallory, Dr. Ellen Rankins, Dr. Eliel Hinojosa - Courage, Connection, and Care: Adaptive Horsemanship for the Veteran FamilyTravellerDominique Gill - Texas Veterans Commission - The New System: What You Need to Know About the Hazelwood DatabaseWhirlawayProgram Schedule

MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2026 (continued) 2:00 - 2:50 Concurrent Sessions 2 Dr. Jeremy Blake Mallory, Dr. Ellen Rankins, Dr. Eliel Hinojosa, Dr. Austin Loignon - Reflections on an Adaptive Horsemanship Program for Veterans and Their Families Comanche Lane Humphreys & Stephanie Love – What’s All The Chatter Behind The Data? Gallant Fox Dr. Patrick Suermann, Lt Col, USAF (Ret.) - Know Your Worth: Finding Purpose in Inspiring Highly Productive Teams Post-Military Ranger Wendy Ann Lang & Dave Harrison - Building Stronger Pathways Together: Partnerships Supporting Military-Connected Learners to Higher Education and Beyond Sea Biscuit Heather DeSpain - MilVet: Coming to a Texas College Near You! Traveller Texas Veterans Commission - Meet Your State Approving Agency (SAA) and Hazlewood Teams Whirlaway 3:00 - 3:30 Networking Break Frisco Foyer 3:40 - 4:30 Concurrent Sessions 3 Heather McClenahen & Dr. Marshall Thomas - Building Campus-Wide Support for Student-Veterans: A Multi-Campus Pilot Project Comanche Charles Gardner - The Impact of PLANning: How Peer-Led Assessment of Needs Strengthens Student Success and Institutional Effectiveness Gallant Fox Jim Miller - NVLF Statewide Model: Scaling Support for Military-Connected Students Ranger R.J. Jenkins - Against "Best Practices" Sea Biscuit Calvin Gloria & Terence Nelson - California Community Colleges Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) Initiative - Scaling CPL for Veterans Using JSTs Traveller Tara Monk - Texas Veterans Commission – What a Review of Records Looks Like from the State Approving Agency Whirlaway

MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2026 (continued) 4:40 - 5:30 Concurrent Sessions 4 Dr. Jefferson Pestronk, George Tang, Dr. Dallas Kratzer - From Fort Hood to College: Building Cross-Sector Pathways for Military-Connected Learners in Central Texas Comanche Dr. Sherry Shipley - Mobilizing the Untapped Power and Potential of Women Student Veterans Gallant Fox Jonathan Menchaca, Larissa Waltman, L. Denise Wharton, Kara Moellenberg - From Combat Medic to BSN Nurse: Scaling Operational Success Through a Veterans to BSN (VBSN) Nursing Pathway into Civilian and Military Healthcare Ranger Marcelo Pico, Thomas Perez-Cashen, C'airah Ryan, Dr. BethAnn Warwick - The Highs and Lows of Implementing a Grant at Your College Sea Biscuit Dr. Scott Bruce - The Impact of Concussion History and Combat Experience upon Mental Health, PTSD, and Suicide Ideation among United States Military Veterans Traveller Texas Veterans Commission – Meet Your State Approving Agency (SAA) and Hazlewood Teams Whirlaway 5:30 -7:00 Networking Reception Frisco Foyer

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2026 8:00 - 8:50 Concurrent Sessions 5 Dr. Abby Kinch & Dr. Mark Wooten - Boots Off, Books Open, Get Bread: Texas Policy Strategies for Veteran Education and Workforce Alignment Comanche Blake Petty & EBV Past Participants - Building our Vetrepreneurs: Texas A&M's Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV) Gallant Fox David Yebra - Put Your Mask on First: Leaders Developing Leaders Ranger David "Salt" E. Bacot - Telling the Student Veteran Story: Building Donor Relationships that Grow Veteran Programs and Scholarships Sea Biscuit Eric Ellenberger, Fitha Dahana-Ellis, Brianna Werner - Transforming Lives Through Care: The Impact of Wounded Warrior Project’s Warrior Care Network Traveller Gary Guzman - Builidng the Campus-to-Career Ecosystem for Military- Affiliated Students Whirlaway 9:00 - 9:50 Concurrent Sessions 6 Dr. Sarah Skelton & Donna Brooks - From Innovation to Evidence Based Practice: The Use of Embedded Behavioral Health with Military Affiliated College Students Comanche Dr. Joan Whitman & Laura Hanoski - Pilot Study Outcomes for Medically Trained Veteran Transition to Civilian Healthcare Gallant Fox R.J. Jenkins - Real Talk: When A Student Veteran Makes You Want To Quit (And What To Do About It) Ranger Joshua Koszewski - The Veteran Compass: A Two-Axis Matrix for Measuring Cultural Reintegration and Economic Mobility Sea Biscuit Paul Tyson - Beyond the First Job: How Mentorship Drives Long-Term Success for Student Veterans Traveller Hope Barron - NASPA Sustainability Study Participants Whirlaway 10:00 - 10:15 Snack Break

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2026 (continued) 10:20 - 10:50 Solutions Exchange (Roundtables & Workshops) Jason Walker, Robert Corley & Daniela Romero - You’re Not Broken: How Self- Mastery Can Turn What the Military Hated & Loved About You Into Your Greatest Academic and Career Advantage Comanche Heather DeSpain - Scaling Military Student Support: From Promising Practice to Institutional Strategy Gallant Fox David Yebra - Their Envisioned Future: Exceptional Student Support Ranger Tracey D. Knowles & Jenneva M. Barrett - From Service to Society: Key Factors Influencing OEF/OIF Veterans’ Civilian Transition Sea Biscuit Dr. Monika Sziron - Charting Your Path: Intentional Career Development in Higher Education Traveller 11:00 - 12:00 Closing Plenary Dr. Glenn Phillips 12:00 - 12:15 Closing Remarks Dr. Monteigne Long

AbstractsPurpose Before Placement: How a Purpose-to-Impact Intervention Moved the Student- Veteran True Success Rate from 23% to 84% | Jason Walker & Anthony Paolino Most veteran transition programs focus on the “what”—resumes, interviews, and job placement—without addressing the “why.” The result is a national student-veteran True Success Rate of just 23%. VET+MAP’s p2i™ (Purpose-to-Impact) process takes a different approach, helping student-veterans identify their innate talents, core values, and life purpose before aligning goals, careers, and personal brands. At Texas A&M University, the pilot achieved an 84% True Success Rate, including 95% graduation, 94.7% job offers before graduation, and 88% employer retention at 12 months. This presentation explores the “Fog of Identity,” the research supporting purpose-driven transition, the p2i model, and the outcomes demonstrating its impact. Co-presented by VET+MAP’s founder and a Dean of Student Success, the session offers both the innovators and institutional leader’s perspectives on moving from pilot to practice. From Veteran Voices to Impact: Scaling Participatory Methods for Veteran Engagement Across Campus | Dr. Katherine Selber, Dr. Kelly Clary & Nate Rodrigues As higher education institutions seek sustainable, system-level impact for military-affiliated students, participatory approaches offer a powerful pathway for transformation. Drawing on the TexVet Legacy Project and a PCORI-funded initiative on moral injury, this presentation explores how Photovoice, Digital Storytelling, and Community Advisory Boards (CABs) elevate veterans’ voices while generating insights that inform programs, research, and decision-making. The session also examines how intentional collaboration across academic departments, student affairs, research units, and community organizations can move participatory practices beyond isolated pilots. By embedding these approaches into institutional structures, policies, and strategic initiatives, campuses can build more coordinated, interdisciplinary, and sustainable systems of support. Scaling Access Through On-Demand Mentorship: How Cross-Sector Partnerships Are Driving Outcomes for Military-Affiliated Students | Kate Wood, Heather McClenahen, Mike Kepner, Matt Disher & Chambala Roach Military-affiliated students often navigate fragmented support across higher education, employers, and community organizations. Traditional mentorship models can be high- touch, difficult to scale, and challenging to measure. This panel explores how on-demand mentorship and cross-sector partnerships are transforming career support by connecting military-affiliated students with industry professionals when they need it. Speakers from 50strong, higher education, and corporate partners will share practical examples of activating employer engagement, aligning mentorship with workforce needs, and using data to measure impact. Attendees will gain actionable strategies for building scalable mentorship models, strengthening partnerships, and extending career-readiness support beyond individual programs.

Keeping the Promise: Collaborating with Higher Education to Advance Veteran Success on Campus and Beyond | Eric Ellenberger Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) offers an engaging session designed to equip higher education faculty and staff with the awareness, resources, and partnerships needed to better support student veterans and their families. Alumni Manager Eric Ellenberger will share a personal story demonstrating how faculty awareness and intervention connected him to critical campus support during a time of crisis. The session will highlight WWP’s mental health, career, and wellness programs, along with opportunities to strengthen partnerships with colleges and Veteran Resource Centers. Participants will leave with practical resources, referral pathways, and connections to WWP local teams, ensuring institutions have trusted contacts when veterans or their families need support. Time will also be provided for questions and exploring partnership opportunities. Courage, Connection, and Care: Adaptive Horsemanship for the Veteran Family | Dr. Jeremey Blake Mallory, Dr. Ellen Rankins, Dr. Eliel Hinojosa This presentation explores how Tarleton State University’s Adaptive Horsemanship Program is evolving from a successful pilot into a scalable, institution-level model supporting military-affiliated families. Grounded in trauma-informed counseling, equine behavior science, occupational therapy, and civic engagement, the program provides a structured, family-centered approach to promoting emotional regulation, connection, and resilience. Presenters will highlight the program’s curriculum, safety protocols, evaluation framework, and interdisciplinary foundations, while sharing strategies for institutionalizing and scaling the model across departments and campuses. The session will also explore opportunities for academic integration, student research and experiential learning, community partnerships, and sustainable funding through grants, philanthropy, and state partnerships. Attendees will leave with a practical roadmap for transforming innovative, cross-disciplinary programs into sustainable, system-level support for military-affiliated communities. The New System: What You Need to Know About the Hazelwood Database | Texas Veterans Commission Representatives from the Texas Veterans Commission will provide an overview of the new Hazlewood Database, including key features, functionality, and what users need to know to navigate the system effectively. Attendees will also receive practical tips to help make the transition to the new system as seamless as possible.

Reflections on an Adaptive Horsemanship Program for Veterans and Their Families | Dr. Jeremy Blake Mallory, Dr. Ellen Rankins, Dr. Eliel Hinojosa, Dr. Austin Loignon This panel brings together faculty and student researchers from counseling, animal science, occupational therapy, curriculum and instruction, and veteran student services to reflect on Tarleton State University’s inaugural Adaptive Horsemanship Program pilot. Using Schön’s concepts of reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action, panelists will explore how interdisciplinary expertise shaped the program’s design, implementation, and evolution. Discussion will highlight the integration of equine behavior science, trauma-informed counseling, occupational therapy, and civic engagement to create a family-centered approach that promotes regulation, connection, and resilience. Faculty and students will share lessons learned in program logistics, safety, curriculum development, participant engagement, research, and evaluation. The panel will also highlight campus and community partnerships that supported the pilot and conclude with strategies for scaling the program, expanding student learning opportunities, and securing sustainable funding for continued veteran family support. What’s All The Chatter Behind The Data? | Lane Humphreys & Stephanie Love The transition from military service into higher education can be daunting for many veterans. Colleges attempt to close the gap through a variety of measures, and we must constantly assess our data to implement the best strategy for each college. The TAMU Military Admissions Office would like to present our insights since the 2025 Military Symposium based on our data collection effort. For Spring 2026, we formalized our goal to increase the admission footprint of undergraduate military students while continuing to offer superb customer service to the graduate military community and the dependent population. Our initial push was to focus on our transfer applicant pool while continuing to look for efficiencies in our process as well as taking a more careful look at our data. We gained more insight from this year’s effort, especially as we paid more attention to our data and we would like to have a discussion centered on the following broad concept: Data and the ability to adjust our focus and scale our operation for the optimum impact. Know Your Worth: Finding Purpose in Inspiring Highly Productive Teams Post-Military | Dr. Patrick Suermann, Lt Col, USAF (Ret.) Many military members are trained in technical specialties in the military but they overlook their valuable leadership and soft skills upon transition out of the military. This session focuses on harnessing those and channeling them into architecture, engineering, and construction fields for inspiring highly performing teams.

Building Stronger Pathways Together: Partnerships Supporting Military-Connected Learners to Higher Education and Beyond | Wendy Ann Lang & Dave Harrison Military-connected learners face a complex landscape of degrees, credentials, workforce training, and employment pathways as they transition from military service to civilian careers. This session explores how partnerships among higher education, employers, workforce organizations, government agencies, and veteran-serving nonprofits can create more seamless pathways to career advancement and economic mobility. Presented by Wendy Ann Lang of the Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services and Dave Harrison of Fastport, the session will highlight alternative pathways—including apprenticeships, industry-recognized credentials, and workforce training—and share practical examples of successful collaboration. The presentation will also feature preliminary findings from a Dixon Center and Texas A&M University System survey examining emerging non-degree credentials and alternative pathways across participating campuses. Attendees will gain actionable strategies for aligning education and workforce needs, expanding opportunity, and strengthening education-to-employment outcomes for veterans and military- connected learners. MilVet: Coming to a Texas College Near You! | Heather DeSpain As military-affiliated student needs evolve, institutions need scalable solutions that improve student experience, strengthen compliance, and streamline operations. This session explores how technology, process design, and institutional collaboration can reduce administrative burden while increasing transparency and consistency. Through demonstrations of MilVet Navigator, attendees will see how modern tools can improve communication, help students manage education benefits, and support staff with documentation, monitoring, audit readiness, and risk reduction. The session will also address the unique challenges of Texas institutions, including multi-campus operations and state benefit administration. Attendees will leave with practical strategies for scaling military student support, improving operational effectiveness, and preparing for the future of education benefit administration. Meet Your State Approving Agency (SAA) and Hazlewood Teams | Texas Veterans Commission Connect directly with SAA and Hazlewood team members in this interactive session designed for conversation and relationship-building. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask institution-specific questions, discuss unique needs, and strengthen connections with the teams that support their work.

Building Campus-Wide Support for Student-Veterans: A Multi-Campus Pilot Project | Heather McClenahen & Dr. Marshall Thomas This session will explore a pilot project of the California Community College System designed to create unconditional belonging for student-veterans on college campuses. The two-year project, nearing completion at the end of 2026, is designed to strengthen services provided for veterans in higher education. The ten colleges selected for the pilot bolstered services to student-veterans including outreach and advising, credit for prior learning, peer-mentoring, transfer pathways, and mental health services. Campus faculty and staff attended seminars to build knowledge about military culture and how best to serve military-affiliated students and create welcoming environments for those students on their campuses. In addition to on-campus activities, colleges also strengthened relationships with external veterans- supporting organizations (both public and private) and formalized relationships through MOUs as appropriate. The Impact of PLANning: How Peer-Led Assessment of Needs Strengthens Student Success and Institutional Effectiveness | Charles Gardner Explore how Peer Led Assessment of Needs (PLAN) programs empower Veteran Peer Leaders to gather meaningful feedback and data from veteran and military students while strengthening institutional assessment and student success efforts. Attendees will learn the benefits of the PLAN model and gain a practical framework for implementing a customized program on their own campus. NVLF Statewide Model: Scaling Support for Military-Connected Students | Jim Miller The National Veterans Leadership Foundation (NVLF) partners with more than 90 colleges and universities nationwide to develop student leadership and strengthen campus support for military-connected students. This session will provide an overview of NVLF’s state partnership strategy and opportunities for institutions, systems, and conferences to engage. Topics will include NVLF’s mission and state strategy, strategic planning assistance, the Military Community Advocates (MCA) Program, and Advancement Awards. The session will conclude with specific opportunities for Texas A&M institutions, the System, and the SEC Conference to participate and leverage NVLF resources to strengthen military-connected student support and leadership development.

Against "Best Practices"| R.J. Jenkins Everyone loves talking about best practices. This session argues that we should probably stop. Together, we'll explore why "best" often ignores institutional context, why it can unintentionally discourage rather than inspire, and why approaches grounded in listening, relationships, and the unique realities of every campus are a better way to think about building cultures of veteran support. California Community Colleges Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) Initiative - Scaling CPL for Veterans Using JSTs | Calvin Gloria & Terence Nelson The Joint Services Transcript (JST) documents service members’ validated military training, experience, and coursework aligned with American Council on Education (ACE) recommendations. Yet ACE credits are inconsistently evaluated and often limited to electives, reducing opportunities to accelerate degree completion. This session will showcase how the California Community Colleges’ Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) Initiative and Mapping Articulated Pathways (MAP) platform are creating scalable, statewide pathways that connect military learning to courses, credentials, degrees, and careers. Participants will explore practical strategies for faculty, advisors, registrars, veteran services professionals, and administrators to strengthen military CPL practices and empower military-affiliated students to identify, understand, and advocate for academic credit based on their military learning. What a Review of Records Looks Like from the State Approving Agency | Tara Monk - Texas Veterans Commission Get a practical look at the State Approving Agency (SAA) records review process. This session will walk through key requirements, share examples of compliant documentation, and explain the purpose behind major review areas to help institutions better understand and prepare for the process. From Fort Cavazos to College: Building Cross-Sector Pathways for Military-Connected Learners in Central Texas | Dr. Jefferson Pestronk, George Tang & Dr. Dallas Kratzer Fort Cavazos and Central Texas offer a unique opportunity to create clearer, more affordable college pathways for military-connected learners. This panel will explore an emerging partnership among Modern States, Viacela, the Center for Academic Innovation (CAI), and Texas A&M Central Texas (TENTATIVE) to connect military experience, CLEP, credit for prior learning, and AI-guided navigation to purposeful degree pathways. Panelists will share practical strategies for aligning military transition resources, academic credit, advising, testing, and learner support to build scalable, learner-centered pathways from service to college.

Mobilizing the Untapped Power and Potential of Women Student Veterans | Dr. Sherry Shipley Women student veterans (WSVs), often grouped with non-traditional students, face unique physical, mental health, social, and financial challenges. At the same time, they bring remarkable resilience and a diverse skill set that is often overlooked or undervalued by themselves and others. WSVs participate in higher education at high rates, are more likely to use Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits and complete their degrees at higher rates than male veterans. Yet, after earning an associate’s degree, they still face financial gaps, making $13,000 to $15,000 less annually than their male peers. Meanwhile, industries struggle to find skilled employees with professionalism, strong critical thinking, and communication abilities— qualities WSVs possess in abundance. This session will explore ways to understand, support, and engage WSVs on your campus through increased understanding, targeted recognition, career mentorship, and networking opportunities. From Combat Medic to BSN Nurse: Scaling Operational Success Through a Veterans to BSN (VBSN) Nursing Pathway into Civilian and Military Healthcare | Jonathan Menchaca, Larissa Waltman, L. Denise Wharton & Kara Moellenberg Military-affiliated students (MASs) bring valuable knowledge, leadership, discipline, and resilience from their military service, yet often face barriers translating military training and experience into academic credit and navigating higher education. This presentation highlights a Veterans accelerated nursing program supporting military medical personnel in earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and advancing into military Nursing Corps or civilian healthcare careers. Strategies include targeted recruitment, military-friendly onboarding, mentorship, peer support, veteran-centered advising, and partnerships with military and veteran-serving organizations. While focused on nursing, this scalable framework demonstrates how institutions can leverage military experience to support MASs in transitioning into higher education and professional careers. The Highs and Lows of Implementing a Grant at Your College | Marcelo Pico, Thomas Perez-Cashen, C'airah Ryan & Dr. BethAnn Warwick In 2025, Austin Community College accepted a grant from the Department of Education called the Center of Excellence for Veteran Student Success (CEVSS). Dr. BethAnn Warwick led the charge and brought in Coordinator Marcelo Pico and Assistants Thomas Perez- Cashen and C’airah Ryan. Together, as a team, they’ve seen their fair share of ups and downs as they’ve followed the details of the grant as given to them by the Department of Education. Here, they share what they’ve learned in the first year of ACC-CEVSS’s operation.

The Impact of Concussion History and Combat Experience upon Mental Health, PTSD, and Suicide Ideation among United States Military Veterans | Dr. Scott Bruce This study examines how concussion history, combat exposure, and PTSD influence depression, anxiety, and suicide ideation among U.S. military veterans. Veterans completed demographic surveys and standardized mental-health assessments, with statistical analyses examining individual and combined risk factors. Findings indicate that concussion history combined with combat experience predicted depression, anxiety, and suicide ideation more strongly than either factor alone. Combat experience strongly predicted PTSD, which significantly influenced all measured outcomes. Results support integrating concussion, combat, and PTSD screening into veteran-focused mental-health practices and strengthening early identification, intervention, and support for military-affiliated students. Meet Your State Approving Agency (SAA) and Hazlewood Teams | Texas Veterans Commission Connect directly with SAA and Hazlewood team members in this interactive session designed for conversation and relationship-building. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask institution-specific questions, discuss unique needs, and strengthen connections with the teams that support their work. Boots Off, Books Open, Get Bread: Texas Policy Strategies for Veteran Education and Workforce Alignment | Dr. Abby Kinch & Dr. Mark Wooten Military transition is not a single event but a multi-year journey across disconnected systems. In Texas, gaps between military transition programs, higher education, and workforce entry create unnecessary complexity for veterans. This presentation examines strategies to better align these systems and improve veteran outcomes while meeting state workforce needs. It focuses on three challenges: disconnected data, basic needs, and limited education-employer coordination. The session presents a policy framework centered on continuity, transparency, and alignment, including cross-agency data sharing, credit for prior learning, employer-connected education, and technology-enabled navigation. Building our Vetrepreneurs: Texas A&M's Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV) | Blake Petty & EBV Past Participants Veteran-owned businesses are a powerhouse in the U.S. economy, with success rates higher than in almost all other entrepreneurship categories. Yet many veterans and military- affiliated students find few resources and assistance programs focused on entrepreneurs and small business owners/operators. Texas A&M is proud to have created the nation's premier vetrepreneurial training program, hosting two online & in person short-courses annually offered completely free to all veteran participants. Come learn more about TAMU's Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV) program and hear from a few of our 500+ program graduates.

Put Your Mask on First: Leaders Developing Leaders | David Yebra When traveling by air, the flight attendants instruct you to put your mask on first so that you will be ready to help others. The challenges we face in guiding others to live their best lives require influence strategies found in leader development. As John Maxwell, the famous leader developer once said in identifying leaders, “they can’t lead others to success if they’ve never led themselves there.” This session will enhance your ability to influence others by developing that capacity in yourself by introducing you to leadership books and practices to be the best version of yourself, so that you in turn can lead others. Just as doctors practice medicine, lawyers practice the law, leaders practice leadership. We are always striving to be the best version of ourselves so that we may offer other the greatest probability for their success – our greatest reward. Telling the Student Veteran Story: Building Donor Relationships that Grow Veteran Programs and Scholarships | David "Salt" E. Bacot Veteran Resource Centers understand their students and programs, but many have limited experience with university development and donor engagement. This presentation will explore how veteran-serving professionals can partner with advancement teams to build sustainable support for scholarships, emergency funds, and veteran programs. Topics include donor engagement, compelling student veteran stories, communicating impact, funding strategies, identifying potential donors, stewardship, and avoiding common fundraising challenges. Participants will leave with practical strategies they can immediately apply on their campuses. Transforming Lives Through Care: The Impact of Wounded Warrior Project’s Warrior Care Network | Eric Ellenberger, Fitha Dahana-Ellis & Brianna Werner Identify mental health, wellness, and connection resources available through Wounded Warrior Project, including how to connect students and future service members to the right support at the right time. Apply practical strategies for stigma-informed conversations with military-connected students, including warm handoff techniques that increase follow- through. Articulate how peer and alumni voices reduce barriers to care and how campus staff can use these narratives to build awareness within veteran and ROTC communities before a need arises. From Innovation to Evidence Based Practice: The use of Embedded Behavioral Health with Military Affiliated College Students | Dr. Sarah Skelton & Donna Brooks More colleges and universities are adopting embedded behavioral health models to support military-affiliated students, yet there is little standardization or published guidance for implementation. This presentation highlights two universities using culturally responsive embedded behavioral health models and explores how they developed innovative approaches in the absence of established best practices. Topics include sustainability, policy and structural integration, program evaluation, and data-informed practices. Participants will gain practical strategies for embedding culturally responsive mental health support into services, policies, and campus culture for military-affiliated students.

Pilot Study Outcomes for Medically Trained Veteran Transition to Civilian Healthcare | Dr. Joan Whitman & Laura Hanoski Heroes for Healthcare is a Milwaukee-based nonprofit helping veterans translate military medical experience into civilian Healthcare careers through career guidance, mentorship, education, and employment support. From 2024–2026, a grant from the Medical College of Wisconsin’s Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin initiative supported a pilot exploring ways to accelerate civilian licensure for medically trained veterans. Dr. Whitman and Laura Hanoski will share findings on transition barriers, higher education challenges, and strategies for sustainable Healthcare career pathways. Real Talk: When A Student Veteran Makes You Want To Quit (And What To Do About It) | R.J. Jenkins Veteran-serving professionals are among the most passionate and mission-driven in higher education, but that doesn’t mean the work is easy. While we often celebrate the leadership, adaptability, and discipline veterans bring to our campuses, we rarely make space for honest, professional conversations about the moments when supporting them feels incredibly hard. This session tackles that reality head-on. From entitlement and resistance to cultural clashes and burnout, we’ll address the complex, sometimes uncomfortable, dynamics that can arise in veteran-support work, and explore strategies for meeting those moments with empathy, professionalism, and resolve. The goal isn’t to complain - it’s to build community, normalize challenge, and strengthen our collective capacity to serve veterans more effectively and sustainably. The Veteran Compass: A Two-Axis Matrix for Measuring Cultural Reintegration and Economic Mobility | Joshua Koszewski Traditional measures of veteran success often focus on graduation and employment, overlooking the cultural challenges of transitioning from military to civilian life. This session introduces the Veteran Culture Project and Veteran Compass, a multidimensional tool grounded in Berry’s Acculturation Theory that measures military-civilian cultural transition across four orientations: Integration, Separation, Assimilation, and Marginalization. Presenters will share findings from the Summer 2026 validation pilot and the “With, Not On” methodology used to incorporate veteran perspectives into the 30-question instrument. The session will also explore how AI-assisted prototyping and generative synthesis can translate veterans lived experiences into actionable metrics. Attendees will gain a framework for moving beyond traditional participation and outcome measures toward culturally informed indicators of veteran reintegration and economic mobility.

Beyond the First Job: How Mentorship Drives Long-Term Success for Student Veterans | Paul Tyson Structured mentorship can help military-affiliated students move beyond simply finding a job to building a meaningful, sustainable career. Drawing on outcomes from American Corporate Partners (ACP), this session explores how mentorship supports career clarity, professional networks, workforce readiness, and successful transitions from education to employment. NASPA Sustainability at Scale: A System-Level Approach to Understanding Advising Redesign | Hope Barrón The Texas A&M University System is one of four higher education systems selected to participate in NASPA’s Sustainability at Scale study, examining how systems sustain and institutionalize advising and student success reforms over time. This session will provide an overview of the national study and explore the A&M System’s work, including how resources, workforce support, policy, and system-level structures contribute to sustaining and scaling student success initiatives. You’re Not Broken: How Self-Mastery Can Turn What the Military Hated & Loved About You Into Your Greatest Academic & Career Advantage | Jason Walker, Robert Corley & Daniela Romero Every veteran has strengths the military valued—and traits that sometimes got them in trouble. This interactive workshop reframes both as innate talents that can be understood and leveraged in civilian careers. Participants will identify their talent patterns, discover their PowerZone and FrustrationZone, and explore how their wiring influences career fit, teamwork, interviews, and workplace dynamics. Through demonstrations and audience discussion, participants will gain a practical framework and vocabulary for understanding themselves and navigating civilian careers. Scaling Military Student Support: From Promising Practice to Institutional Strategy | Heather DeSpain Military-affiliated students often encounter inconsistent processes and support across campuses, while institutions face pressure to scale services, maintain compliance, and demonstrate impact with limited resources. This facilitated roundtable will explore how successful military-affiliated student support practices can move from isolated innovations to sustainable institutional systems. Participants will discuss student experience, staff training, compliance, data, benefit administration, and cross-campus collaboration, sharing challenges, lessons learned, and emerging needs. Attendees will leave with practical ideas and perspectives for strengthening support and improving outcomes across large, diverse systems.

Their Envisioned Future: Exceptional Student Support | David Yebra The evolving needs of veterans and military-affiliated students require adaptable, innovative support. Beyond processing benefits, we can leverage resources, technology, data, and customer service to support students from initial engagement and transition through persistence, resiliency, and career placement. This interactive session will explore best practices and lessons learned in areas such as institutional research, website design, process automation, and student engagement, with participants sharing strategies for delivering exceptional support. From Service to Society: Key Factors Influencing OEF/OIF Veterans’ Civilian Transition | Tracey D. Knowles & Jenneva M. Barrett This literature review examines how enhancing the Transition Assistance Program can support OEF/OIF veterans’ transition to civilian life. A review of 12 peer-reviewed studies identified four key themes: identity loss, program accessibility, well-being, and re- culturation. Findings highlight the importance of targeted, coordinated transition services to support veterans, their families, and communities. Charting Your Path: Intentional Career Development in Higher Education | Dr. Monika Sziron Join us for a professional development session that compiles decades of advice for professionals seeking to develop their careers in higher education. This session will allow attendees to start workshopping, contemplating, and acting on questions like "What do I want my career to look like in 5 years?" "Do I want to advance my career in higher education?" "What is an actionable next step for me to develop my higher ed career?"

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