Military spouses picked up tips and shared ideas and experiences at the Military Officers Association of America’s 2nd Annual Military Spouse Symposium on June 19 in Virginia Beach, Va.
“The conference was fabulous and I gained a wealth of valuable information,” said Christine Hood, an Army wife from Fort Eustis, Va., who was among more than 100 who attended the symposium at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. “I am currently in a transition with work and [MOAA] provided some great information and really helped to get the wheels turning.”
Authors, policy experts, and military spouse leaders from across the country lead panel discussions on topics covering spouse employment, family support, and military family legislation and benefits. Panelists included Babette Maxwell, executive editor of Military Spouse Magazine; Carol Fishman Cohen, author of “Back on the Career Track;” Tanya Biank, author of “Army Wives;” and Maj. Art Finch, a military psychologist.
“So often we hear from military spouses about their frustrations in trying to carve out a life for them self outside of supporting their service member,” said Sue Hoppin, an Air Force wife and MOAA’s deputy director for Spouse Outreach. “Our subject matter experts represented years of experience, knowledge and out-of-the-box thinking. We hoped that our attendees would be able to gather nuggets of information to use in their own lives. From the buzz, I think we far exceeded our greatest expectations.”
The symposium was held in conjunction with the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) and the U.S. Naval Institute Transformation Warfare 2008 Conference.
New coverage of Spouse Symposium
Photo essay of Spouse Symposium