Introducing Military Spouse Advocacy Network’s Leadership Development Program

By Dawn Smith, Communications Coordinator, MSAN

Being stationed overseas on military orders may present many challenges, but your personal and professional development do not have to be one of them.

If the Military Spouse Advocacy Network (MSAN) is new to you, let us introduce ourselves. MSAN’s primary mission is to create stronger military families through education, empowerment, and support, with a heavy focus on building community ties through mentorship.

In our online member-only mentorship-HUB, we encourage all of our spouses to support their families and communities by taking advantage of our free programs and educational resources. We also encourage our members to advocate for themselves by continually improving their skill sets and maximizing their talents.

One of our favorite ways to give back to MSAN members each year is to encourage them to apply to our prestigious Military Spouse Leadership Development Program. Military spouses are servant leaders at heart with a passion for giving back, and MSAN wants to give every MSLDP participant a chance to change lives and impact those around them.

If you’ve considered taking your passion to the next level and improving your leadership skills, you need to know about MSLDP. After three years of administering MSLDP, we’re in our groove and ready to mentor a new cohort in 2023.

What is the Military Spouse Leadership Development Program?

MSLDP is the chance you’ve been waiting for to directly invest in yourself so that later you can strategically invest in your chosen communities. MSLDP teaches the fundamentals of leadership, service, advocacy and mentorship.

Your educators will be top military leaders and impactful voices throughout our community and beyond. Past partners have included Psych Hub, The McChrystal Group, and the Harvard University National Preparedness Leadership Initiative. You’ll learn about topics that include:

● Meta-Leadership and Crisis Leadership

● Collaborating for Greater Impact

● Motivational Interviewing and Mental Health

● Communication

● Stakeholder Support and Engagement

Ultimately, you’ll build a network of leadership-oriented military spouses, earn certificates and micro-certifications, and gain exclusive access to supportive agencies and individuals that will train, educate and develop you as a future mentor, advocate and service leader.

Who Can Apply?

We’ve removed common barriers so you can take advantage of this world-class education. MSLDP is a completely free and entirely virtual program, open to eligible active duty spouses from any branch of our armed services, including the Reserves and Guard. We also encourage post-9/11 Gold Star Spouses, surviving Spouses, caregivers, spouses of a veteran, and retirees to apply.

Why Should You Apply to MSLDP?

MSLDP is your ticket for instant membership into a group of like-minded spouses with missions to serve their communities in new and bold ways. During the program, you’ll sit among standout spouses who, like you, want to become effective change-makers. MSAN designed MSLDP to train military spouses to become strong, knowledgeable, and confident leaders who significantly impact their chosen communities. This program will empower you and develop your leadership skills to become a trusted voice in your community. Most importantly, you will complete this learning experience feeling seen, heard, and empowered to act. Unlock your potential to become an action-oriented leader, advocate and mentor so you can make a difference where it matters.

Who Are MSLDP Graduates?

Our graduates are just like you. They’ve sacrificed a traditional lifestyle to support their service member throughout all Armed Services branches. They are mothers, fathers, students, professionals, entrepreneurs, volunteers, advocates, and caregivers. Each had the drive and desire to make a difference in the lives of underserved populations. The MSLDP helped them hone their skills and graduate with actionable plans to grow their communities.

“The decision-making and communication skills we learned have already had a huge impact on my professional and personal life,” said Tiffany Kelley, graduate from MSLDP’s 2022 cohort. “I was elected into a leadership role during the LDP and immediately started implementing several strategies from our presenters and the material provided to us. My team is growing stronger each month and it’s been so rewarding to watch us grow together.”

“MSLDP was an incredible experience,” said 2022 graduate Sandra Miko-Hensley. “If you enjoy connecting with other military spouses, discussing military family topics, exploring professional development topics and want to grow as a leader, MSLDP is for you.”

How Can You Apply for MSLDP?

Our exclusive application process opens May 12, 2023, and the last day to submit your application is June 9, 2023.

You’ll find direct access on MSAN’s website. There’s a special page dedicated to everything you need to apply. We ask all applicants to join MSAN’s one-of-a-kind mentorship-HUB before the application deadline. You can join the HUB anytime, even if you’re not applying to MSLDP. We’d love to have you join and see how our amazing MSAN community educates, supports, and empowers thousands of military spouses across the globe. Sometimes military spouses can get stuck in the day-to-day routines of military life that don’t always leave time for personal and professional development. If you’ve been looking for a way to improve your leadership skills and find new ways to connect with other military-connected people across the globe who want to make significant changes in our communities, then MSLDP is your chance to join the military spouse advocacy movement.

More info about the program can be found at our website: https://www.militaryspouseadvocacynetwork.org/msldp

Dawn M. Smith has been writing about topics related to homes and moving for more than a decade. She’s planned long-distance house hunts, packed and unpacked ten homes, and fit the same furniture within many different floor plans. Thanks to mandatory military moves, she’s lived on both coasts, a few states in between, and currently calls Washington, D.C., home—for now.