Veterans in Academics

Keith Walter Dow is a poet from New England where he is studying to receive his Master of Social Work. His newest book, Karmic Purgatory is available everywhere now and his other work has been published in Fact & Memory, In Love &...War: The Anthology of Poet Warriors, Coffee or Die Magazine, and OAF Nation. He is the co-founder of Dead Reckoning Collective, a publishing company exclusively working with military veterans to share their stories in all written genres. He is a devoted father and a partner to the essayist, Jessica Danger.

This Week on Veterans in Academics! 9/30/21 Tiahna Pantovich was born and raised in the Washington, D.C. area. She joined the U.S. Army my senior year in high school and after graduation to become an Arabic Crypto Linguist. Tiahna loved Monterey, and she loved working with languages. She now speaks four languages with ease, and she is mastering two more. She has three college degrees and is two semesters away from earning her fourth. She plans to pursue Doctorate, Tiana is an author and has her own private practice providing therapy to those who have experienced trauma.

Coby W. Dillard is the director of Military and Veterans Affairs at UT Tyler, where he directs the university's efforts to holistically support its population of student veterans, active/Reserve/Guard members, and their families. His work and research focuses on military-related students and their transition in and through the academic community. A Navy veteran, Coby has written and presented on ways that educational institutions can improve their support services for this unique student population. His higher education career began at Tidewater Community College (TCC) in 2010, where he worked as a VA work-study, financial aid assistant, VA Certifying Official, and finally as an academic advisor at the college's Center for Military and Veterans Education. He continued his work with military-related students at Regent University from 2016-2017 and returned to TCC as its first Veterans Resource Liaison in January 2017. Prior to his arrival at UT Tyler, he served as the coordinator for Veterans and Military Services at UC Santa Barbara, where his department was recognized with the Villa Service to Students award for 2019-20. He is a graduate of TCC (2012; AS, Social Sciences), Norfolk State University (2015; BS, Interdisciplinary Studies), and Regent University (2017; MA in Human Services Counseling). He also holds a certification as a Clinical Military Counselor.   Coby is also an avid soccer fan, and regularly gets compliments on his office scarf wall in Zoom meetings!

Veterans in Academics: Derek G. Handley is an assistant professor in the English Department's Public Rhetorics & Community Engagement program and affiliated faculty in the African and African Diaspora Studies Department at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He is a retired Navy Commander who earned his Ph.D. in Rhetoric from Carnegie Mellon University using the GI Bill. His book project, “‘The Places We Knew So Well Are No More:' A Rhetorical History of Urban Renewal and the Black Freedom Movement” looks at the rhetorical strategies and tactics used by African-American communities in Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, and St. Paul MN as they resisted urban renewal. Before coming to UWM, Derek was a Chamberlain Project Fellow in English and Black Studies at Amherst College and a Predoctoral Mellon Fellow at the James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference at Emory University. He has taught at Lehigh University, the United States Naval Academy, and the Community College of Allegheny County. His research interests include African American Rhetoric, Urban Studies, and the Black Freedom Movement.   Here are some links to Derek's Projects that he discusses on the show.  https://www.writingandrhetoricmke.com/blog/mapping-racism-and-resistance-in-milwaukee   https://uwm.edu/news/how-rhetoric-shaped-resistance-to-urban-renewal/  

BriGette McCoy Doctoral Student of Instructional Technology, Recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society Citizens Honor Medal, Army Veteran.    About Brigette:    EDUCATION   Doctoral Student Instructional Technology Georgia State University Atlanta GA 2021 Certificate Disruption Innovation Entrepreneurship Georgia State University May 2021 Master of Science Instructional Design Georgia State University Atlanta GA May 2020  Courses MS, Education Design & Media Technologies, Full Sail University, Winter Park, FL 2009-2011 MS Theology Pastoral Counseling; Clinical Ministry, Restoration Theological Seminary, Morrow, GA 2006 BS, Psychology, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 1999 AAS Medical Office Administration Gaston University Gastonia NC 1996 RESEARCH INTERESTS Social Justice intersections with technology, new media, ethnography research, instructional educational tools and diversity, AI , VR AR and equitable digital infrastructures of learning, WORK EXPERIENCE   WVSJ Network CEO- 2008- Current  BOARD MEMBERSHIP   ▪ CEO Women Veteran Social Justice Network 2008-Current ▪ Ethics Board Chair Protect Our Defenders 2013- Current ▪ Scholarship Chair National Association of Black Military Women 2019-current ▪ Chair City of Atlanta Veteran Affairs Commission 2020-Current ▪ Chair City of Atlanta Veteran Affairs Commission 2014- 2020 ▪ Board Advisor Service Women Action Network Military Women's Coalition 2017-2018 ▪ Vice-Chair Federally Employed Women Diversity and Inclusion Committee 2016-2018 ▪ Vice President Warrior Songs Arts and Music Non Profit organization 2014-2018 ▪ Board Advisor The War Horse Journalistic Non-Profit Organization 2016-2018 ACADEMIC AFFILIATIONS AWARDS HONORS WomenLead Alum 2020 The Ph.D. Project Alum 2020 PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATION AND COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP   Women Veteran Social Justice Network (Founder) City of Atlanta Veteran's Affairs Commission (Chair) Protect Our Defenders (Board Member) Federally Employed Women (Past SE Region Diversity & Training Co-Chair/Treasurer) Warrior Songs (Past Vice President & Advisor) Disabled American Veterans (Life Member) Veterans of Foreign Wars (Life Member) Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (Past Georgia State Steering Committee Member) AMVETS Post 44 (Past Committee Vice-Chair) The War Horse (Past Advisor on Women Veteran's Coverage) Vietnam Veterans of America Atlanta Business League, SHRM, AAPD PUBLICATIONS  Behind The Rank   OpED The Guardian   McCoy B and O'Hara C (2016). WVSJ and digital social impact: creating online community networks and using mobile technology. The American Institute of Stress Combat Stress. 5(1), 61-66.    McCoy B and O'Hara C (2016). Overcoming military sexual trauma: moving forward through identification, connection, and empowerment. The American Institute of Stress Combat Stress. 5(1), 66-72.  AWARDS 2020 Congressional Medal of Honor Society Citizens Honor Medal 2019 Georgia State Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Agency Award Cultural Competence  Camaraderie Champion Award 2016 National Association of Black Military Women Honored Service Veteran Woman 2014 WNBA Atlanta Dream Inspiring Women Award  1990 Army Good Conduct Medal  1990 Army National Defense Service Medal  

Vietnam War, Micronesia, Full Professor of Anthropology and International Affairs   **Link to Glenn's new book at the bottom of the page** Glenn Petersen has been a professor at the City University of New York's Baruch College and Graduate Center since 1977; he teaches anthropology, international affairs, and geography. He's worked as an ethnographer in the Pacific Ocean's remote Micronesian islands, studying Micronesians' traditional forms of chieftainship, their struggles to achieve independence, and the ways they've adapted their own political theories to constitutional forms of government. He served as a member of the Federated States of Micronesia's Permanent Mission to the United Nations after they achieved independence. War and the Arc of Human Experience, which Rowman & Littlefield/Hamilton just published, is his sixth book. He lives in New York City, is an avid Yankees fan (it's just a short walk from his home to the stadium), and recently became a grandfather for the first time. He was in the US Navy 1964-68, and as 19-year-old second class petty officer flew 70 combat missions in 1966-67 as a radar intercept controller/flight technician on E-1Bs off the USS Bennington on Yankee Station.​   Available now!  War and the Arc of Human Experience - 9780761872351 (rowman.com)​  

Michael Brown served for 4 years on active duty in the Army, and during his time in, deployed to Bosnia with the 1st Armored Division. Upon getting out of the military, he went to college at Northern Michigan University, majoring in Political Science and Applied Ethics. After graduation, he moved to Pennsylvania, and was hired by then Congressman-elect, Patrick Murphy, the first Iraq War Veteran ever elected to congress.   Michael then went on to be the Director of Veteran Services for Montgomery County Community College, working with more than 400 veterans each year at the college, assisting with academic advising, career counseling, and VA benefits.    Michael accepted the role of Director of the Office of Veterans and Military Service Members at Villanova in October of 2018. This is a new position at Villanova, and he is tasked with growing the programs, opportunities, and community at the university to include students from across campus and alumni.   Voices of Villanova's Veterans - https://veteransvoices.library.villanova.edu/   Memorial Map - https://memorialmap.library.villanova.edu/    

David Vacchi is an Assistant Professor of Education at Liberty University and oversees doctoral research for a stable of 24 candidates. After retiring from a career in the US Army, Dr. Vacchi earned his Ph.D. in Educational Administration from UMass-Amherst with a dissertation focused on student veteran success. An unapologetic critic of veteran scholarship, David has published and presented scholarship on student veterans frequently over the last 10 years in addition to serving as an influencing voice on shaping the scholarship on student veterans to be more authentic and accurate. Dr. Vacchi recently published the book Straight Talk for Veterans available at the Book Baby website and as an eBook at Barnes and Noble.com. https://store.bookbaby.com/book/Straight-Talk-for-Veterans If you use the coupon code VetsInAcademics you will get 20% off at discount between 1 Aug and 30 Sep 2021.  

This week on Veterans in Academics! 7/1/21 Coming in directly from Purdue's Fort Wayne campus to your favorite podcast platform!   Dr. Michael Kirchner is an Assistant Professor of Organizational Leadership and the Director of Military Student Services at Purdue University Fort Wayne. His research on veteran career transitions and military leadership development has been published in numerous scholarly journals and he frequently consults for organizations on veteran-friendly programming and employee onboarding. Dr. Kirchner can be reached at kirchnem@pfw.edu

New! Veterans in Academics 6/24/2021 The intro of Veterans in Academics promises a view of academics and beyond. This week is an excellent episode for the beyond! Hon. Dr. Larry Wallace is a career Army Veteran, Entrepreneur, Author, he holds a Doctorate in Business, and he is the Mayor of a city! This interview was fun and informative. Dr. Wallace is a testament to what dedication and perseverance can bring to those willing to work. However, his work is not for his gain, as he is constantly advancing others around him and improving social and economic environments.  Follow these links to learn more about Mayor Wallace.  https://lnkd.in/gjd_F5v https://lnkd.in/grBveE8 Link to the show in the comments.

Former British Army officer, now Dr. Graham Cable, is a Research Fellow in the Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT) Research Centre based at the Veterans & Families Institute for Military Social Research, Anglia Ruskin University (in the UK). His role is to provide advice and guidance to FiMT-funded researchers commissioned from among UK based research organizations (including other universities), and to author publicly accessible summaries and reviews of that research; all in support of FiMT's wider objectives to enable ex-military personnel make a successful and sustainable transition to civilian life. He also acts as his university's Armed Forces Community Inclusion Lead working alongside leadership, teaching, and support staff to ensure accessibility of courses and staff roles for serving regular and reserve military personnel, as well as veterans and family members. His former military career was cut short by medical discharge, which heralded a difficult transition, prompting him to undertake his doctorate to explore the experience. Graham saw his thesis as a means to continue his own lifelong learning journey, and to encourage other military leavers and veterans to do the same. It was this enduring sense of educational duty that brought him to his current role, as well as to membership of an international community of like-minded scholars and professionals; which led to this podcast. Graham publishes and peer reviews academic papers, supervises postgraduate (including doctoral) dissertations, and undertakes teaching and examining roles. He has also been appointed by the UK Government's Minister for Defence People and Veterans as a member of his regional Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committee, which ensures veterans are supported in his local area. He has recently been invited to join the editorial team of an international veterans' studies journal. Between leaving the Army and taking up his current position, Graham acted as a consultant in various NATO headquarters, as well as in teaching and undertaking professional roles in other universities. He is a member of the UK's Chartered Institute of Linguists (fluent in Spanish) and Chartered Management Institute. Just as he is determined to succeed in his own military-to-civilian transition, he strives to ensure others can do the same and sees education as fundamental to this. He discusses that in this podcast.

This Week on Veterans in Academics! 6/10/2021 Hira Byrne Paulin is a Rehabilitation Counselor, working to support student veterans in accessing campus disability services, academic accommodations, and information on personal rights and protections. She is currently a Ph.D. Candidate at Northern Illinois University with research that focuses on Military Moral Injury. For those interested in her work, she provides consulting free of charge to military-affiliated persons who want information and resources regarding rehabilitation/disability services for service-connected disabilities and injuries through "Byrne disAbility Consulting". In addition, professionals can reach out to learn about military-related injuries and disabilities. She is proud to support the community that she is a part of as a granddaughter of a WWII Army Air Corps POW and spouse of a career active-duty enlisted Marine.

Ben Wadham is the Director of Open Door: Veteran transition Integration and Wellbeing Research initiative at Flinders University in South Australia. Ben served in the Australian Regular Army from 1987-1992. He served in the Royal Australian Infantry (2/4 RAR) and the Royal Australia Corps of Military Police. He is a member of the Australian Peacekeeping and Peacekeepers Association, the Australian Military Police Association, and the Royal Australian Regiment Association. Ben studied at university after transition and now concentrates on research on and for veterans and their families.

Darryl G. Cathcart served in the Canadian Army for nearly 26 years as a member of The Royal Canadian Regiment. He enrolled as a private soldier and retired as a senior officer. Darryl's time in uniform included conducting operations and training on four different continents. His service in the Canadian Armed Forces led to a desire to help military-connected learners to maximize their training and education potential in a supportive environment, especially those permanently leaving the military. Academic Darryl is a graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada, the United States Marine Corps Expeditionary Warfare School, the Canadian Forces College, and he holds a Master of Education degree from Queen's University. Currently, Darryl is in his final year of a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership at Western University.

This Week on Veterans in Academics- John Ellis Coming in from California We bring you a currently serving reservist, writer, and part of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Veteran Studies. Listen to John's unique enlistment story, his time in the classroom, his work as a writer and editor.  After the episode, learn more about John here: www.johnedwardellis.com We thank you all for the continued support. Please give a five-star rating on your listening platform and a positive review.   

This week 5/13/21: Ryan Pavel, the CEO of the Warrior Scholar Project. What does the Warrior Scholar Project Do? In partnership with top colleges and universities, Warrior-Scholar Project (WSP) hosts intensive, one and two-week college-preparatory academic boot camps for enlisted veterans and transitioning service members. Boot camps are offered in three disciplines: Humanities, STEM, and Business & Entrepreneurship.   Through faculty lectures, workshops and research projects, tailored assignments, and one-on-one tutoring, warrior-scholars acquire the skills to succeed in higher education and navigate the cultural shift from military service to college. Throughout the course, warrior-scholars are mentored by student veterans who have successfully transitioned from the military to college.   WSP also offers workshops tailored to address the unique needs of veterans enrolled in community colleges and targeted programming for marginalized veterans, such as our Women Veterans Empowerment Dialogues. All programming is provided at no cost.     Warrior-Scholar Project 1012 14th Street NW | Suite 1200 | Washington, DC | 20005 W: warrior-scholar.org | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Press: LA Times | KOLD News 13 | CBS This Morning

In this Episode, Army Veteran and Doctoral candidate Michael Smith shares his story and about the great research, he is conducting on undergraduate veterans.    **See below to help out in his research**   Acculturation and Career Development Needs of Undergraduate Military Veterans My name is Michael Smith, a doctoral student at Endicott College. I am looking for undergraduate military veterans to invest about 10-15 minutes to complete a secure, anonymous survey. Volunteers will remain anonymous (no names or email addresses required), and the survey can be taken online at any time. The purpose of my research is to better understand the experiences of military veterans enrolled in undergraduate higher education programs and factors impacting their academic success. Benefits of participation in this study include contributing to the understanding of veterans' cultural and career transitions out of the military into civilian life. Your participation will also aid in furthering understanding of the needs of transitioning veterans so that others providing support services can better address these needs in the future. Qualtrics Survey Link: https://tinyurl.com/V2CASI Thank you in advance! Michael Smith M.ED, Doctoral Candidate OIF Army Veteran ‘08 www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsmith81/ msmith364@mail.endicott.edu

Frank Hamilton joined the faculty at Eckerd College in 2004 after spending 22 years traveling the world as an officer in the US Army serving in a variety of leadership positions including the Pentagon. After retiring from the military, Frank co-founded a high-quality, high-volume, spay/neuter clinic (HQHVSN) focusing on the ending of companion animal euthanasia in Hillsborough County. His work appears in The Academy of Management Review, Human Relations, Business Ethics: A European Review, Anthrozoos, The Journal of Urban Affairs, Frontiers of Veterinary Science, The Journal of Ethics in Leadership, The Journal of Market Focused Management, Leadership: The Key Concepts, and in The Public Affairs Times. Research Interests Leadership and leadership development, organizational creation and development, the creation of shared values, and public policy for companion animals.

Ending an enlisted career with a doctorate- Listen to this first-hand story of Jerry Crouch. He explains what it was like to advance his career while pursuing his terminal learning. Listens will be surprised to hear the boost and the drawbacks that come from Jerry's journey.    **Special note, this was recorded while Jerry was preparing to leave the military. He has left and entered the civilian majority sphere, look him up and lend a hand during this segway into a new life. 

Jared Lyon was appointed National President & CEO of Student Veterans of America (SVA) in 2016. He leads the organization's efforts to empower student veterans using the transformative power of higher education. Since he took office, Lyon has overseen SVA's growth to a network of more than 1,500 chapters on campuses in all 50 states and three countries representing over 750,000 student veterans. During his tenure, he co-authored the National Veteran Education Success Tracker (NVEST), a comprehensive study of the first 854,000 student veterans to use the Post-9/11 GI Bill. In 2017 Lyon led SVA's commitment to pass the “Forever GI Bill,” the largest expansion of college aid for military veterans in a decade with an economic impact of $3.4 Billion. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, he served as a submariner and diver, taking part in multiple deployments in support of the Global War on Terrorism. Prior to joining the headquarters team at SVA, Lyon previously served as the National Program Manager for the Institute for Veterans and Military Families Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans and as Manager of Florida Operations for the Washington Nationals Major League Baseball team. Lyon is a member of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veteran's Advisory Committee on Education, and a commissioner for the American Council on Education's Commission for Education Attainment. He also serves on the advisory boards for the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation and the Florida State University Veteran Advisory Board and is a 2018 Presidential Leadership Scholar. He holds an Associate of Arts from Eastern Florida State College, a Bachelor of Science from Florida State University, and a Master of Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, where he is an adjunct professor at the Whitman School of Management. In 2011, SVA named Lyon the National Student Veteran of the Year. Jared and his wife Chayla reside in Alexandria, Virginia with their son, Campbell.

Dr. James Ross-Nazzal is a Professor of History, Gender, and Ethnic Studies Programs.  He teaches at Houston Community College. In this episode, we learn why he has a passion for being in the community college system and how he became interested in his research areas.  This veteran has a great story of transition and how academics were woven into his experience.  James is a true educator and cares for others. From providing free texts to a Twitter feed that centers on many student-centered communications, his positive pedagogy footprint is deep.  Join us in this great episode of Veterans in Academics. 

James Dubinsky, an associate professor of English, is also the founding director of the Department of English's Professional Writing Program and was instrumental in helping to shape the first liberal arts PhD at Virginia Tech (in rhetoric and writing). He is the founding director of the Center for Student Engagement and Community Partnerships (now VT-Engage) and the lead faculty member in the Veterans in Society initiative, for which he organized and/or chaired three national conferences on Veterans in Society. Dubinsky is also a steering committee member of a county-wide Dialogue on Race. He also helped organize four Dialogue on Race Summits (2013–2016), which included all local police chiefs, town officials, and county officials.

Michael McDowell, Ed.D, MBA, is a former Marine Corps Officer, University of Southern California Doctoral Grad, and a man contributing to unique solutions in the post-service education space.    Find out about his project, the Valor Club. The Valor Club is a uniquely designed master-planned residential living and learning community for veterans transitioning from active, guard, and reserve military service. The community is focused on preparing service members, veterans, and their families as they reenter their new civilian communities with service career training, support resources, recreation, and follow-on employment. Our goal is to increase transitional service member access points and break down the geographical barriers that hold our veterans back from success.

Dr. Sullivan is a recent doctoral graduate student from Texas State. She is military-connected with a passion for veterans in higher education. Dr. Sierra Sullivan's research focuses on the Veteran and Faculty relationship.  This is a great episode with a great person! We know you will enjoy listening. 

Steve Wahle discusses the Marine Corps, transitions, and academia with an emphasis on questioning the veteran identity.

Army veteran and history graduate student, Rob Willliams discusses transitioning into academics, the graduate student experience, and military history.

Monteigne Long is the Assistant Director for the Office of Veteran Services at Texas A&M University System and a Doctoral Student in Higher Education Administration.  

This episode features Travis Martin, a former Army Sergeant and creative mind in the academic field of Veteran Studies. In this episode, Dr. Luke McClees interviews Travis about his motivations for service, military service, his transition as a veteran, and how it has informed his writing and research.