WDVA Inducted into Military Spouse Employment Partnership Program
The Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) was inducted into the Department of Defense’s Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP) on October 25th as part of 70 new government, nonprofit, and private employers. As part of this new cohort, WDVA joins more than 600 organizations committed to recruiting, hiring, promoting, and retaining military spouses.
The Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, Gilbert R. Cisneros Jr., welcomed the new companies into the partnership during an induction ceremony at the three-day MSEP Engage 2022 event held in Northern Virginia in late October.
"Today we're celebrating your commitment and induction, and this marks the culmination of a robust vetting process, all of which clearly demonstrated that you, the class of 2023, are truly committed."
Since the MSEP program began in 2011, more than 250,000 military spouses have been connected to employment opportunities across all industry sectors, including 40,000 since last October. Attending the ceremony were Mary Forbes, WDVA Assistant Director for Veteran Services and Counseling and Wellness, and Olivia Burley, WDVA Military Spouse Liaison.
“Military Spouses are the backbone of the military family,” said Burley. “Everything we do to support spouse careers helps build the readiness and resilience of military families and prepares service members to thrive as Veterans and get the most from their earned benefits.”
During the event, Olivia Burley was also inducted as a National Department of Defense Military Spouse Ambassador. The DoD’s Spouse Ambassador Network offers the opportunity for partners to broaden their commitment by sharing information and resources with military spouses and community leaders.
“WDVA’s military spouse initiative puts advocacy in action as we work on employment, licensing, childcare, and resource issues for military families,” said Burley during the conference. “As a Military Spouse and Washington’s Military Spouse Liaison, this commitment means so much to me.”
Washington is the first state to have a Military Spouse Liaison, which was initiated in 2021.
For more information on the Washington State Military Spouse Liasion Program or this brand new partnership, please visit WDVA’s military spouse initiative page at: https://www.dva.wa.gov/militaryspouseinitiative