Behind The Mission

Show Summary

On today's episode, we’re having a conversation with Dr Debbie Bradbard, Military and Veteran Spouse and the inaugural director of the Boeing Center for Veteran Transition and Military Families at the Virginia Tech in Alexandria, VA. The center’s goal is to harness the potential of service members, veterans and their families to thrive in tomorrow’s workforce—through skills, mentorship, research, entrepreneurial support, and resources that build future-ready careers and drive economic opportunity

Episode Partner:

 
This episode is sponsored by CareLinx by Sharecare, connecting Veterans, Service Members, and military Families with trusted home care and caregiver support. 
 
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About Today’s Guest

Deborah Bradbard is the inaugural director of the Boeing Center for Veteran Transition and Military Families at the Virginia Tech in Alexandria, VA.  As a Senior Researcher at Syracuse University’s, D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), Bradbard spent nearly a decade publishing signature publications and shaping policy and best practices for veterans and military families.  Her work on military spouse and veteran employment have been cited by the White House, members of Congress, CNN, the Center for Deployment Psychology and utilized by national professional organizations including The American Psychological Association (APA) and The Society for Human Resource Management Foundation (SHRM) where her work has been downloaded by over 20,000 human resource professionals nationwide.  As Director of Research and Policy at Blue Star Families (BSF), she directed implementation of their national survey whose results have had an enduring influence on military family policy on spouse employment, childcare, and financial readiness. In the private sector at Booz Allen Hamilton, she developed clinical support tools that have been utilized by providers across the entire military health system of over 3 million users.  A frequent speaker for national conferences, Bradbard educates policy makers, elected officials, and employers about the evolving needs of the military community.  A psychologist by training, Dr. Bradbard received her Ph.D. from Auburn University and her MPA from Syracuse University.

Links Mentioned During the Episode

Boeing Center for Veteran Transition and Military Families

Virginia Tech in DC on LinkedIn

Dr. Bradbard on LinkedIn

PsychArmor Resource of the Week

This week’s PsychArmor Resource of the Week is the PsychArmor Course Understanding and Utilizing Your Educational Benefits. provides service members, Veterans and their families with a comprehensive overview of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs educational benefits program.
 
You can find the resource here:
 
https://learn.psycharmor.org/courses/Understanding-and-Utilizing-Your-Educational-Benefits
 
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Theme Music

Our theme music Don’t Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.

Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families.  You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com  

What is Behind The Mission?

Because fewer than 7% of Americans have served in uniform, most Americans are unfamiliar with military service and culture. As a result, members of the military and Veteran community are at greater risk for disconnection and lack of belonging with the civilian community. PsychArmor’s mission is to bridge the military-civilian divide by educating and training a Nation. Each week, Duane France, a combat Veteran and Clinical Mental Health Counselor, will dig deep into the stories “Behind The Mission” - and create a conversation with organizations and leaders on how they are utilizing their expertise and networks to support the military-connected community.