We’ve all heard the saying that leadership can be lonely. At the Bush Institute, we believe strongly in the need to develop leaders who can work with and support each other to address today’s most pressing challenges.
Through our Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program, which has engaged seven cohorts, totaling 280 remarkable leaders in the veteran and military family space since 2018, we strive to create a network of driven, compassionate individuals who are committed to a better tomorrow for veterans and military families.
By developing these leaders, we have created a network unlike any other in this space – one that becomes the kind of support system for our alumni when leadership might feel lonely.
We all need our own personal and professional sounding boards, those groups of people we can go to at any time, perhaps with a struggle we’re grappling with, a personal accomplishment we want to celebrate, help we need with an idea, or just to talk. These groups are incredibly powerful, influential, and equally irreplaceable. They support us when we need it the most, getting us to that next step, cheering us on when we succeed, and helping us up when we fall short.
The Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program alumni network is that kind of group.
Across the country, these leaders are maximizing their individual and collective impacts to promote better outcomes and opportunities for this community.
This year, Elizabeth Pletcher and Dave Lee are working together to create HonorCare, a program that will provide support for Medal of Honor recipients and their families. Additionally, Ryan Callahan and Mark Harper were recently awarded an Emmy in the public service announcement category for their collaboration on an initiative called Combat the Silence, which seeks to tackle the veteran mental health and suicide epidemic.
Recently, we launched topic-based working groups to bring alumni working on similar issues. The groups tackle problems by discussing challenges, opportunities, and collaborative ideas. This fall, we hosted one on values-based leadership and another on employment. The groups will gather again to put actionable steps into place.
Perhaps what’s most profound about these meetings is that the alumni who participate in them are able to bring their true, authentic selves to the table because they know that their fellow alumni will be there for them no matter what. As a result, the working groups are constructive, honest, and impactful
We’re also inspired by the individual leadership and impact of our alumni.
Dennis Miller is a fierce advocator for recognition of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, a World War II unit that was made up of a majority African American women, one of whom was his own grandmother, Sylvia Armstrong.
Beth Conlin is one of the leading voices for breaking down employment barriers for military spouses and dependents stationed abroad.
Tamara Reid-McIntosh is ensuring Kentucky veterans have access to high-quality legal support, and Román Baca is embracing the arts as a means of health and healing for veterans through his organization, Exit12 Dance Company.
A number of alumni are leading initiatives supporting military children.
In short, we see the impact of our alumni in a variety of inspiring ways, and we invite you to join them, if you’re driving positive change for veterans and military families in your community and are looking to further develop yourself as a leader and to join a network of passionate individuals like yourself.
If you’re seeking to challenge yourself but be supported along the way, this is the program for you. Applications for Cohort Eight, the Class of 2026, are open through Jan. 7, 2026.
Learn more and apply for the Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program Class of 2026.
