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Hill spouse recognized for work with military spouse career development

  • Published
  • By Armed Forces Insurance

Following hundreds of nominations nationwide and a national vote yielding more than 23,000 votes, Danielle Lankford has been named the 2020 Armed Forces Insurance Hill Air Force Base Spouse of the Year.

Lankford is currently stationed at Hill AFB with her husband, Staff Sgt. Joshua Lankford.

Lankford and her husband married in 2010 and spent the first four years of their marriage at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England. During that time, she volunteered with the American Red Cross and was a founding member of a therapy dog organization for families of deployed service members.

In 2015, Lankford and her husband were assigned to Hill Air Force Base when she began a career in non-profit fundraising. Looking to give back at a new duty location, she volunteered to launch a new chapter of the Hiring Our Heroes Military Spouse Professional Network.

MSPN provides mentorship, connection, and professional development to local military spouses who face many challenges to employment including frequent moves and family demands. More information can be found at https://www.hiringourheroes.org/military-spouse-professional-network/.

“I am thrilled that this title gives me a platform to speak about military spouse employment in Utah’s communities,” Lankford said. “Despite the many resources that exist, the unemployment and underemployment rates for spouses who are highly educated and talented remain high.”

Now in its 13th year honoring the nation's more than 1.1 million military spouses, Armed Forces Insurance recognizes the sacrifice and rewards the change of military spouses from all six branches of the armed forces who are making a tangible and measurable difference in their communities.

Nominations from community members nationwide were accepted Nov. 25, 2019, through Jan. 24, 2020. The program is organized by base-level winners, then top 18 finalists, then branch level winners, and, finally, the overall 2020 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year  are all selected by popular vote and judging panels.

A final vote occurred March 3-4, with the overall winner being unveiled at an awards dinner May 7 at The Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Virginia, in conjunction with National Military Spouse Appreciation Day, which occurs May 8.

To learn more about Lankford and the other winners, visit www.msoy.afi.org.