On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to represent MSJDN at the inaugural meeting of the Department of Defense’s Spouse Ambassador Network. Ten organizations, including many of our partners like MOAA, NMFA, In Gear Career, and the U.S. Chamber’s Hiring our Heroes program, gathered in Washington, D.C., to share information, work collaboratively to support military spouse career opportunities and address barriers to milspouse employment. Each organization at the table has a particular focus within the military community, from advocacy/public policy development to directly providing employment or support services, but we can all learn from each other.

The mission of the Spouse Ambassador Network is to educate, empower, and mentor military spouses to encourage career fulfillment by promoting and sharing resources while facilitating effective relationships with local and national stakeholders. The Spouse Ambassador Network provides us an opportunity to network at the organization level.

Every organization present emphasized the importance of social media to connect the members of all of our organizations. Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter provides the glue that allows members to share resources and support each other from afar. We see the importance of MSJDN’s communication tools every day. From our blog and bi-monthly newsletter Bars and Stripes to the dialogue on our Facebook page about whether or not to take another bar exam, tips for moving to a new duty station, or how to broach the subject of being a military spouse in an interview, social media provides an opportunity for us to pool our resources and help each other.

Key to the Spouse Ambassador Network’s mission is the Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP). MSEP is a career partnership connecting military spouses with more than 180 partner employers who have pledged to recruit, hire, promote and retain military spouses in portable careers. This partnership helps military spouses find employment, build on their education and experience and achieve their career and personal goals.

During the roundtable, Director of the Department of Defense Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program Meg O’Grady said, “With the strong collaboration of our MSEP partners, the Spouse Ambassador Network will facilitate networking and information sharing in communities across the country and around the world where military spouses reside.”

By joining the Spouse Ambassador Network, MSJDN is becoming part of an even larger collective effort to support military spouse employment. Find more information about MSJDN’s work to ease licensing barriers for milspouse attorneys and supporting military spouse attorneys in fulfilling their career goals on our blog. For more information on the Military Spouse Employment Partnership, visit msepjobs.militaryonesource.mil.