Shawn is a 14-year veteran with the Kansas City, Missouri Police department. She is a Missouri Dole Caregiver Fellow alumna for the Elizabeth Dole Foundation. Since May of 2013 Shawn has been a caregiver for her husband who is a 23-year Army veteran. She has a passion for supporting and advocating for military and veteran family caregivers. Shawn has earned her Bachelor degree in Social Psychology and is in her last year of her Master’s degree in social work. She was awarded the Field Education Student of the Year for 2018-19 with Park University. Shawn is the President of the Phi Alpha Rho Epsilon Honor Society at Park University. She is a certified Peer Mentor and Facilitator with the Red Cross Military and Veteran Caregiver Network. She is also a Peer Mentor with the VA Caregiver Program. She was chosen as a Caregiver Visionary winner for Caregiving.com and will be presented the award at the 2019 National Convention in Chicago. Shawn openly shares her caregiver story throughout the United States in hopes that all family caregivers will be recognized for the work they do to take care of our wounded veterans. Shawn has four daughters, two step-sons, and 4 grandchildren. She enjoys reading and traveling.

Rachel has been caring for her disabled veteran spouse for over 4 years. She is an Outreach, Engagement, and Training Associate with the Red Cross Military and Veteran Caregiver Network. While navigating her caregiving role and two young children, Jackson and Isabelle, she completed her Doctoral Degree in Education with an emphasis on Instructional Leadership. Rachel has always had a passion for our military community. While her husband was on active duty, she volunteered her time to strengthen the bonds of the military family. She created and executed many events to help our military service men and women find ways to reconnect with their children and spouses. This passion continued after her husband’s retirement. Today, in addition to her support of Caregivers on the Homefront she also co-facilitates the caregiver support group with Shawn which is designed to decrease isolation among veteran families while also creating an environment of empowerment and support to navigate this journey together. In her free time, she finds peace in painting, bullet journaling, reading, and traveling.

A graduate of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Courtney Sanders received her BS in Community Health Education and her MS in Rehabilitation Counseling. She started her career in higher education in 1992 at Southern Illinois University as a student worker in Admissions and Records. Courtney spent over 25 years climbing the ladder in higher education working for Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, University of Illinois Chicago, Robert Morris University, Governors State University and Chicago State University, even though she had climbed the ranks to include the title of Associate Dean, Dean and Vice President, with several funding challenges in the State of Illinois, she found herself unemployed. After several months of no luck finding another job in higher education, Courtney decided that it was time to do something else. A caregiver to her Army Vet husband Brandon, Courtney became very involved in the Veteran Caregiver world. Courtney decided that it was time she focus her efforts in an area where she was passionate. That area was Veteran families. Courtney now works for Catholic Charities Diocese of Joliet as the Program Coordinator for the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program. She fights to help end Veteran homelessness every day. She is committed to providing resources to Veterans and their caregivers in her local community as well as nationally. Courtney has facilitated and presented at several state, regional and national conferences on LinkedIn, social networking, managing up, motivating your staff and managing from a distance. Courtney continues to educate herself through professional development opportunities. She is a past president of the Illinois Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (IACRAO) and is currently the Scholarship Chair (and past president) for the Resources for the Education of Adults in the Chicago Area (REACh). She has won several awards including the Robert Morris University Director of the Year award and the “On the Bus” award and has received two proclamations from the Board of Trustees of RMU. Courtney was named one of the Business Ledgers 2010 Influential Women in Business, was presented with the Near West Cook Chapter of Women in Management 2011 Woman of Achievement Award and has been named the 2012 National Charlotte Danstrom Award winner in the area of academia for the National organization of Women in Management. Courtney is a firm believer in developing leadership skills for herself, her employees, her students and her colleagues.

Gina Hill graduated from Ottawa University with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. She spent 6 years in the classroom until life took her to new adventures. Gina became a stay at home mom after the birth of her youngest son, in anticipation of her husband’s combat deployment to Iraq, which resulted in her becoming a full-time caregiver for her wounded husband upon his return in late 2007. Throughout her time as a caregiver, Gina became an advocate for family caregivers. Gina shares the journey of her family publicly in order to raise awareness for other like families and also started a blog in order to help others in her same world not feel so alone. Gina has volunteered for several non-profits during her time as a caregiver. Currently, she works for a Veteran non-profit based in Kansas City and volunteers her time with Caregivers on the Homefront. Gina is the mother of 2 boys and has a few canine kids as well. In her spare time, Gina enjoys spending time with family, reading, quilting and traveling.