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college and they’re a little bit lost. Our goal is to help point them in the right direction.” Student veterans are paired with a chapter mentor based on experience, background, and interests, so mentors can draw on their real-world experi- ence to give students advice about making the right choices in school, getting ahead in their careers, and de- veloping social skills. Because the program is in its early
stages, the chapter currently has seven mentor/student pairings in areas including medical, business, finance, and engineering; additional interest from other chapter members is strong. Cmdr. Jim Travis, USN (Ret), chapter personal affairs chair, and his wife, Maurine, both are mentors. Jim has a background in engineering, while Maurine is a nurse, areas of expertise that fit perfectly with the programs students are studying. Jim Travis says he currently meets with his mentee every other week. “I see part of it as giving [the students] someone they can talk to, someone they can develop a relationship with. They can come to us with problems. We’re part counselor, part educator.” Akey says in addition to the one-
on-one pairings, the chapter has an open invitation to visit the SVA. “We can go and sit there and have a cup of coffee and chat with a young man or young woman,” he says. “These infor- mal relationships are also an impor- tant part of the program.” Ultimately, Akey and Travis both
say the chapter just wants to give back to the students. “With the backgrounds that we’ve
got, we’re able to give the students some guidance,” Travis says. “I just want to see them succeed.”
42 MILITARY OFFICER MAY 2017 Virtual Chapters
Many of you are familiar with our virtual chapter platform, an extension of our affili- ate system. It’s another way to structure a chapter using modern technology to provide an online connection between geographically dispersed members or members like currently serving officers who are transient and share interests. Below, Col. Jeri Graham, USA (Ret), president of MOAA’s first virtual chapter and a member of national MOAA’s board of directors, discusses how her chapter got its start. The journey began when council and chapter leadership approached me and asked if I would take on the challenge with other Army nurses to chart a course for the development of functionally related interest groups into virtual chapters. I partnered with Lt. Col. Joe Gollasch, USA (Ret), who agreed to co- lead the development of a group focused on health care issues. While we started out as the MOAA Army Nurse Advocates Virtual Chapter,
we recognized the optimal organization would be a Uniformed Services Nurse Advocates Virtual Chapter (USNAVC). Our transition team included two mem- bers from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Commissioned Corps of the U.S Pub- lic Health Service. The official date of the transition was March 1, 2017. Our collegial relationship is built on common experiences caring for service- members — past and present — and their families within our excellent military health care delivery system and a dedication to “never stop serving.” Requirements for virtual chapter membership include membership in na-
tional MOAA and current or past experience as a nurse in one of the uniformed services. We host monthly “telemeetings” using a fee-free conferencing sys- tem, which now includes a computer-based screen-sharing capability. We’ve developed a speaker program and schedule focused on health care-related topics. We also encourage membership outreach, participation in geographic MOAA chapters, and using MOAA’s Legislative Action Center, as a major chapter focus is on health care legislation. Our membership is growing. To date, we have 31 military nurses spanning
16 states. Many of our members also belong to geographically based chapters and readily share health care information at those chapter meetings. We believe the possibilities for future expansion of this type of chapter are
endless. Just think of your own functionally related groups like aviation, lo- gistics, and more. Virtual chapters also can work perfectly for active duty and National Guard and Reserve personnel when they have a PCS move or when they deploy; they can take their chapters with them. Colonel Graham and members of the USNAVC have set the standard for
the new virtual chapter model. If you’re interested in more information or starting a virtual chapter, contact us at
chapters@moaa.org. — Col. Terri Coles, USA (Ret)
senior director, Council and Chapter Affairs PHOTO: ROB CANNON
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