2024 MCEC Global Training Summit Strong Foundation, Future Success

Lindsey Dablow, MPA

Ms. Dablow has served as the Training and Operations Associate of the Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission (MIC3) since 2018 and has over 19 years in state government, private and non-profit management.

In her role as Training and Operations Associate, she promotes “successful educational transitions” for military-connected students around the world providing training and new initiatives for the Commission. Born and raised in Kentucky, Lindsey graduated from Midway College with a Bachelor of Science in Equine Studies and a Master of Public Administration from Indiana Wesleyan University. She has performed a variety of roles with Baptist Health Foundation Lexington, Kentucky Legislative Research Commission, and within Kentucky’s thoroughbred industry. She and her husband Brian reside in Lawrenceburg, KY.

Alexandra Little, Esq.

Alexandra Little is the Exceptional Family Member Program Attorney for the US Navy, stationed at Region Legal Service Office Mid-Atlantic (RLSO MIDLANT) in Norfolk, Virginia. Prior to joining RLSO MIDLANT in 2020, Ms. Little served as a Senior Attorney with Virginia Legal Aid Society in Suffolk, Virginia (2019-2020), and as the Ethics Attorney for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, based in Littleton, Colorado (2016-2019). From 2013-2016, she was a Deputy District Attorney in Breckenridge, Colorado, where she was awarded Attorney of the Year in 2015. 

Ms. Little is a graduate of Fairfield University and Villanova University School of Law. During law school, Ms. Little served as an intern for the District of Columbia Public Schools Office of General Counsel (2011) and as a law clerk for the US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2011-2012). Ms. Little has earned the Special Education Advocacy Certificate from the William and Mary Law School. In 2021, she was awarded Civilian of the Year by RLSO MIDLANT. 

Erica Swenson

Erica Swenson serves as the Regional Special Education Liaison for the Navy Region Mid-Atlantic pilot program to support military Exceptional Family Members. She is responsible for providing resources and support for the Special Education needs of military families. 

Mrs. Swenson graduated from East Carolina University with a Bachelors in History Education and a Bachelors in Political Science.  She received her Master’s Degree in Political Science from Miami University of Ohio.  She received her Special Education Endorsement from Old Dominion University. Prior to her current position, Mrs. Swenson served as a Special Education Teacher with Virginia Beach Public Schools.  She worked with students who had severe disabilities as a case manager and instructor.  She has over 15 years teaching experience, serving as a general education teacher in social studies for middle and high school students, then entering Special Education and instructing at the elementary level. She is also a parent of a child with diverse special needs, who is also a military child. 

Elizabeth Hisle-Gorman, MSW, Ph.D.

Dr. Hisle-Gorman is Director of the Military Family Research Division and Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics. She began her career as a social worker working in neighborhood development efforts in Washington, DC to support and strengthen families to prevent family violence and overcome hardship. However, a move to a military town with her active duty military spouse, re-focused her on work with military families. She served as a Child Protective Services officer in Onslow County, North Carolina and worked extensively with military families. After completing her Ph.D. in Social Work at the University of Maryland, Dr. Hisle-Gorman taught and worked in community development, and was the senior author on one of the first articles to document the clinical effects of military deployment on children. She subsequently moved to USUHS to expand its research portfolio exploring the effects of military life on children. Her research interests are focused the impact of past military deployment on military children, effects of parental injury and family violence on pediatric health and mental health, and healthcare usage trends in military pediatrics. However she has also worked on projects examining autism in children, indicators of immunization completion, neonatal health, care for transgender individuals, healthcare disparities, and the effects of medications on children. Dr. Hisle-Gorman has significant experience working with the Military Health System Data Repository and conducting retrospective research studies about military-connected children using the MDR. Dr. Hisle-Gorman most enjoys mentoring medical students, residents, and junior faculty on research projects, and teaching them the research process on an individual basis. 

Binny Chokshi, M.D., M.Ed.

Binny Chokshi is a general pediatrician, with a focus on adolescent and young adults. Dr. Chokshi’s research and education interests are focused on understanding the impact of early life stressors on health across the life course. To mitigate the effects of trauma and stress on children, Dr. Chokshi advocates for a trauma-informed approach to healthcare. She has developed web based e-modules to train outpatient pediatricians in responding to childhood adversity with a trauma informed care approach and has also trained medical students and residents at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. In a prior role at Children’s National Hospital, she also worked with hospital leadership to develop hospital wide trauma-informed practices. In her current role at USUHS, Dr. Chokshi examines how military specific factors may impact child and family health, with a current focus on how social determinants of health such as food security impact military child health.  Dr. Chokshi is also passionate on promoting positive childhood experiences, to mitigate the impact of stress on child health. Dr. Chokshi has a vested interest in medical education and completed Masters in Education at the George Washington University School of Education and Human Development. On a national level, Dr. Chokshi serves on the Expert Leadership Team for the American Academy of Pediatrics project “Building Capacity for Trauma-Informed Pediatric Care”.

Rachel Millstein, Ph.D., MHS

Rachel Millstein, Ph.D., MHS serves as the Clinical and Research Co-Director of Mind Body Health. Since 2020, Dr. Millstein has been providing program development and general oversight of Home Base Resiliency programming in collaboration with the MGH Benson Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine. Her clinical skills as a SMART and Resilient Warrior/Family/Youth group leader along with her documented research and data analysis acumen are a backdrop to the leadership she has demonstrated over the past few years of programmatic growth. In the Co-Director role, Dr. Millstein provides clinical oversight and research management for the services provided at Home Base in the Mind Body Health Services directorate (Resiliency, Warrior Health & Fitness, and all other mind body medicine initiatives). Rachel works alongside the Medical Co-Director of Mind Body Health to provide MBH services and support to implement, evaluate and advance the MBH team at Home Base, while networking, building and overseeing all national and international Home Base MBH programming. 

Sarah Flowers, CPS

Sarah Flowers, CPS, is a Certified Prevention Specialist who works for Seven Counties Services Inc. as Kentucky’s Military Family Resiliency Specialist. She grew up in a military family outside the world’s largest naval base in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

As a Gold Star Sibling and military family member, Sarah brings unique perspectives gained from her personal experiences to prevention, empowering individuals and communities to create and promote healthy environments, lifestyles, and behaviors. 

She specializes in training and consultation on capacity building, community engagement and best practices working with military families. She works with local, state, and national agencies and community organizations to develop and coordinate evidence-based strategies to increase resilience within military and Veteran families.

Lisa Howard, MSW

Lisa Howard has been a military spouse for 28 years.  She served as both an enlisted Soldier and officer within the United States Army Reserve from 1986 to 1998.  Lisa earned a Master of Social Work in 1999 from Savannah State University.  She has two children: Lucas (23, adopted in 2002 from Baku, Azerbaijan) and Madeline (22, born in Germany).  Her family has relocated 13 times for Army assignments- twice to Germany.   

Currently, Lisa is the Vice President, Government Affairs & Community Engagement for The Barry Robinson Center where shares the mission of BRC with the military community through multiple formats.   

During the 28 years of active-duty service with her spouse, she has been an active member at the unit and community level.   Lisa has the honor and privilege of holding a volunteer position as an Army Arlington Lady at Arlington National Cemetery.   

Lisa loves to hike in the Shenandoah Valley, cheer for the Green Bay Packers, and bring the family together at the “Howard Hideaway”. 

Jenni Torres, Ed.D.

Dr. Jenni Torres, a visionary education leader, is Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer at Waterford.org, a national non-profit dedicated to ensuring equitable access to high-quality early learning. With over 25 years of experience, Dr. Torres leads teams to leverage the power of data-informed solutions, pioneering research, and equity-minded approaches to improve academic outcomes. As a passionate designer, she oversees the Waterford curriculum, spearheading the development of research-based learning experiences and resources. She was recognized as a Fulbright Exchange Teacher and a multi-level Teacher of the Year. Dr. Torres earned her master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and her doctorate at American University in Educational Policy and Leadership, focusing on centering the voices of families in curriculum design. As a military spouse, she navigated fourteen moves in twenty-six years while supporting her three bilingual children through a variety of school systems and changes. She embodies the transformative potential of education and firmly believes in the power of literacy to change lives.

Sonya Hunte, Ed.D.

Dr. Sonya Hunte serves as the Senior Director of Strategic Community Engagement for Waterford.org, a national education nonprofit dedicated to providing high-quality educational resources for children, families, communities, and partners. She has been the inaugural leader of two large school district offices: Anchorage (AK) School District’s Office Equity and Community Engagement and Atlanta (GA) Public School’s Office of Family Engagement. These offices have positively impacted access and opportunity for 44,000 and 52,000 students, respectively. Sonya takes pride in developing systems that

promote inclusivity through voice. Her genuine love of people is both recognizable and contagious.

Sonya’s civic leadership has included the board of directors for Alaska Public Media and National Association of Social Workers. Her distinctions include Unsung Heroine, National Coalition for 100 Black Women, Inc., Metropolitan Atlanta; and Georgia Trend Magazine and the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Forty Under Forty Awards. She is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and The Links, Incorporated.

Sonya holds a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from the Pennsylvania State University; Master in Clinical Social Work from Boston College; and Doctor of Education in Policy and Leadership at the American University.

Angie Melnyk

Angie Melnyk is a Product Manager focusing on the caregiver platform at Waterford.org. Before Product Management, she helped Waterford.org’s Curriculum and Instruction department logistically plan and accomplish the creation of literacy, math, science, and social-emotional learning activities. She spent 9 years in public education teaching, supporting teachers, and training teachers to use educational technology. She believes in the power of a positive learning environment and strives to create successful educational experiences for children and their families so they grow to love learning together. As a proud military spouse, she also spends time connecting with her community when she’s not adventuring with her husband and dog.