
Campaign for Inclusion
Blue Star Families’ Campaign for Inclusion reflects values of welcome and belonging at the heart of our work. Using our theory of change (listen, share, partner, & act), we empower stakeholders to implement best practices that help all military families feel welcomed and included on their journey.
TRAINING / FELLOWS

The DEPLOY (Diversify and Expand the Pipeline Of Leaders Of Your Military Community) Fellowship Program a key component of the Campaign for Inclusion. These racially-diverse leaders serve for one year in paid Blue Star Chapter-based or national roles at Blue Star Families while they receive training in military and Veteran service organization leadership curated by several key partners. Their fellowship work focuses on improving experiences and increasing representation of military families of color in community settings across the country. Upon graduating, they become a pipeline of talent for eventual positions of leadership within the military and Veteran service organization space.
DEPLOY FELLOWSHIP VIDEO
THE 2022-2023 DEPLOY FELLOWS

Mickia Freeman
USAA Tampa DEPLOY Fellow

Marla Bautista
Lockheed Martin Food Insecurity / Welcome Programs DEPLOY Fellow

Lydiah Owiti
JPMC Financial Wellness DEPLOY Fellow

Laura Abubekr
Lockheed Martin NCR DEPLOY Fellow

Kimberly Gold
Wells Fargo Housing Insecurity DEPLOY Fellow

Jerilyn Lim-Leonard
McCormick Foundation Chicagoland DEPLOY Fellow

Angela Alford
Salesforce Technology DEPLOY Fellow

Andrea Unzueta
USAA San Diego DEPLOY Fellow

Mickia Freeman
USAA Tampa DEPLOY Fellow

Marla Bautista
Lockheed Martin Food Insecurity / Welcome Programs DEPLOY Fellow

Lydiah Owiti
JPMC Financial Wellness DEPLOY Fellow

Laura Abubekr
Lockheed Martin NCR DEPLOY Fellow

Kimberly Gold
Wells Fargo Housing Insecurity DEPLOY Fellow

Jerilyn Lim-Leonard
McCormick Foundation Chicagoland DEPLOY Fellow

Angela Alford
Salesforce Technology DEPLOY Fellow

Andrea Unzueta
USAA San Diego DEPLOY Fellow
Blue Star Stories: DEPLOY Fellows
DEPLOY FELLOW ALUMNI
DEPLOY At Work
Craig Newmark New York Tri-State DEPLOY Fellow Adriene Engstrom's (class of 2021-2022) primary objective was to be an advocate and example for military families. She spent a significant amount of time immersed in her surrounding communities, engaging with families, hosting inviting programs, and assisting partner organizations. During her fellowship year, Adriene had the privilege of working with the West Point Buffalo Soldier Association, participating in its inaugural Buffalo Soldier Parade, and supporting newcomers of the West Point community alongside Balfour Beatty. Adriene also hosted a series of events through the summer, including the two-part Grow Where You Go program and START reading program.




Amazon Food Insecurity DEPLOY Fellow Kelley Klor (class of 2021-2022) focused on partnering with Blue Star Families’ staff to develop a comprehensive plan to increase awareness of food insecurity challenges based on research and outreach to partners and community members. She enhanced communication skills to destigmatize the issue of food insecurity, expanding knowledge and curating resources to share with Blue Star Families’ audience, and growing a deep understanding of the current pressure points facing military families nationwide. Kelley worked with Blue Star Families’ staff to activate and create content for the Food Insecurity Landing Page. She also worked with other DEPLOY Fellows to write posts highlighting their areas of expertise. Throughout her efforts, she made connections with other organizations working in the military food insecurity space and drafted MOUs to partner and share resources. She also assisted the Applied Research team with ideas of future survey fielding questions and supported data visualization for the Blue Star Families' Social Impact Research 2021: The Diverse Experiences of Military & Veteran Families of Color report.
USAA San Antonio / National Chapter DEPLOY Fellow Quiana Abner's (class of 2021-2022) racial equity and inclusion work involved amplifying the concerns of Veteran and military families of color by taking a bridge approach through connecting and collaborating with local thought leaders in the Black, Latinx, Asian, and Indigenous communities of San Antonio. In alliance with the African American Chamber of Commerce, national entrepreneurship agencies, and local BIPOC military-connected business owners, Quiana focused on conducting extensive outreach to develop culturally-relevant social and respite care solutions and entrepreneurship resources that are impactful for military families of color and their businesses. At the national level, Quiana worked in partnership with the National Chapter Director to curate service projects that connect civilian neighbors and military families in non-Chapter communities through volunteerism.


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