Military Spouse Serves as Global Leader
Meet Jill Waters, recently sworn in Military and Family Readiness Council (MFRC) member who is positioned to collaborate, strategize, and meet quarterly in Washington, D.C. for the next two years.
The MFRC is comprised of spouses or parents of service members, higher officials, and service members from each branch of the armed forces to discuss policies, procedures, plans, and initiatives that globally support military families. Meetings are open to the public, and the last meeting of the year holds a vote on which council initiatives to put in place.
The opportunity to nominate a U.S. Army Recruiting Command (USAREC) spouse was presented to Angela Darland, USAREC Chief of Soldier and Family Assistance Branch, in the fall of 2019 by the Soldier and Family Readiness Division in D.C. Darland didn’t hesitate and jumped at the opportunity, quickly reaching out to leadership for nominations.
“I always feel there is room to improve our family programs, especially for those who are geographically dispersed. Our soldiers and family members are a special group requiring diligence and creativity from the Solider and Family Assistance Branch team. We have a fantastic team dedicated to better serving the needs of our USAREC soldiers and families,” Darland said.
So what distinguishes Jill Waters of the honor to serve as a MFRC Member?
Jill is the spouse of Sergeant First Class Gregory Waters, Distinguished Service Cross recipient and active-duty U.S. Army recruiter. The Waters family lives in Berkley, Michigan, with their three young children ages 6, 4, and 1.
During the Waters’ time in USAREC, Jill’s tenure as the Dearborn Company Soldier and Family Readiness Leader (SFRG), she championed the positive contribution to morale and welfare events that were inclusive to soldiers, families, and community partners. Her leadership provided the SFRG to establish itself as a successful, inclusive, and thriving organizational model throughout the Great Lakes Recruiting Battalion, with planned initiatives such as soldier and family readiness and new family program events.
One event was nationally sponsored by Operation Homefront through their “Back to School Brigade” program which collected donated school supplies for school-aged children, of which the battalion was able to distribute to more than 300 students across the state of Michigan. The event also served needs throughout the community and partnered with volunteer opportunities that raised awareness of the challenges military families face.
Another event she played an active leadership role in planning was a battalion-wide new family program event, Operation: Baby Wolverine, The battalion event was a baby shower planned for new and expecting mothers, which supported families and included new parent training, seminars, gifts, and resources estimating $350 per shower attendee.
Jill’s empathetic, nurturing, and supportive leadership style has pioneered the role of a SFRG leader in USAREC, which has earned her a global leadership role on the MFRC.
Within the past 2.5 years, Jill has been awarded the Commander’s Award for Public Service, Award of Excellence, Marauder Award and also received the Great Lakes Recruiting Battalion Family Readiness Volunteer of the Year.
She not only uses her collective experience as a military spouse and mother of three small children, but she is also a pediatric nurse at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in her hometown of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Jill is a family advocate who has unknowingly spent her lifetime supporting the mission of the MFRC to review, evaluate, and monitor military family readiness policies, programs, and initiatives.
It is without a doubt that Jill Waters will serve and thrive as a MFRC member to model the way for our global military community.
Stay tuned for AWN’s talk radio interview with Jill this summer!
