Meet Katie Smith, Community & Outreach Coordinator

MSAN’s Mentorship HUB is vibrant, friendly, and informative, thanks to our dedicated members and volunteers like Community & Outreach Coordinator, Katie. As an Army spouse, she knows how daunting the lifestyle is, from learning the lingo to embracing new traditions and managing a PCS like a pro. 

Katie is a shining example of what it means to serve a community wholeheartedly and be a dependable presence in the HUB. We’re proud to showcase her as our latest Volunteer Spotlight. 

Please share a little bit about your military spouse background.

My husband and I were already married when he shared that he wanted to join the military. Even though we both had great jobs, he said this felt like something he was called to do. He enlisted in 2012 and became an NCO before completing Green to Gold and commissioning as an officer. This experience gave me a lot of insight and compassion into both the enlisted and officer sides of the coin. We are currently at our ninth duty station!

Now, tell us something fun about yourself that others would find unique, especially if it was before your military days.

Something unique about me before the military was that I attended a tiny K-12 public school in a very rural area. There were only 70 kids in my graduating class. Our high school was a single hallway, and most teachers taught our parents before us. It was certainly a different world from the schools my kids have attended.

What are your favorite and most challenging duty stations so far?

Our most challenging and rewarding duty station was Osan Air Base in Korea. We PCS'd there in July 2020, in the heart of the Covid pandemic. As a family, we had to quarantine in the barracks for the first two weeks and weren't allowed to leave the room. Then, we had to adjust to not only an entirely new culture but a culture in turmoil because of lockdown restrictions. We were determined to make the most of it, and by the end, we had many amazing experiences and met some of our closest friends.

Can you share a lesson learned from your latest PCS?

A lesson I leaned into during our last PCS is one that I have to come back to continuously—use your resources! We had a complicated situation with our on post housing and were nervous that we might not be treated entirely kindly or fairly during our move out process. We contacted our resident advocate in the Army Housing Office (separate from Corvias, Lendlease, etc.). 

She was immediately a source of support and confidence and was more than happy to attend our move out inspection with us. None of the spouses I knew had ever heard of such a person and were surprised to learn about this resource. I had been nervous about reaching out to the advocate at first because I assumed she would be busy or limited in what she could help with, but she ended up being a really bright spot.

You seem to enjoy state and national parks. Tell us about your adventures there.

We are acutely aware that as a military family, we get to experience adventures on a scale, unlike many other American families. At every duty station, we try to soak up as much of what makes that location unique. We make it a point to show our kids as much of the world as we can afford. The military lifestyle comes with a lot of challenges, and we try to balance them by taking advantage of the opportunities that come our way. State and national parks are an affordable and accessible way to see new things and learn about the area.

What is your favorite aspect of your volunteer time with MSAN?

Volunteering with MSAN helps me stay grounded as a military spouse. It can be easy to get caught up in the challenges and mundanities of this lifestyle. MSAN gives me perspective and room for reflection, in addition to expanding my knowledge of the broader military family community, its struggles, and its victories.

If you think you have a lot in common with Katie and want to connect, reach out to her in the HUB or email her directly at ksmith@milspouseadvocacynetwork.org. 

At MSAN, Dawn serves as the Communications Coordinator and counts getting to know the volunteers and HUB members as one of her military spouse career's most rewarding volunteer experiences. With 20+ years of Army spouse experience behind her, she advocates for mentorship within the spouse ranks. Thanks to a transient military life with her husband and daughter, Dawn built a virtual business focused on military lifestyle marketing and real estate content creation.