Writing Seminar for Military Spouses
The Carey Institute for Global Good
Rensselaerville, NY
November 2018
Our writing seminars are where the best writers of today pay it forward to the most promising writers of tomorrow. The stories of military spouses during 17 years at war have largely remained untold. We are excited to work together alongside our third class of War Horse Fellows to change this narrative.
Meet the Fellows
Joanna M. Guldin-Noll
Joanna M. Guldin-Noll has built a freelancing portfolio that includes bylines with Military Spousemagazine, Military.com, The Huffington Post, and many others. She is the voice behind Jo, My Gosh! a popular military spouse lifestyle blog, and co-authored the book The Modern Military Spouse(2015). Most recently, Joanna was the managing editor of MilitaryOneClick. She experienced five years of military life while her husband served in the Navy. After he transitioned out in 2016, they opened Swatara Coffee Co. LLC, an independent coffee shop in Joanna’s hometown near Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania. She is the senior produced media manager for Blue Star Families.
Matthew J. Hefti
Matthew J. Hefti is the author of A Hard and Heavy Thing, which was named a top 10 book of 2016 by Military Times, a top 10 first novel of 2016 by Booklist, and a Great Group Read of 2016 by the Women’s National Book Association. He spent 12 years as an explosive ordnance disposal technician. While enlisted, he earned his B.A. and M.F.A. After leaving the military, he earned his J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School. He edits fiction at The Wrath Bearing Tree.
Sue Hoppin
Sue Hoppin works to bridge the cultural gap between government, private and public groups, and military communities. In 2012, Sue was appointed by President Obama to the Board of Visitors of the United States Air Force Academy, completing her tenure in 2018 as the board’s vice chairman. In 2010, Sue founded the National Military Spouse Network, a professional development and networking membership organization supporting the professional career and entrepreneurial goals of military spouses. Sue holds a bachelor’s degree in international studies from the University of Denver, a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Oklahoma, and a certificate in nonprofit management from Georgetown University.
Mike Lee
Mike Lee is the manager of brand and creative services at Team Rubicon. Over the past decade, Mike’s commitment to serving others led him to attend a Jesuit university where he organized service trips for students and staff to Costa Rica, the Gulf Coast, Haiti, and Tanzania. Mike became involved in working with our nation’s returning veterans, first through the student veterans organization at Loyola Marymount University and as a volunteer and staff member at Team Rubicon. He currently lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife, Liz, and an uncoordinated polydactyl cat named Pilar. He is a long-suffering Chicago sports fan who may or may not have openly wept when the Cubs won the 2016 World Series.
Kate Logan
Kate Logan served in the U.S. Army as a mechanic, member of a female security detachment, and a public affairs specialist. She deployed to Baghdad, Iraq, with the 1st Infantry Division in 2007–08, joined the Army Reserves in 2009, and finished her service in the Michigan Army National Guard. Kate is a Central Michigan University graduate, earning both a bachelor’s degree in public administration and community development and a master’s degree in health services administration. Kate was the founding member and president of two Student Veterans of America chapters and now works for the Michigan Veteran Affairs Agency as the Metro-Detroit regional coordinator. She is a board member for the Women’s Alliance of Oakland County and is an advocate for women in public office.
Sally Ma
Sally Ma is a research librarian in the defense industry. She was a community blogger for HamptonRoads.com, a regional guide to southeastern Virginia. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and sociology from California State University, Long Beach, and a master’s degree in library and information science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. A California native, she currently lives in El Paso, Texas, with her family. She enjoys being outdoors, trying new foods, and volunteering in the community.
Samantha Moorhead
Samantha Moorhead grew up in Greenville, South Carolina. She moved to Columbia, South Carolina, where she met her wife, Kirsten, playing rugby for the Columbia Bombshells. Samantha has played rugby for 11 years for four different teams. She currently plays for the D.C. Furies. Samantha will graduate from the University of South Carolina Beaufort in December with a degree in human services. She will be pursuing a master’s degree in counseling. When she’s not on the rugby field, Samantha is an avid hiker, climber, and reader.
Molly Pearl
Molly Pearl is a social worker specializing in community organizing. She reserves the right to be critical of the things she loves. She is passionate about economic justice, dis/ability, and investigating the space between science fiction and reality. She hails from a long line of neurotics, artists, and caregivers. Molly resides in Brooklyn with her husband and sphynx cats. Her dreams live in Vermont.
Elizabeth Persaud-Lawler
Elizabeth Persaud-Lawler is an educator, committed to student-centered learning and changing school culture. She holds a bachelor’s in early childhood education and sociology from the University at Buffalo and a master’s in special education from Hunter College. Elizabeth is currently working on a post-master’s degree in educational leadership from George Washington University. Elizabeth was born and raised in New York City and currently resides in Alexandria, Virginia, with her husband and two dogs.
Sara Poquette
Sara Poquette is an experienced communications and community engagement professional. Her background is comprised of military public affairs and service member support, leadership development, and nonprofit community relations and communications management. Sara has a servant spirit and is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of all individuals through her advocacy efforts and effective engagement of community resources.
Angela Ricketts
Angela Ricketts is an Army brat turned Army wife who has spent her entire life submerged in the often secretive and tightly knit subculture of Army infantry families. She holds a master’s degree in social psychology. Her first book and memoir, No Man’s War: Irreverent Confessions of an Infantry Wife, was critically lauded and featured on NPR’s Fresh Air. Angie has appeared on MSNBC and CNN and is a reluctant and frequent guest of Fox News. She lives in Bloomington, Indiana, with her husband of 26 years, a retired infantry officer with eight combat tours during his 31 years of military service. Together they have three spirited children. Angie is hard at work on her second memoir.
Sarah Schmidt
For the past decade, Sarah Schmidt has advocated for children and families across the United States and overseas. Sarah has worked as an early childhood educator; director; preschool coordination, family resource, and referral specialist; and currently as a parent educator. The majority of her professional experience has been serving children and families who are considered “at-risk.” Sarah has volunteered with various Marine Corps Family Readiness commands all over the world since 2009 and was recognized as an Outstanding Military Spouse in 2012 for her commitment to serving military families. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys being a soccer mom and managing the chaos of her two brilliant and beautiful children, random acts of kindness, and spending time in the Northwoods of Wisconsin sipping an old-fashioned.
Guest Speakers
Thank you to each of the generous guest speakers who volunteer their time to inspire and mentor our War Horse Fellows.
Mark Bowden —Award-winning author and bestselling author of Black Hawk Down
Josh Friedman —Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist and Vice-Chair at The Carey Institute for Global Good
Elana Newman — R.M. McFarlin Professor of Psychology at The University of Tulsa
Finbarr O’Reilly —World Press Photo Winner
Robert Rosenthal —Award-winning journalist and former executive director of The Center for Investigative Reporting
Stuart Krichevsky — Literary agent at SK Agency
Wendy Wolf — Vice President and Associate Publisher of Viking
We did a lot of staying in our lane as spouses, and kind of kept quiet, but in reality we have all of these incredible stories to be told. To be able to be offered this week to do nothing but reflect on the life we’ve had thus far and to dedicate that to writing and making something meaningful from that was really incredible.
Sarah Schmidt
Mary Doyle
Mary Doyle currently serves as the chief of media relations for Fort George G. Meade and is the author of multiple books—both fiction and nonfiction. She served as a broadcaster in the Army Reserve and acted as the non-commissioned officer in charge of her Mobile Public Affairs Detachment during their deployment to the Bosnia peacekeeping mission in 1997. After returning to the states, Mary began work as an Army civilian broadcaster producing TV, radio, and documentary for American Forces Network.
Mary is a member of the editorial board for the online magazine The Wrath-Bearing Tree and serves on the advisory council for the MilSpeak Foundation, a nonprofit that empowers military service members, veterans, families, and caregivers through the arts.
Mary Doyle
Mary Doyle currently serves as the chief of media relations for Fort George G. Meade and is the author of multiple books—both fiction and nonfiction. She served as a broadcaster in the Army Reserve and acted as the non-commissioned officer in charge of her Mobile Public Affairs Detachment during their deployment to the Bosnia peacekeeping mission in 1997. After returning to the states, Mary began work as an Army civilian broadcaster producing TV, radio, and documentary for American Forces Network.
Mary is a member of the editorial board for the online magazine The Wrath-Bearing Tree and serves on the advisory council for the MilSpeak Foundation, a nonprofit that empowers military service members, veterans, families, and caregivers through the arts.
Teresa Fazio
Teresa was an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2002-2006. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times and Rolling Stone, among other outlets. She is a contributor to the fiction anthology The Road Ahead, as well as the nonfiction anthologies Retire the Colors and It’s My Country, Too.
Teresa holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Materials Science from Columbia University. She works in technology commercialization and lives in New York City.
Nicole Green
Nicole is a former U.S. Air Force officer who served in Iraq in 2003. She has earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Political Science from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a Master’s of Art in Diplomacy from Norwich University. She is also a member of the Truman National Security Project and the Junior League of Dallas and lives in Texas.
Nicole is currently the Vice President of Regional Operations for Team Rubicon, a nonprofit that unites the skills and experiences of military veterans and first responders to rapidly field emergency response teams worldwide.
Kate Hoit
Kate is the Military Marketing Manager for National University. Before that, she served as the Director of Content and Communications for Got Your 6 and digital engagement at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and in communications for the Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs.
Kate has been published by the New York Times, The Daily Beast, TIME, The Huffington Post, and many others. She is a veteran of the U.S. Army Reserve, holds a Bachelor’s in journalism as well as a Master’s of Art in nonfiction writing from Johns Hopkins University. Kate is a Pat Tillman Military Scholar and a Defense Council member of the Truman National Security Project.
Sarah Holzhalb
Sarah currently works as the Relationships Manager for Team Red, White & Blue. Prior to joining the organization, Sarah spent nine years working as Director of Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs Manager within the domestic energy industry. Sarah was an active duty commissioned officer in the U.S. Coast Guard for five years.
Sarah earned a Bachelor’s in Political Science from Virginia Commonwealth University, a Master’s of Science in International Relations from Troy University, and a Master’s of Professional Studies in Political Management from The George Washington University.
Kristen Kavanaugh
Kristen graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps in May of 2002. Following her five-year career, Kristen earned her Master’s of Social Work at the University of Southern California.
In 2012, Kristen was recognized as a White House Champion of Change for her work during the military’s repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Kristen is currently the Global Leadership Development Manager for Production at Tesla, Inc. and is a member of the Truman National Security Project’s Defense Council.
Becca Keaty
Becca is a 20-year retired veteran of the U.S. Army National Guard with extensive experience in corporate and nonprofit strategic partnerships and development. Prior to joining Bunker Labs, she worked with the Tribune Media Group and co-founded the literacy social enterprise, Open Books.
Becca holds a Bachelor’s of Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She enjoys reading, fitness adventures, travel, and donuts.
Elizabeth O’Herrin
Elizabeth oversees programs and scholarships for the Pat Tillman Foundation. She is a veteran of the Wisconsin Air National Guard and co-founded the Student Veterans of America and fought with a dedicated team of veteran advocates to successfully pass the Post-9/11 GI Bill in 2008.
Elizabeth received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her Master’s from Johns Hopkins University, where her research focused on the federal government and veteran reintegration. Elizabeth is a 2010 Tillman Scholar and is passionate about urban gardening, writing, her faith, and coffee.
Danielle Phillips
Danielle is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. She graduated in 2012 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Political Science. Danielle then commissioned into the U.S. Marine Corps as a Public Affairs Officer.
Danielle, now a Captain, has since graduated from Liberty University with a Master’s of Art in Public Policy. She is currently stationed at the Pentagon.
Yvette M. Pino
Yvette is a U.S. Army veteran and works at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum as the Traveling Art Exhibit Coordinator. Yvette deployed to Iraq from 2003-2004 and founded the Veteran Print Project after earning her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Yvette exhibits her work nationally.
Kayla Williams
Kayla is a former sergeant and Arabic linguist in a Military Intelligence company of the 101st Airborne Division. Kayla is the author of Love My Rifle More Than You: Young and Female in the U.S. Army, a memoir about her deployment to Iraq, and Plenty of Time When We Get Home: Love and Recovery in the Aftermath of War, about her family’s journey from war trauma to healing.
Kayla earned her Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Bowling Green State University and a Master’s in International Affairs from American University. She is a 2013 White House Woman Veteran Champion of Change, and a 2015 Lincoln Award recipient. Kayla is now the Director of the Center for Women Veterans at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
