Airway Heights, Wash. — Last Wednesday, Eastern Washington Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Congressman Sanford Bishop, Jr. (D-GA) hosted their annual Military Family Caucus Summit at Fairchild Air Force Base.

In 2009, Rodgers and Bishop founded the bipartisan Congressional Military Family Summit as a way to educate elected officials, congressional staffers, senior military leaders, and the public on the unique challenges servicemembers and military families face — including spousal employment, education for children grades K-12, and children with special needs.

Each year since, the two co-chairs have taken turns hosting the annual summit at Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington and Fort Moore in Georgia, bringing together military families with Members of Congress and their staffs, officials from the Department of Defense, and personnel from numerous military family support organizations to discuss these critical issues. 

“This year’s bipartisan Congressional Military Family Caucus Summit at Fairchild Air Force Base will forever hold a special place in my heart. It was bittersweet bringing together our military families one last time as co-chair of this caucus and giving them a platform to bring their unique challenges to the forefront,” said Rodgers. “I’ve always believed that in order for America to be a diplomatic power, it must be a military power; and to be a military power, it needs to be an economic power. It’s all connected, and military families are the faces behind every part. Family readiness is military readiness.”

She continued, “I’m deeply grateful to Congressman Sanford Bishop for his friendship through the years as co-chair, the leadership team at Fairchild for making this event possible, the incredible speakers and panelists who shared their expertise, and the selfless men and women who put on the uniform to protect the United States of America. The best is yet to come!”

“I was pleased to join Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers for this important event which brings together federal departments, armed forces leadership, military family service organizations, and military families to discuss the challenges our military families face and how Congress can help,” said Bishop. “Our servicemembers put their lives on the line each day for our country and the last thing they should be worried about is their families back home. Congress and our country are committed to making sure our military families have a good quality of life.”

Their year’s summit, which was themed “At the Forefront of Readiness: Our Nation’s Enduring Military Families,” was widely attended by more than 80 active-duty military members and their families, Fairchild Air Force Base leadership, and numerous agencies and organizations that support the military community.

The summit featured keynote speeches from Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (SEAC) Troy E. Black and his wife Stacie Black, as well as panel discussions on housing and food security, education and the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP), and spousal employment and child care.

At the end of the event, Rodgers recognized a few of the spouses, family members, and civilians who go above and beyond for the Fairchild community by presenting them with the Unsung Heroes Award.

Below is a full list of speakers, panelists, and Unsung Heroes, as well as photos from the event. Click here for bios and additional summit information.

Guest Speakers and Keynotes

• Colonel Chad Cisewski, 92d Air Refueling Wing Commander
• CMSgt Lindsay Moon, Command Chief, 92d Air Refueling Wing
• Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA)
• Congressman Sanford Bishop, Jr. (D-GA)
• CMSgt of the Air Force David A. Flosi (Video Remarks)
• First Lady Dr. Jill Biden (Video Remarks)
• SEAC Sgt. Major Troy E. Black
• Mrs. Stacie Black
• Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army and former Spokane Mayor David Condon

Housing and Food Security Panel

• Lindsey Bennett, Fairchild Food Pantry
• Katherin Morgan, Forward Fairchild
• Tonya Murray, Global Credit Union
• Cheryl Steevens, FAFB Housing Management
• Trysha Thompson, FAFB Military and Family Readiness Center
• Eric Williams, 2nd Harvest Food Bank

Education and Exceptional Family Member Program Panel

• Ben Ferney, Superintendent of Cheney Public Schools
• Meg Graves, Partners in Promise
• Oscar Harris, Spokane Public Schools
• Kim Headrick, Superintendent of Medical Lake School District
• Bekki Juarez, FAFB EFMP Family Support Program Manager
• Lt. Col. Mark Lamson, FAFB Chief of the Medical Staff
• Steve McMullen, FAFB School Liaison Program Manager
• Aimee Wieland, Military Spouse

Spousal Employment and Child Care Panel

• Brooke Blaalid, Blue Star Families
• Olivia Burley, Department of Veterans Affairs
• Janna Holman Adam’s, FAFB Child and Youth Programs Flight Chief
• Jason Lenin, Washington State Department of Licensing
• Kitara Johnson-Jones, AMC Civic Leader
• Ashley McHan, FAFB Spouse Employment Readiness Program Manager

Unsung Heroes Award Recipients

• Mr. Kamari Hills – Khamari is an active member of the FAFB Teen Center where he is a natural leader to younger youth. He will be a senior at Medical Lake High School, where he participates in JROTC, cross country, soccer, and robotics. 

• Miss Sophia Hughes – Sophia has been a member of Fairchild Youth Programs for 7 years. Sophia is a very talented artist and possesses a one of a kind personality and sense of humor. She will be starting her freshman year at Medical Lake High School and plays volleyball and trumpet in the band. 

• Ms. Anna Richards – Anna has been a FCC and Respite Care Provider at Fairchild AFB since September 2021. During her tenure, she has been awarded Fairchild’s FCC Provider of the Year for 2023 and 2024. Anna offers full-time subsidized care to 6 children every week for 50 hours per week per child. Each month, she also offers Deployment Child Care, Military Spouse Appointment Care, Extended Duty Care, HCC Guard Care, and 24/7 Care. This past year Anna has served over 80 children through these different programs. Finally, Anna supports the Respite Care program offering specialized care for families with special needs children. 

• Ms. Mary Thomas – Mary flawlessly executed a Kids Understanding Deployed Operations and Easter Egg Hunt Spring Fling event, fostering understanding of the deployment process for 83 children and their families and preparing them for two large impending unit deployments. Her leadership in the Inland Northwest Working Group, Operation Spokane Heroes and collaboration with numerous military and support organizations on base and in the local community highlight her dedication to robust military and family support initiatives. 

• The Edge Family — TSgt Scott Edge, Mrs. Isylma Edge, Christian, Penelope, and Isaiah – Their unwavering dedication to the United States Air Force’s Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) is truly exemplary. As AGR members, they have consistently gone above and beyond, providing invaluable support and guidance to countless Fairchild families. Every month, without fail, they volunteer their time and resources, ensuring that all families receive the assistance they need. They are not only reliable and proactive but also generous in sharing their wealth of experience with everyone they encounter. 

• Mrs. Sarah Price – As Key Spouse Mentor for the 66 Training Squadron (TRS), Sarah made it her goal to help Air Force spouses and families find and foster strong connections to make sure no one felt alone. Sarah designed, implemented, and hosted SERE Link – an orientation for spouses of SERE instructor candidates – five times, educating 112 student spouses on life as a SERE student spouse, resilience, spouse networking, and heartily welcoming them to the Air Force with open arms. She has volunteered 150 hours at the Fairchild food pantry and was among the first volunteers to help stand up the EFAC during the 2023 Gray Fire. 

• Mrs. Kelly O’Day – Kelly has been an avid and consistent supporter of the military community for over a decade. Kelly served as a Naval officer from 2011-2016, then left active duty service to pursue a career as a financial planner for military families, helping them achieve their financial goals. In addition to being a working mother of three and active duty military spouse, Kelly has dedicated numerous hours of volunteering as a Key Support Liaison since 2016 to ensure connection between the unit and its families, especially when the SERE mission separates the servicemembers from their loved ones. 

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