April 2026 Team Leader of the Month: Melissa Gavin, University of New Mexico
From Jesse Preciado, Veteran Services Coordinator, University of New Mexico: “Melissa has been an instrumental part of our PAVE team’s success this year. She has gone through and cleared old students from the PAVE system who are no longer enrolled in UNM. She has assigned students to all Peer Advisors and assisted those Peer Advisors through […]
March 2026 Team Leader of the Month: Justin Downey, University at Buffalo
From Dan Ryan, Veteran Services Coordinator, University at Buffalo: “Justin exemplifies what it means to lead with purpose as a student veteran within the PAVE program at the University at Buffalo. For three and a half years, he has been a steady and committed Team Leader investing deeply in the success of military-affiliated students. In […]
February 2026 Team Leader of the Month: Stephanie Ramos, California State University, Fullerton
Stephanie is a creative leader that is constantly looking for ways to innovate the way we deliver our services. Stephanie goes beyond fulfilling responsibilities; she takes ownership of her role and actively looks for ways to strengthen outreach, mentorship, and collaboration. She brings professionalism, empathy, and initiative to every interaction, ensuring that no student feels […]
November/December 2025 Team Leader of the Month: Graham (Robert) Preston, Chemeketa Community College
From Nate Easton, Veteran Services Coordinator, Chemeketa Community College: “Robert is an outstanding mentor and motivational presence within the PAVE office. No matter what task is sent his way, Robert faces them head on and always tries to get other students involved. As a Team Leader Robert is responsible for submitting the biweekly reports and […]
October 2025 Team Leader of the Month: Anthony Rima, Johnson County Community College
From Princess Llewellyn, Team Leader, Johnson County Community College: “He’s a grade A nomination not only for his hard work and dedication to his peers with open and clear lines of communication, but also because of the work he does on the back end, helping to organize and create events to help assist, engage, and […]
September 2025 Team Leader of the Month: Annie Smaciarz, Bowling Green State University
From Bryan Bills, Veteran Services Coordinator, Bowling Green State University: “Heading into the Fall 2025 semester, Annie has hit the ground running. From coordinating new orientations for onboarded Peer Advisors to handling outreach to advisees. Annie continues to show effortless leadership potential, and I cannot thank her enough for her dedication. Annie goes out of her […]
April 2025 Team Leader of the Month: Caitlin David, Grand Valley State University
From Shane Scherer, Veteran Services Coordinator, Grand Valley State University: “In Fall 2024, GVSU’s Veterans Resource Center (VRC) underwent two significant changes. We transitioned from a one-person office to a team consisting of a Director and a Graduate Assistant, and we also reinstated the PAVE program. Since everyone previously involved with PAVE had either graduated or […]
March 2025 Team Leader of the Month: Marklin Nixon, University of Oregon
From Liz Quintanilla, Team Leader, University of Oregon: “Marklin is always on top of reaching out to students. He is extremely organized and structured when connecting with the students assigned to him. He started as a Peer Advisor and then was asked to co-lead the PAVE Team. His extreme level of detail and willingness to learn […]
February 2025 Team Leader of the Month: Anthony Alessio, Bowling Green State University
From Bryan Bills, Veteran Services Coordinator, Bowling Green State University: “This will be Anthony’s last semester here with us at BGSU. He is currently serving as the Team Leader for our PAVE team. He has done an outstanding job during his time here. As I am transitioning into the VSC position, he is constantly keeping me […]
January 2025 Team Leader of the Month: Benito Flores, Chemeketa Community College
From Nathaniel Easton, Veteran Services Coordinator, Chemeketa Community College: “Benito goes above and beyond his Peer Advisor duties, inviting students from his caseload to tutoring sessions in the library. He actively engages with students, often remembering their names, academic focus, and family relations. When Benito first started with the program he was dealing with precarious […]