National Conference

NatCon is the largest annual convening of student veterans in the country. The 15th Annual NatCon will be held January 5-7, 2023 at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort near Orlando, Florida!

The 14th Annual National Conference was held January 6th-8th, 2022!

SVA has SOUL!

That’s Service, Opportunity, Unity and Leadership – all of these are at the heart of each SVA Chapter across the country and around the world. We’re excited to reconvene in-person for our 14th Annual National Conference and we’ve re-imagined what’s possible through the magic of Disney so you can focus on your Chapter’s most important leadership asset: You!

This year we’re focusing even more on the student veteran journey by bringing together thousands of students from across the country, inspiring speakers, leading employers, and thought leaders to exchange ideas and best practices on topics that matter: growing and sustaining your SVA Chapter during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, funding and fundraising, building inclusive cultures, leading research at the intersection of veterans and higher education and more.

COVID-19 Reporting

As part of our commitment to host a safe National Conference for all attendees, SVA followed all federal, state, and local regulations, as well as those required by Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. In addition, we also followed these best practices to ensure a safe experience:

Rapid antigen test kits were given to all attendees to test upon arrival
Masks were required indoors
Badge designations were offered for those not comfortable with close contact
Increased distancing was provided in breakout rooms, general sessions, and during meals
Hand sanitizing stations and personal hand sanitizers were provided to all attendees
Daily health check reminders were sent to all attendees each day

As a result of our rapid testing distribution and self-reporting policies, we identified 6 positive results upon arrival at NatCon 2022. Each of those individuals were asked to quarantine in place and did not attend the event.

As part of our collective effort to track and prevent the spread of COVID-19, we are also following up with all attendees to ask for self-reported results from tests taken after returning home. Since the conclusion of NatCon 2022, we have been made aware of 34 positive cases.

Schedule & Breakout Sessions

Thursday, January 6

7:00 a.m. Registration Opens

1:00 p.m. Hiring our Heroes Student Employment Summit

1:00 p.m. Breakout Sessions

2:20 p.m. Breakout Sessions

3:20 p.m. Light Refreshment Break & Networking

4:00 p.m. Welcome General Session: Dr. Abby Kinch, R.J. Jenkins, Remi Adeleke, Meg Kabat, Jared Lyon

6:00 p.m. SVA Campus Opening

8:00 p.m. Chairman’s Reception (Invite Only)

Friday, January 7

8:00 a.m. Breakfast & SVA Campus Opening

9:00 a.m. Breakout Sessions

10:00 a.m. SVA Campus Break

11:30 a.m. SVA Honors Luncheon: Jamie Gray Hyder, Secretary McDonough, Secretary Cardona, Senator Tester

2:00 p.m. Breakout Sessions

4:20 p.m. SVA Campus Refreshment Break with Regional Networking

6:30 p.m. Hospitality Tent Opportunities

6:45 p.m. Evening Yoga with Veterans Yoga Project

Saturday, January 8

7:00 a.m. Merging Vets and Players Workout (Outside)

8:00 a.m. Breakfast & SVA Campus

10:00 a.m. Breakout Sessions

11:20 a.m. Breakout Sessions

12:30 p.m. SVA Campus & Lunch

1:30 p.m. Breakout Sessions

3:00 p.m. General Session: Sebastian Junger, Afghanistan Panel

6:00 p.m. National Student Veteran Ball: Nate Boyer

*All schedule items and times are subject to change.

Chapter Management

Advocating for Yourself and Your Chapter on Campus

Better Opportunities for Negotiating with your College

Breaking the Officer and Enlisted divide in your Chapter

Establishing A Chapter While Gaining University Buy-In

Increasing Military Cultural Competency Among University Administrators

Leveraging your Disabilities Services Liaisons

Veteran Inclusive vs. Veteran Friendly on and off Campus

Veteran Inclusive Campuses: How to Reach University Leadership as Student Advocates

The Pathway to Chapter of the Year: Navigating Strategic Partnerships

The Good, the Bad, and the Talking Cat: Leveraging virtual tools for member engagement

SVA Career Services Liaison Program

Student Veteran Leader’s Toolkit: Leveraging Institutional Processes

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

Badass Lady Talk: Women Veterans Strength, Resilience, and Service

Breaking down barriers as a chapter. How we work on building a gender inclusive chapter.

Breaking Through Barriers

Bridging Divides: Unity in the Military Community and Beyond

Building a Veteran Inclusive Campus

Department of Veteran's Affairs- Center for Minority Veterans

First Generation Veterans

How to create a diverse and inclusive student veteran experience

Including Chapter Members of All Ages

Including Spouses, Dependents, and Allies in Your Chapter

Understanding Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs)

Unconscious Bias

Strengthening the Pipeline from Service to STEM for Women Veterans

Personal Development

“Gear Up” for Your Professional Future with the DOD MilGears Career Explorer

Exploring the Entrepreneurship Journey

Firearms, Means Safety, and Suicide Prevention

How to leverage scholarships & opportunities to enhance your GI Bill experience

How to speak civilian: Managing and driving your personal brand

Impostor Phenomenon, Humility, and the Call to Leadership

Is Your Financial House in Order

Keeping Graduate School on the Horizon

Leveraging Your Military Experience in your Chapter and Professional Development

LinkedIn for Student Veterans & Military-Connected Students

Your Next Purpose

Standing out in Corporate Culture after Military Service

Shining Brightly in Male-Dominated Industries

Workshops

Live, Learn, and Work in New York City

Maintaining a Coalition

Mastering Tough Conversations

New alumni, who dis?

Pancakes, Popcorn and Podcasts

Post Pandemic Networking: Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable

Mind Map to Prosperity: 7 Keys to Unlocking Your SuperSkills

Veteran Playbook

Success with Growth Mindset

Student Veterans on Film: TRANSITIONS, the making of a documentary

Story Telling Workshop

Relationship Building: The American Legion and Your Chapter

Research

Intersectional Programing for Military Connected Students

LGBTQIA+ Veteran Identities and Research

Making the case for study abroad: The Gilman Program and it’s Impact on Veterans

MythBusters, Student Veteran Style: The Changing Culture Surrounding Attending & Affordability

Why Choose a Research Career at VA?

Veterans, Student Loan Debt, and the Post-9/11 GI Bill: Results from a Recent Nationwide Survey

The VA Model of Health

Student Veteran Research Network

Student Success and Retention through the trauma informed lens

Health and Wellbeing

Balancing School, Work, Family, and your Social Life

Climb Your Everest

How to be your best you

Living After Surviving

Nutrition and Physical Wellness

Understanding and Caring For Your Mental Health as Veterans and Nontraditional Students in Higher Ed

Thriving in Spite of the Fault Lines: Navigating the Beautiful Struggle

Supporting Veterans' Academic Success, Well-being, and Positive Mental Health

Policy and Government

The New Normal: How VA Is Modernizing the GI Bill

Hill Town Hall

Congressional Wounded Warrior Fellowship Program

Public Policy Think Tank: Empowering Policy for Student Veterans in 2022 and Beyond

VBA’s Education Service

Join us next year!

NatCon 2023 will be held January 5-7, 2023 in Orlando, Florida.

Speakers

Sebastian Junger

Award-Winning Journalist, Director, and Best-Selling Author

Jamie Gray Hyder

Actress, Model, and Producer

Remi Adeleke

Former Navy SEAL, Author, Speaker, and Actor

Dr. Philomena Mantella

President, Grand Valley State University

Nate Boyer

Green Beret, Texas Longhorn, Seattle Seahawk & Cofounder of Merging Vets & Players

Denis McDonough

U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs

Meg Kabat

Senior Advisor for Families, Caregivers, and Survivors at VA

Miguel Cardona

U.S. Secretary of Education

Darrell T. Allison, J.D.

Chancellor, Fayetteville State University

Dr. Marybeth Gasman

Executive Director, Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions

Tammy Barlet

Deputy Legislative Director at VFW

Dr. Abby Kinch

SVA Vice President of Programs and Services

Jared Lyon

SVA National President and CEO

Andrew Ho

2020 Student Veteran of the Year

Deja Joi Brewster

SVA Program Coordinator

Lihua "Neo" Pei

SVA Data Scientist

Lida Citroen

Personal Branding Expert

Dr. Chris Cate

SVA Vice President of Research

Kenedey Ward

Director of Project R.E.D Team

Justin Hauschild

SVA Legal Fellow

Jennifer Pluta

Assistant Director of Veteran Career Services, Syracuse University

Mirza Tihic

Entrepreneurship Research Fellow, Syracuse University

Rosalinda Maury

Director of Applied Research & Analytics, Syracuse University

Justin Monk

SVA Policy Associate

C.C. Vincent

Chapter Leader, Queens University of Charlotte

Kevin Monell

SVA Program Coordinator

Siobhan Norris

Fayetteville State University

Josh Maloney

SVA Chapter President, Cape Cod Community College

R.J. Jenkins

Columbia University Center for Veteran Transition and Integration

Kathryn Dobbs

SVA Program Coordinator