As the Vice President of Programs and Services at Student Veterans of America, Dr. Abby Kinch is responsible for the creation, implementation, and success of the myriad functions designed to empower veterans in higher education. Dr. Kinch has participated in SVA as a chapter member and chapter president at Florida State University, an SVA student council member, and an adviser. She has represented SVA in an advisory role to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Department of Education. In Florida, she participated in the push for legislation to provide in-state tuition to veterans and gap fund payments to veterans with financial need during semester breaks.

Prior to joining SVA, Dr. Kinch served in various program management roles with IEM, a global emergency management and homeland security firm. She also led in the creation of the U.S. Intelligence Studies program within Florida State University’s College of Social Sciences, providing instruction in intelligence analysis coursework to undergraduate and graduate students. In 2013, Dr. Kinch was named a Presidential Management Fellow. Following an enlistment in the U.S. Air Force as an Airborne Chinese Cryptologic Linguist, Dr. Kinch worked for six years in the private sector using the language skills the Air Force provided until ultimately deciding to complete her undergraduate degree.

Dr. Kinch holds a doctoral degree in Public Administration and Policy from Florida State University, specializing in strategic management. Her dissertation examined the policies, programs, and services of higher education institutions targeting student veterans. She has written extensively on this topic from the institutional, state, and national perspective. She has also earned a Master of Public Administration in 2018, a Master of Arts in Asian Studies in 2013, and a Bachelor of Arts in Chinese Language and Culture as well as Linguistics in 2011.