Jill Hinton Wolfe, director of Grand Valley's Secchia Military & Veterans Resource Center, was named Chapter Advisor of the Year by Student Veterans of America at its annual convention in Orlando on January 6.
The national award is given each year to honor the commitments of a SVA chapter advisor. Wolfe traveled with President Philomena V. Mantella and a group of student veterans to the event where she received the award.
“Jill’s passion for serving veterans and military families combined with her understanding of their lived experiences and challenges has truly helped Grand Valley improve the way we serve our military community,” Mantella said. “This is a well-deserved honor that shines a light on her exemplary leadership and her commitment to our campus and our nation’s heroes.”
Wolfe earned a bachelor's degree from Grand Valley in 2001. She first attended Grand Valley in 1994 and returned in 1999 to complete her degree in advertising and public relations after serving in the U.S. Army from 1995-1998.
“Winning this award is the pinnacle of my career,” Wolfe said. “It represents everything that I’ve worked to put in place over the past two and a half years; and it’s a testament to the university’s commitment to serve these incredible students in real and meaningful ways.”
Laker Vets President Travis Snyder, who was among the group that traveled to Orlando for the convention, said the event not only provided a chance for Grand Valley to shine in the national spotlight, it gave him an opportunity to see how lucky the university community is to have someone like Wolfe on campus.
“She goes above and beyond to take care of us,” Snyder said. “She goes out of her way to make sure we’re all doing well and we have the resources and tools we need to do a good job – not to just get by. To have her recognized in front of so many people this week, there was a lot of emotion to have her recognized for her work.”
