BTM49-Military Child Education Coalition
Show Summary
On this episode of Behind the Mission, we have a conversation with Dr. Becky Porter, a retired Army Clinical Psychologist and President and Chief Executive Officer of the Military Child Education Coalition. We talk about how MCEC supports both military families and the schools that serve them.
About Today’s Guest
Dr. Becky Porter joined MCEC® as the President and CEO in 2019 following her retirement from active duty service with the U.S. Army.
Becky is a 1983 Distinguished Military Graduate from the University of Washington and holds a Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in clinical psychology from Fielding Graduate University. She earned her Master of Arts in counseling psychology from Chapman University and a Master of Science in national security and strategic studies from the National War College. She also earned an executive certificate in nonprofit management from the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy in 2020.
She is a board-certified clinical health psychologist, a fellow of the American Psychological Association, and a member of the Order of Military Medical Merit. Her awards and recognition include: The Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for Military Psychology, the Legion of Merit (3 awards), the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and the Meritorious Service Medal (6 awards). Additionally, she also holds the Army Surgeon General’s “A” Proficiency Designator as recognition of her significant contributions to the U.S. Army Medical Department.
Becky’s military career spanned more than 30 years, and she served in all three components of the U.S. Army with the Washington National Guard, the U.S. Army Reserves, and on active duty. She retired at the rank of colonel. She is a Veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and former special assistant to the U.S. Army’s 34th Chief of Staff, Gen. Eric Shinseki.
Her assignments included: Germany; Tripler Army Medical Center, Hawaii; the Pentagon; the United States Military Academy; Walter Reed Army Medical Center; and the Joint Task Force National Capital Region Medical, Bethesda, Md.
She commanded the Dunham U.S. Army Health Clinic, Carlisle, Pa.; the DiLorenzo TRICARE Health Clinic at the Pentagon; and Public Health Command Europe.
Becky and her husband John, also a retired U.S. Army officer, live near Fort Hood, Texas.
PsychArmor Resource of the Week
The PsychArmor Resource of the Week is the course series for kindergarten through 12th grade educators who support military children. Do you have a military child in your classroom? Do you want to create a classroom that can support the unique needs of military children as they manage transitions due to frequent moves? These free courses are for educators who support military connected school-aged children.
These courses are available for any educator who teaches military connected kids. In order to ensure our courses are relevant, PsychArmor works with nationally-recognized subject matter experts to create and deliver online courses about issues that teachers need to know. These courses guide educators to identify unique aspects of military life especially as military children transition to new schools. Teachers can take these courses to find ways to navigate the unique challenges to enrich these students in the new classroom. You can access this course series through this link: Teachers Supporting Military Kids
Theme Music
Our theme music Don’t Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.
This Episode Sponsored By:
This episode is sponsored by PsychArmor, the premier education and learning ecosystem specializing in military culture content. PsychArmor offers an online e-learning laboratory with custom training options for organizations.
Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families. You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com