SAN ANTONIO, TX, September 01, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Military Spouse Advocacy Network continues their mission to create stronger military families through education, empowerment, and support. MSAN established the Leadership Institute for Military Spouses by MSAN in 2025, and built upon its flagship leadership development program by partnering with the University of Notre Dame. LIMS by MSAN is dedicated to providing free, virtual and meaningful training to military spouses. The University of Notre Dame will continue its partnership with the LIMS by MSAN into 2027. Two exceptional programs will see their second cohorts come to life — one focused on building skills to promote resilience and mental health and the other on ethical leadership skills in support of professional development.
Courses were developed and will once again be presented by faculty of the William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families, the Veldman Family Psychology Clinic and the Notre Dame Deloitte Center for Ethical Leadership.The design of effective online content was created in partnership with the university's Office of Digital Learning, which is part of a broader unit called Notre Dame Learning.
"I am incredibly excited and deeply grateful to welcome the University of Notre Dame back to the MSAN family," said Verenice Castillo, MSAN President and CEO. "Their continued investment in our military spouse community and the return of this transformative training reflect a shared commitment to empowering military spouses with the knowledge, confidence, and leadership skills to create lasting change. Through the Ethical Leadership and Mental Health Wellness program, we are equipping military spouses to serve as stronger leaders, trusted mentors, and compassionate advocates who will continue making a profound difference in their families and communities. We are honored to continue this partnership and the meaningful impact we are creating together."
"When we worked with members of the Notre Dame faculty to develop these two non-credit offerings for MSAN, it was with the goal of serving as many military spouses as possible," said Sonia Howell, director of the Office of Digital Learning. "It is deeply rewarding to know the courses are continuing to reach new cohorts of learners."
Since its inception in 2020, nearly 300 military spouses have graduated from the LIMS by MSAN flagship Leadership Development Program. Graduates come from every branch of service, including veteran and retiree spouses and Gold Star and surviving spouses. Graduates have been and continue to be invested and passionate volunteers, advocates and changemakers providing support to their communities, service members, peers and families. These two programs are exclusively offered to LIMS by MSAN Alumni, providing military spouses with the tools and strategies to effectively navigate challenges and further equipping them with resources, education and tools in mental health and wellness.
The Ethical Leadership course reflects the mission of MSAN and LIMS in equipping rising leaders with the skills they need to impact their communities. Topics include conflict management, voicing values at work, and honesty and empathy in decision-making. In covering these skills, the aim is for military spouses to become leaders who foster resilient and flourishing communities. The mental health course series aims to support military spouses in dispelling mental health myths, identifying mental health risks that are more common in military communities, and developing skills to promote wellness for themselves, their families, friends and peers. In doing so, military spouses will build skills to practice and model self-care, support emotional resilience and act in times of stress.
The MSAN-Notre Dame partnership is a multidisciplinary campus project. It involves faculty and staff from 10 organizations at the university who developed the partnership and the logistics of creating and delivering the not-for-credit courses. The project is spearheaded and resourced by Notre Dame Research with the support of the Office of Military & Veterans Affairs, the College of Arts and Letters, the Mendoza College of Business, Notre Dame Learning's Office of Digital Learning, the Office of Public Affairs and Communications, the William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families, the Notre Dame Deloitte Center for Ethical Leadership, the Veldman Family Psychology Clinic and the Mental Health Initiative.
About Leadership Institute for Military Spouses by MSAN
The Leadership Institute for Military Spouses (LIMS) empowers and equips military spouses to become influential community leaders and change-makers. We strive to cultivate strength, enhance leadership skills, and inspire collaboration. Through dedicated training and support, we envision an alumni network of engaged military spouses who drive positive change in their communities, fostering a culture of leadership, service, mentorship, and advocacy.
Military Spouse Advocacy Network (MSAN) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization with a mission to create stronger military families through education, empowerment, and support. MSAN's collaborations with official military installations, Department of Defense (DoD) resources, and trusted partner organizations provide a structured and personal approach through a one-of-a-kind peer-to-peer mentorship experience, building long-term connections to local and national resources and expanding the military family sense of community.
For more information on LIMS and its programs, visit www.leadershipinstituteformilitaryspouses.org. Follow LIMS on Facebook, Instagram, and Linkedin.
About the University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame is the leading global, Catholic research university, providing a distinctive voice in higher education. Rigorously intellectual, boldly moral in orientation, and firmly embracing of a service ethos, Notre Dame is among the top U.S. institutions of higher learning and is a member of the Association of American Universities. Located adjacent to South Bend, Indiana, the university is advancing human understanding through research, scholarship, education and creative endeavor to be a powerful means for doing good in the world.
Learn more at www.nd.edu
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