Amy Elizabeth Scherer

Share your military spouse story:
I’m a Navy spouse of almost 13 years, a mother, a leader of an exceptional team of product managers and a dependable friend. If you told me at 20, I would fall in love with someone in the military, I would have laughed and flashed you a peace sign. At 21 I met my now husband while he was deployed. For months we corresponded till he came home & finally met, the rest as they say is history. 17 years later we have been blessed with two amazing children and a life full of chaos and love. In the last 13 years we’ve crossed the country twice, experienced the “joys” of a pre-com & managed to survive a covid deployment. Today, our family resides in King George, Virginia, awaiting our next adventure. Through Navy life I have come to learn so much about myself – it has challenged, stretched & shaped me into the woman I am today. I’ve learned that I am far stronger & more capable than I ever thought I would be, I’m passionate about helping others realize their potential. The resiliency of our military communities is critical to the success of the mission.

Share an example of your leadership experience within the military community:
As a military spouse I have held several leadership roles over the years. I was a secretary for the FRG for my husband’s last ship coordinating events such as home buying classes for military families. For the last year I have served as an Ombudsman for my husband’s current command Naval Surface Warfare Center–Dahlgren as the family link to the command. For the last 2 years I have served as both Treasurer & President of The Dahlgren School PTO (DODEA School). As the wife of a Navy Chief, I try to help the spouses who's service members are transitioning into the mess to understand the process & create clarity for them around the things their sailors are being put through.

Describe your involvement in the military community:
Whenever possible I try to share my knowledge with other spouses and invite others to join in on various activities to create connections. Being a military family is not an easy life, it is not for the faint of heart and it certainly can be a challenge. In the last two years I joined the DODEA Dahlgren School PTO board first as Treasurer and this year as President. I jumped into this role firstly to support our kids through creating fun opportunities and events for them to build memories with their families. It was also an opportunity for me to find community at our current base. I also joined the PTO Board to be a role model for my daughter, showing how we should lean into our strengths and support our communities using our abilities to create a better place. The role has morphed into an opportunity to bring our military community together. A PTO has no rank, no rates, and no branches - we are one community and through this role I get to help bring us all together.

Describe how you support your community:
This past fall I learned from the base Chaplin that the food pantry was low, and he was unable to solicit for donations. I worked with base legal to get a fundraiser approved & worked with middle school students at Dahlgren School to decorate donation boxes. I spent my time after work creating the flyers, dropping off and picking up the donations to restock the food pantry. Through the drive we were able to get the pantry fully restocked as we moved into the holiday season to provide better food security to our families in need.

What do you advocate for? Why?
Above all things the resiliency of our sailors & navy families is at the forefront of my mind. It is what led me to volunteer for the FRG, become an Ombudsman & also complete my safeTALK training. Our Sailors and families have faced an unbelievable amount of challenges in recent years that require us to build communities that are stronger and more resilient than ever. There are too many people in our communities struggling - it can be a matter of life or death that they know there are people they can reach out to for help and who care about them. Ensuring families and sailors know what is available to them and they are supported is and will always be my biggest priority as a member of the military community.

How have you spread the message of your platform/advocacy?
While I have not had many opportunities to formally engage in communication engagements on behalf of the Navy. Working for a Fortune 500 company gives me a lot of opportunities to communicate and share about military life with those around me who otherwise would never be exposed to military life. The 1:1 conversations or small group conversations I have with co-workers has brought to light things for them they never think about. My career has helped me show other military spouses that there are career opportunities out there even for those of us who frequently move. Through the struggles I have experienced in my own life such as infertility, postpartum depression I’ve always been an open book & freely shared what I have struggled with in efforts to help others who may be silently suffering that there are people they can turn to for information & support.

What do you hope to accomplish with the AFI Military Spouse of the Year^® title?
If selected as an AFI Military Spouse of the Year® I hope to be able to continue to advocate for the resiliency of our communities and their needs. Food insecurity in our communities is almost a quarter of all military personnel/families. The suicide rate among our military is still significantly above the civilian rate. I feel an obligation in my role to advocate for changes that will better support resolving these issues through programs, education, career opportunities & creating a greater awareness of the challenges and support our military communities need for our service men and women to feel confident in the security of their family so they can be mission ready. I hope to serve as a role model that shows spouses can do much more than they may believe is possible.