Sabrina Dalton

Share your military spouse story:
I met my husband, Tyler, the summer after my freshman year of college at a country western bar. The short, quick version is that he asked me to dance, we talked all night, within weeks we were engaged, and we were married within a year of meeting. The old saying of "when you know, you know" was absolutely true for us- 12 years and 3 kids later, Im still so glad that I said yes to that first dance! In 2019, my husband completed OTS and received his commission after serving in the Air Force as a Security Forces member for 9 years. In 2021, he completed his service transfer and officially joined the Space Force. We both felt that we couldn't pass up the opportunity to be a part of an organization from the beginning and to be able to build culture and community that will impact many people for years to come. We are on our 5th assignment and have criss-crossed the country during my husbands service. I actually really enjoy moving and getting to live somewhere new every few years! One of my secret weapons is that I love change and trying new things. I'm a city lover so getting to call Los Angeles, CA home for the next few years feels pretty cool. I homeschool our two school aged children, and find a lot of joy (and challenge) in being their partner in learning. With as much change as our kids have gone through, I'm glad that their education can be consistent and predictable. Homeschooling our kids has also fortified our family unit and made us a strong team. As a military spouse, I've learned to lean into new things and give myself a lot of grace when things don't quite work out the way I had hoped. I've learned to value laughter and leaning into play as a way to cope through hardship. Though I've had a lot of tough moments during my husbands military career, I'm proud of the skillset I've built to find ways to thrive in this lifestyle.

Share an example of your leadership experience within the military community:
I have served as an Air Force Key Spouse at multiple assignments and have found that being a resource for other spouses has given me purpose and enjoyment. Notably, I was honored to be selected as the Key Spouse of the Year for Global Strike Command in 2017. Additionally, I have served on the leadership board for our base spouses club at two different assignments and enjoyed collaborating with my fellow spouses to ensure that each base offered ample opportunity for connection. I am currently serving as a Key Spouse and am the Membership & Inclusivity Director for MilSpace Club (a fresh take on the spouses club at LA AFB). I am working to ensure that all spouses feel welcomed, heard, and find belonging within our club. I am the Deputy Executive Director for Military Mentors, a nonprofit, where I oversee our mentorship conferences and our leadership development program. Training leaders across the military community in mentorship is intimidating but also very impactful.

Describe your involvement in the military community:
I am the Deputy Executive Director for Military Mentors (MM), a nonprofit that seeks to elevate, educate and facilitate mentorship for the military and beyond. In my position, I oversee our 5 month leadership development cohorts, training and equipping 90+ leaders to date in mentorship and leadership principles, and I have organized 5 mentorship conferences in the past two years. Many military community members come to MM and have heard that they should have a mentor but don't know how or where to find one. I find a lot of purpose in teaching people about mentorship and collaborating with them so that they can identify a mentor and know how to build a supportive and lasting relationship with that person.

Describe how you support your community:
I'm passionate about building community no matter where I go. I've done that through formal leadership roles and through volunteer work throughout my time as a military spouse. I believe that mentorship is a vital part of any thriving military community because strong mentorship relationship allows us to grow, develop, and be seen, no matter where we live. Educating others on how to be a mentor or mentee and why those relationships matter gives me purpose and, hopefully, enriches the lives of the people around me. The military spouse community is diverse in so many ways and we all have a lot we can learn from each other. Mentorship opens up new points of view and exposes us to new ideas and ways of thinking. Building mentoring relationships helps to ensure that we leave every organization, base, and community better than when we found it.

What do you advocate for? Why?
I advocate for community building and mentorship for anyone in the military community. Specifically for military spouses, I advocate for the development of peer mentorship networks that allow us to leverage our unique experiences for mutual growth and development. This matters to me because each of us has perspectives and experiences that have shaped and molded us into who we are today. We all have a responsibility to share what we have learned and experienced so that we can equip and encourage the next generation of military spouses.

How have you spread the message of your platform/advocacy?
I've appeared on two podcasts where I was able to advocate for, and educate on, the importance of mentorship regardless of rank, title, or position. I've also spoken at numerous conferences and facilitated seminars on mentorship for various military and non-profit organizations. In addition to those speaking engagements, I regularly write pieces on mentorship topics that have been published on my organizations website and in our monthly newsletter. The writing process has helped me coherently identify what aspects of mentorship matter most to me and has given me a new venue to explore advocacy in this field. As a Key Spouse, I've participated in coffee chats with other spouses to identify pain points and concerns and then communicated those issues with base leadership.

What do you hope to accomplish with the AFI Military Spouse of the Year^® title?
If selected as the AFI Military Spouse of the Year, I would hope to forge conversations about peer mentorship and how we can create stronger, more resilient military communities through mentorship. Mentorship isn't just something that exists in the workplace or only as part of what makes someone successful in their career. Instead, mentorship touches and influences every aspect of a persons life and I want to encourage and educate spouses on how to create a culture of mentorship across the service branches.