Ashley Bonkofsky

Share your military spouse story:
I became a military spouse in 2006, marrying my husband between my junior and senior years of college. I finished my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Arkansas before I understood how rare that uninterrupted path would become. As an Air Force spouse, my career as a speech-language pathologist was shaped by PCS cycles, overseas moves, and starting over—again and again. I worked substitute lists, accepted paraprofessional roles, and once babysat with a master’s degree, a résumé, and a deep belief that I’d eventually find my footing. When stateside stability returned, I turned necessity into entrepreneurship, building a private practice designed to flex with military life. That business grew across time zones and oceans, employing remarkable military spouses and serving families who needed consistent care in an inconsistent lifestyle. My story is one of adaptation, reinvention, and discovering that sometimes the career you rebuild becomes stronger than the one you planned.

Describe any leadership positions or provide an overview of your leadership contributions within the military community.
I’ve never held a gavel in a spouse club meeting, but I have built a business, led teams, and mentored military spouses into new careers. I founded a private practice that hired and trained military spouses, creating roles that worked around deployments, PCS orders, and unpredictable schedules. I guided team members through credentialing, professional development, and the confidence boost that comes from being trusted with real responsibility. Several spouses who started with my company have continued into independent professional paths. My leadership style is practical. Find the problem. Build the system. Support the people. Keep snacks available. Progress tends to follow.

What programs or projects are you currently involved in that support the needs of military families?
My work has focused on meeting real needs within military families. I built a private practice specifically designed to provide consistent developmental and therapeutic services for children whose lives change duty stations frequently. I previously co-led a small nonprofit supporting children with developmental needs, volunteered with Girl Scouts overseas to help military-connected children find familiar community, and I am currently rebuilding my practice after another relocation. I also co-develop education advocacy resources to help parents navigate complex school systems. These projects are not flashy, but they solve real problems. Sometimes impact looks like a family finally exhaling because someone explained the process in plain language.

What moments best reflect your impact on building inclusive community among military spouses?
I believe community is built through trust, not just events. I’ve created professional spaces where military spouses could contribute without choosing between family stability and career growth. My teams welcomed spouses of all ranks, backgrounds, and experience levels, focusing on collaboration over hierarchy. I’ve supported parents who felt overwhelmed by school systems, new spouses unsure where to begin, and professionals rebuilding careers after relocation. Some of my favorite community moments happened late at night on video calls, solving a problem together while one of us held a sleeping child off-camera. Belonging doesn’t always need a big room. Sometimes it just needs someone saying, “I’ve been there. Let’s figure this out.”

Identify your main advocacy effort and describe your personal connection to the cause.
My primary advocacy focus is career portability for military spouses and consistent access to services for military-connected children. I’ve lived the licensing hurdles, the underemployment, and the professional restarts that come with military life. I’ve also seen children lose progress when services disappear between duty stations. I built my business to address both issues, creating opportunities for spouses and continuity for families. My advocacy is practical and personal. I know the frustration of submitting the same credentialing paperwork for the fourth time, and the joy of watching a child thrive when support finally sticks. Both experiences shape the work I continue to pursue.

Summarize your advocacy outreach strategies, including any events, media involvement, or other communication efforts.
My outreach has taken the form of parent coaching, professional mentorship, training resources, and online collaboration. I’ve developed guides to help families understand special education systems, mentored military spouse clinicians entering new fields, and led virtual problem-solving sessions across time zones. I communicate in everyday language because real life is complicated enough. My approach is simple: clarify the process, reduce the overwhelm, and remind people they are capable. No cape required.

What do you hope to accomplish with the AFI Military Spouse of the Year^® title?
If selected as AFI Military Spouse of the Year, I would use the platform to highlight the professional resilience of military spouses and the barriers we quietly overcome. I want to elevate solutions around career portability, licensing reform, and consistent access to services for military children. Rather than reinventing the wheel, I would connect and amplify the innovative work military spouses are already doing. Most importantly, I would remind spouses that rebuilding a life every few years is not just survival. It is expertise earned through experience, and it deserves recognition and better support.