The award comes as new research highlights growing challenges facing military spouses. According to the 2025 Military and Veteran Spouse Wellness Survey, 65 percent of military spouses report moderate or high levels of loneliness, and 53 percent report difficulty building community. The same survey found that military spouses experience depression and anxiety at two to three times the rate of the general population.
Bateman has spent the past decade working against exactly those numbers. At Parris Island, where families cycle through on 13-week rotations and community connections are constantly being rebuilt from scratch, she has focused on closing the gap between military families and the resources and leadership meant to serve them through spouse support groups, social programming, and direct mentorship aimed at helping women find connection, confidence, and a sense of belonging in a life defined by constant change.
“Shelby Bateman has shown what it means to lead with both purpose and heart,” said Lori Simmons, Executive Director of the National Military Community Foundation. “Shelby understands that community isn’t a resource you hand someone. It’s something that has to be built, maintained and waiting when the next spouse arrives.”
In early 2026, the Pentagon pledged to address military family housing allowance shortfalls and quality-of-life improvements, including child care, spouse employment and support services for relocating families. Bateman has spent the past decade building community connections at the duty-station level.
“What this winner is doing on the ground is exactly what this research is asking for. The data confirms what military spouses have known for years — we are not the same as the general population, and generalized solutions are not enough. This is exactly why programs like the AFI Military Spouse of the Year® exist: to identify, elevate and invest in the leaders already doing this work inside our communities.” — Evie King, President, InDependent and 2023 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year®
Bateman was selected from seven branch winners representing the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard and National Guard.
2026 AFI MSOY Branch Winners:
Army: Isabel G. Schmitt
Marine Corps: Shelby Bateman
Navy: Meg Graves
Air Force: Lyndsey Akers
Space Force: Cassandra Kidd
Coast Guard: Najeeba Gassel
National Guard: Nicole Gebhardt
The Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year® program, now in its 19th year, recognizes military spouses for their community contributions and service to military families. Recipients participate in a yearlong program focused on leadership, networking and community impact.
For more information, visit msoy.afi.org.
About Armed Forces Insurance:
The Armed Forces Insurance (AFI) Military Spouse of the Year® Award was established in 2008. After serving as the title sponsor for nine years, AFI assumed ownership of the award in 2018. The award is presented at a base, branch and overall level each year to military spouses who are making a difference in their communities and providing a collective voice for spouses around the world. Through a national nomination and voting process, these nominees are judged on five core criteria: overall involvement in military community, exhibition of leadership skills, community building capability, communication skills and overall personal story. With more than one million active-duty military spouses worldwide, this award program aims to shine a spotlight on the force behind our armed forces. The Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year® program is an initiative of the 501(c)(19) nonprofit National Military Community Foundation. For more information, please visit www.msoy.afi.org.
Media Contact
Lakesha Cole, National Military Community Foundation, 1 910-333-5252, [email protected], https://msoy.afi.org/
SOURCE National Military Community Foundation
