Lakesha Cole Named 2014 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year ®
Pittsburgh, PA (PRWEB) May 09, 2014 -- Lakesha Cole was named the 2014 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year® today in recognition of her outstanding commitment to the military community. Video of the awards ceremony is available here: http://msoy.militaryspouse.com/msoy14live/.
Nominated by her husband, GySgt Deonte Cole, Lakesha’s accomplishments include hosting daily mentoring and mini-workshops to help address the business needs of military spouse entrepreneurs, and creating and owning She Swank|Too, a popular on-base boutique for women and girls that stylishly promotes confidence, inspiration, and independence. She is currently in her last semester at Parsons The New School for Design, pursing a degree in Retail Marketing. With the reach of the Military Spouse of the Year ® organization behind her, Cole is planning to pioneer the movement of professional growth and entrepreneurial opportunities for military spouses.
“Every military spouse who competed in the 2014 Military Spouse of the Year (MSOY) competition is to be commended for their devoted support of the dedicated military men and women in uniform who so ably serve our nation each and every day,” said Garry L. Parks, Lieutenant General, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret), Chairman of Armed Forces Insurance, the MSOY Title Sponsor. “Today we appropriately gathered to recognize ‘the’ 2014 MSOY, Mrs. Lakesha Cole. Concurrently, however, we applaud every military spouse, the unsung heroes who maintain the home-front during lengthy deployments, selflessly give back to their communities through volunteer work, and provide moral support for their loved ones serving both at home and in harm's way. Individually and collectively, these spouses contribute so much to our nation's military community. On behalf of Armed Forces Insurance, we salute each of you!”
Prior to announcing the overall 2014 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year®, the finalists from each branch of service were honored at the annual awards luncheon which was hosted at the Fort Myer Officers’ Club by Mrs. Deanie Dempsey, spouse of General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and attended by military and civilian VIPs: The Awards were also streamed live via the magazine’s website.
The 2014 Branch Winners are:
2014 Army Spouse of the Year – Reda Hicks
2014 Marine Corps Spouse of the Year – Lakesha Cole
2014 Navy Spouse of the Year – Tammy Meyer
2014 Air Force Spouse of the Year – Chris Pape
2014 Coast Guard Spouse of the Year – Danielle Medolla
2014 National Guard Spouse of the Year – Ingrid Herrera-Yee
These Branch Winners emerged from a pool of more than 1,500 nominees, advancing through three separate rounds of voting and a judges’ panel review.
Initially the winner of the local level MCBC Smedley D. Butler Spouse of the Year award, Cole was awarded the branch level Marine Corps Spouse of the Year® title before ultimately being chosen as the overall 2014 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year®.
The mother of one daughter and another baby on the way, Cole is a graduate from North Carolina A&T State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
The Military Spouse of the Year® (MSOY) program was founded and operated by Military Spouse magazine. "Over the past seven years, the MSOY Program has awarded and recognized hundreds of military spouses for their advocacy and support within the military community. We couldn’t be happier to be welcoming Lakesha into this family," said Suzie Schwartz, VP of Military Spouse Programs and spouse of former Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz.
For more information on the Military Spouse of the Year program, please visit http://msoy.militaryspouse.com.
About Military Spouse
Military Spouse magazine and http://www.militaryspouse.com, published by Victory Media, is the leading national magazine and online destination for the nation's 1.1 million military spouses. You can follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/militaryspouse and on Twitter @MilSpouseMag. Victory Media, a service disabled veteran owned small business, also publishes G.I. Jobs magazine, Vetrepreneur magazine, and has created the Buy Veteran movement powered by NaVOBA.
About Armed Forces Insurance
AFI was founded in 1887 by military leaders with a single mission: to protect the property of those who protect our nation. The company provides premium quality, competitively-priced property and casualty insurance to military professionals throughout the United States and overseas. AFI understands that military members have unique circumstances and insurance needs, enabling the company to offer a level of personalized service that’s unequaled in the industry. For more information, visit the website at http://www.afi.org or call 1-800-495-8234.
For more information or to arrange interviews, contact:
BP Media Relations, LLC
Barbara Pflughaupt – 212-707-8181
Judee Cohen – 917-721-0663
Barbara Pflughaupt, Victory Media Inc., http://www.victorymedia.com, +1 212-707-8181, [email protected]
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