Military families move every few years. They navigate deployments, career interruptions, childcare waitlists, and the daily weight of a life built around service. So, while service members navigate the changing tides of military life, their families do too. And when military families are strong, supported, and ready, so is the force—because behind every effective warfighter is a family that made it possible.

This month, in honor of Military Appreciation Month, we sat down with Stephen B. Simmons, deputy assistant secretary of war for Military Community and Family Policy (MCFP), to talk about what it really takes to support the families behind our nation’s warfighters. From spouse employment programs and childcare access to real-time data and proactive family outreach, Simmons breaks down how his office is working to ensure that readiness starts at home.

Stephen B. Simmons is the deputy assistant secretary of war for MCFP. He previously served 17 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, exiting as a Major in 2022. During his military service, Simmons served in roles as a site commander, operations officer, and retention officer.

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Use Plan My Move to help with transitions

Review spouse employment resources with MySECO and the Military Spouse Career Advancement Account Scholarship.

See other military family resources, like the Education Directory for Children with Special Needs, the Exceptional Family Member Program, and MilitaryINSTALLATIONS.

Most of us only visit a government website when we really need something—unemployment benefits, a license renewal, or emergency aid. So when the experience is confusing, slow, or just broken, it doesn't just cost time. It quietly erodes something harder to rebuild: trust.

Marcy Jacobs is Maryland's first chief digital experience officer and the driving force behind the Maryland Digital Service (MDDS)—a team that's spent the last two years redesigning how six million residents experience their state government. In this episode, Marcy digs into what human-centered design actually looks like inside a bureaucracy: the discovery sprints that change everything an agency thought it knew, the veteran who wouldn't click a link because he didn't have a trust fund, and why making it easier to file for unemployment might be one of the most important things the government can do right now.

This one is for the builders, the public servants, and anyone who's ever rage-clicked a website and wondered if anyone noticed.

Marcy Jacobs is the State of Maryland’s chief digital experience officer. She was previously the executive director of digital service at the Department of Veterans Affairs and had served over four years with the U.S. Digital Service. She was also an associate partner at McKinsey & Company.

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Dive into the Maryland Digital Playbook and MDDS Impact Report

What happens when the people who keep America moving start disappearing faster than we can replace them? Across the country, state transportation agencies are facing a workforce crisis that's been quietly building for years—and most of us have no idea it's happening.

This episode of Empathy Affect pulls back the curtain on one of the most underreported challenges in public infrastructure: not the roads themselves, but the people behind them. From knowledge transfer and AI adoption to career pipelines and organizational culture, this conversation is something bigger than transportation. It’s about what it takes for any public institution to hold onto what it knows and build toward what’s next.

Lorri Economy has served as the Utah Department of Transportation chief learning officer since 2014. She previously served the state's Department of Workforce Services.

Amanda Holland is the principal owner of Holland Enterprise Resource Solutions. She previously worked for the State of Alaska for more than 20 years and advises organizations in building resilience, workforce capacity, and effectiveness.

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