Fifth Annual Michigan Veterans Leadership Summit brings together more than 170 veterans and advocates

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) hosted the 2026 Michigan Veterans Leadership Summit from May 11 - 13 in Grand Rapids. In its fifth year, the summit brought together veterans, veteran advocates and stakeholders from around Michigan to discuss the challenges that veterans face and to find new ways to better serve the more than 486,000 veterans that call Michigan home.

"We are proud to see this summit continue to grow each year," said MVAA director Terry J. Sabo. "Bringing veterans, advocates and organizations together creates meaningful conversations and stronger networks of support across the state."

Monday, May 11, marked the start of the summit where veterans and advocates attended a networking reception to engage in impactful conversations, strengthen partnerships and create new connections within the veteran community.

The summit continued Tuesday, May 12, through Wednesday, May 13, with a variety of sessions and keynote speakers. Attendees heard from more than 25 organizations and presenters about available resources, benefits and services for veterans and their families. Attendees also had the opportunity to continue fostering connections throughout the summit during networking breaks.

At the summit, the MVAA unveiled their State of Michigan Veteran Benefits webpage. The webpage was created as a one-stop resource for veterans and their dependents to navigate benefits and services available within the state of Michigan. Information on available benefits and resources include:

• Burial
• Education
• Employment and entrepreneurship
• Financial and legal assistance
• Housing
• Incarcerated veteran programs
• Income and property taxes
• Recreation
• Transportation

The MVAA continued with an Education and Employment Impact Awards presentation. The Impact Awards, previously known as the Innovator Awards, recognize academic institutions and employers enrolled in the MVAA's Veteran-Friendly Employer (VFE) and Veteran-Friendly School (VFS) programs for displaying excellence in their mission to serve veterans.

The 2026 Impact Awards recipients were:

Peter F. Secchia Military & Veterans Resource Center at Grand Valley State Univerity (GVSU)

From left to right: Todd Butler, MVAA deputy director; Terry J. Sabo, MVAA director; Shane Scherer, GVSU Director of Peter Secchia Military & Veterans Resource Center; Kara Van Dam, vice president and chief executive of GVSU Omni; Kyle Macciomei, digital media developer at GVSU eLearning Technologies; Noah Houchlei, learning module developer at GVSU eLearning Technologies; Joe Saur, MVAA education analyst

Center for Veterans and Military-Affiliated Students at Michigan State University (MSU)

From left to right: Todd Butler, MVAA deputy director; Terry J. Sabo, MVAA director; Patrick Forystek, MSU director of Center for Veterans and Military-Affiliated Students; Joe Saur, MVAA education analyst

Veterans Health & Wellness Collaborative (MSU)

From left to right: Todd Butler, MVAA deputy director; Terry J. Sabo, MVAA director; representee of the Veterans Health & Wellness Collaborative at MSU; Joe Saur, MVAA education analyst

Midwest Truck Driving School and North County Line & Heavy Equipment School

From left to right: Todd Butler, MVAA deputy director; Terry J. Sabo, MVAA director; Don Cugini, lead heavy equipment and truck driving Instructor at Midwest Truck Driving School, North Country Heavy Equipment School and North Country Electrical Line School; Zach Evans, admissions coordinator at Midwest Truck Driving School, North Country Heavy Equipment School and North Country Electrical Line School; Joe Saur, MVAA education analyst

Schoolcraft College

From left to right: Todd Butler, MVAA deputy director; Terry J. Sabo, MVAA director; Sarah Woods, Schoolcraft College veterans and military services coordinator; Brent Landau, director of Schoolcraft College Mark L. Whitfield Veterans & Military Services Center; Joe Saur, MVAA education analyst

Consumers Energy

From left to right: Todd Butler, MVAA deputy director; Terry J. Sabo, MVAA director; Steven Belknap, Consumers Energy gas distribution supervisor and veteran advisory panel co-chair; Trevor Bissett, Consumers Energy gas construction supervisor and veteran advisory panel membership chair; Erik Schreur, MVAA employment analyst

Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT)

From left to right: Todd Butler, MVAA deputy director; Terry J. Sabo, MVAA director; J. Durnell, MDOT veteran internship coordinator; Laura Bensinger, MDOT workforce programs manager; James Fults, MDOT workforce programs and recruitment section manager; Amber Thelen, MDOT organizational development officer; Erik Schreur, MVAA employment analyst

Peckham, Inc.

From left to right: Todd Butler, MVAA deputy director; Terry J. Sabo, MVAA director; Matt Urhammer, Peckham veteran services coordinator; Erik Schreur, MVAA employment analyst

STACK Cybersecurity

Erik Schreur, MVAA employment analyst, accepted the Impact Award on behalf of STACK Cybersecurity from MVAA deputy director, Todd Butler, and MVAA director, Terry J. Sabo

Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) National Home

From left to right: Todd Butler, MVAA deputy director; Terry J. Sabo, MVAA director; Laura Lonsberry, VFW National Home assistant director of agriculture and education; Angie Harkins, VFW National Home program director; Jerred Johnson, VFW National Home chief executive officer; Lindell Holm, Michigan Veterans Trust Fund director; Erik Napieralski, Michigan Veterans Trust Fund analyst; Erik Schreur, MVAA employment analyst

The 2026 Michigan Veterans Leadership Summit was made possible by the generous support of the following sponsors:

• VFW National Home
• Pine Rest
• Rocket Pro
• VFW Department of Michigan
• National Guard Association of Michigan (NGAM)

Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency - The MVAA is the central coordinating agency, providing support, care advocacy and service to veterans and their families. As a state agency, MVAA works to identify and break down barriers veterans face in employment, education, health care and quality of life, to make Michigan a great place for veterans and their families to call home. More information about MVAA is available at Michigan.gov/MVAA or by reading our FY25 Annual Report.

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News Article MI Newswire Department of Military & Veterans Affairs