Manca Pavlu ()
2 Mar 2022 (Misawa, AP) — Following hundreds of nominations nationwide and a national vote yielding more than 20,000 votes, Manca Pavlu has been named the 2022 Armed Forces Insurance Misawa AB Spouse of the Year. Manca Pavlu is currently stationed with her husband, SSgt Pavlu, Matthew at Misawa AB.
Now in its 13th year honoring the unwavering dedication of our nation's more than 1.1 million military spouses, Armed Forces Insurance is proud to recognize and reward the sacrifice of military spouses from all six branches of the Armed Forces who are advocating for others and having a tangible, measurable effect on their communities.
Manca Pavlu met her husband in November 2014 in Aviano, and since then she has been actively involved in different aspects of assisting Military Families. As a foreign-born military spouses, Pavlu’s recognition illustrates to the world that our military community is an active, supportive, diverse, and resilient community. Like other base winners, she was recognized for her work in the community as Network Lead for Misawa - Military Spouse Professional Network (MSPN). In December 2020 (MSPN) was brough to Misawa, and she was an active volunteer ever since. MSPN provided over 12 networking events virtual and in person, and shared multiple job opportunities virtual and in-person on installation. Ms. Pavlu, also volunteers as a mentor for Military Spouses all over the nation at Hiring Our Heroes AMPLIFY conference. Overall, she is an active advocate for Military Spouse Employment.
“Through my work, I hope to increase the proffesional development options for spouses overseas, during the daytime hours for OCONUS locations, as well as increase the awareness of employment struggles of Military Spouses Overseas” says Ms. Pavlu.
Nominations from community members nationwide were accepted from November 29, 2021, through January 21, 2022. The program is organized by base-level winners, the top 21 finalists, then branch level winners, and, finally, the overall 2022 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year® (AFI MSOY) who are all selected by popular vote and judging panels. As a base winner, Manca Pavlu was judged on five core criteria: overall involvement in the military community, leadership skills, community building capability, communication skills, and overall personal story. Manca Pavlu is now in consideration of being named the overall winner. After a final vote conducted on March 10-11, the overall winner will be unveiled at an awards luncheon on May 5 at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Arlington, VA, in conjunction with National Military Spouse Appreciation Day, which occurs on May 5.
"Over the past decade, we have seen the program grow and amplify the voices of military spouses on a national stage," says Lori Simmons, chief marketing officer at Armed Forces Insurance. "These spouses have pioneered initiatives, founded organizations, started businesses, and advocated for issues impacting the quality-of-life for military families in the best ways imaginable. We are thrilled to welcome the 2022 base winners to the AFI MSOY family and work alongside them to make an even bigger impact."
To learn more about Manca Pavlu and the other base winners, please visit the website.
