Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program (George W. Bush Institute)
Serves: Nationwide, TX
Leadership development program of the George W. Bush Institute, launched in 2018, that builds the skills and scales the impact of people working across the veteran and military family space. A first-of-its-kind program convening active-duty service members, veterans, military spouses, and civilians from diverse sectors over a five-month curriculum taught by nationally known experts in veteran issues and leadership. Scholars complete a leadership project applied directly to a veteran problem — past efforts include advocating for veterans' legal needs, opening employment paths for military spouses overseas, and building support programs for Medal of Honor recipients and families. Over 250 alumni across eight classes now hold leadership roles in nonprofits, government, business, and academia serving veterans. Free to Scholars; competitive annual application. Grew out of the Bush Institute's Stand-To summit, where 70+ organizations convened on veteran health, education, and employment priorities. Included as ecosystem infrastructure — it develops the leaders who run veteran-serving organizations rather than delivering direct services, and the Institute's own diagnosis of sector fragmentation and duplication mirrors the navigation gap this map addresses.