SUMMIT 2026, the Symposium on Unified Military & Veteran Multidisciplinary Innovation and Translation was hosted at the Ohio Union on August 7.
The event description below was created by the National Veterans Leadership Foundation:
What started as a Military Community Advocate (MCA) project at The Ohio State University became something much bigger.
As he prepared to graduate with his PhD and conclude his time as an MCA, Dr. David Hibler wanted to bring together the many people across Ohio State and Central Ohio working on military- and veteran-related research, programs, services, and initiatives.
His idea became SUMMIT 2026, the Symposium on Unified Military & Veteran Multidisciplinary Innovation and Translation, held August 7 at the Ohio Union.
More than 225 people registered, with more than 60 poster presentations and nine featured speakers from across the country. Ohio State departments and community organizations stepped forward to support the event, creating connections among people who might not otherwise have crossed paths.
For David, that was the goal.
“Our military-connected community deserves excellence in the systems that support them,” he said, along with “a seat at the table where their experience, knowledge, and passion can help lead the way.”
He believes making that vision a reality requires us to “break down silos, work across disciplines and divisions, build new collaborations, and bring creativity and new perspectives to persistent and emerging challenges.”
For David, the mission is deeply personal.
After returning from a 15-month deployment to Baghdad as an Army combat medic, he experienced firsthand some of the challenges military-connected students can face navigating higher education. As an MCA, he used those experiences to help make the path better for those who came after him.
SUMMIT 2026 became a culmination of that work, transforming his experience, relationships, and vision into something that can continue long after his time as an MCA ends.
This is what the MCA program is designed to make possible: empowering military-connected students to identify challenges, build solutions, develop as leaders, and create lasting change.
NVLF is proud to celebrate Dr. Hibler and the incredible impact of his MCA project. His story is a powerful reminder that when we invest in military-connected student leaders, we are not simply supporting students.