As founder and executive director of the Warrior Research Foundation, Ms. Shelia Kirkbride is responsible for developing and implementing innovative programs and services and for providing advocacy and support programs to veterans and their family members. To maintain high organizational standards and to best serve the foundation's clients, Mrs. Kirkbride assesses and monitors the program objectives and maintains transparency with the public and those served by the foundation. She also oversees and coordinates budgeting and financial management.
In addition to her work with the foundation, Ms. Kirkbride has held many roles with the various organizations that she has founded or co-founded. She founded AIC Corporation, which provides effective solutions for the transporting and monitoring of blood, vaccines, organs, and medical-support products. Further, as a founder of Natural Health Solutions, she represented a diverse team of health professionals, with more than forty years of experience, who share a passion for disease prevention and wellness.
Ms. Kirkbride co-founded ACSS Transitions and is a partner at WomanPlace, LLC, for which her focus is to create workshops and programs that provide pre- and post-natal wellness for mothers and mothers-to-be. She also offers her expertise in the development of women's physical, emotional, and mental health through education, programs, and personal services. With members of ACSS Transitions, she co-authored 9 Months In ~ 9 Months Out, a reference guide for mothers by mothers. The book provides answers to common questions, information, and suggestions for the first month of pregnancy through nine months after giving birth.
Ms. Kirkbride currently owns Principle Health Group, which provides clients, both men and women, with an individualized approach to their health and wellness. The organization's wellness services are comprehensive and take into consideration multiple aspects of personal functioning, including physiology, psychology, and performance. Specialized testing is used to identify clients' micronutrient deficiencies and genetic variations that could have an impact on their optimal wellness. The resulting information provides clients with the knowledge needed to make empowered decisions about the best way to approach their wellness goals and to achieve positive long-term results.
Ms. Kirkbride comes from a family with a long history of military service, including her father and grandfather. She also has been a military spouse for over twenty years and, as a result, understands the diverse needs of the military family member.
She graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in psychology from Campbell University and a master's in rehabilitation counseling from East Carolina University.
All books by this author Dr. Summer Watson is the founder of KORE Women, LLC. KORE Women is a unique home for the hearts and souls of women, where they can Kinetically connect, Organically learn from one another, Reshape lives through diverse interaction, and Energize one another to promote change. KORE Women strives to support women through shared wisdom, kindness, mentorship, and guidance as well as the use of films and podcasts to share their journeys, stories, and strategies to support success. Based on the supportive women in her life who have inspired her, Summer developed KORE Women to create a business that she loves and to which she could apply her wisdom, education, and experience to support women in developing and achieving their personal and professional goals through strategic empowerment coaching.
Summer holds a bachelor's in English literature from the University of California, Berkeley, a master's in human services with a specialty in community counseling from National University, San Diego, and a PhD in psychology with a clinical emphasis from Saybrook University, San Francisco. She also has certifications in teaching, mediation, substance abuse education and prevention, and leadership. She has facilitated communication groups; taught courses in career transition, psychology, and human services; and served as a mentor for doctoral students. In addition, Summer has conducted both qualitative and quantitative research.
Summer has several years of experience working in non-profit, government, and for-profit mental health facilities that oversee and train clinicians and conduct mental health assessments and evaluations of both children and adults. She also has served as a mentor, advisor, and coach to those who seek professional and personal guidance in the areas of career, education, and wellness support as well as serving as an adjunct faculty member for multiple universities and as a consultant in qualitative research to doctoral students.
As a military spouse for twenty-plus years, she has put much of her energy into creating programs for military families and advocating for their needs. She is currently the senior executive director of the Warrior Research Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports veterans through community outreach, provides education through films, and provides internship opportunities for university students. She has published a phenomenological study, "Effects of the War in Iraq on Military Marriages," in which she studied six factors that affect military spouses separated by war.
Summer is the co-author of two recent articles:
"Veterans' time in war consumes their peace," San Francisco Chronicle (March 15, 2018) (https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/Veterans-time-in-war-consumes-their-peace-12757323.php).
"Strategic plan can help combat trolling, harassment, bullying," Marin Independent Journal (February 21, 2019) (https://www.marinij.com/2019/02/21/marin-voice-strategic-plan-can-help-combat-trolling-harassment-bullying/).
All books by this author