Leah Hale, MA
SMVF Assistant
Email: j82p8d@jmu.edu
Leah Hale serves as the Service Member, Veteran, and Family (SMVF) Assistant at the Campus Suicide Prevention Center of Virginia, where she supports initiatives focused on suicide prevention, transition support, and community engagement for service members, veterans, and their families.
Leah is the Founder and President of Salute of Virginia, a veteran-focused nonprofit resource hub based in Waynesboro, Virginia. Through Salute, she has led weekly veteran outreach programs, peer support groups, community events, and direct assistance efforts addressing housing stability, employment, transportation, and basic needs. Her work emphasizes connection, dignity, and reducing isolation among veterans transitioning to civilian life.
As a veteran spouse, Leah brings lived experience and a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by military families, including frequent transitions, reintegration, and the often-unseen impacts of service on the entire family unit. This perspective strongly informs her work and allows her to engage with service members, veterans, and families with empathy, authenticity, and trust.
With a strong background in veteran advocacy, nonprofit leadership, and community collaboration, Leah has worked closely with local, regional, and state partners to connect veterans to critical resources and build sustainable support networks. She brings extensive hands-on experience working directly with veterans across diverse backgrounds and service eras.
Leah holds a graduate degree in military psychology, with academic and professional interests focused on military-to-civilian transition, resilience, and system-level approaches to veteran well-being. Her work is grounded in both evidence-based practice and lived community experience.
In her role at the Campus Suicide Prevention Center of Virginia, Leah is passionate about strengthening campus and community partnerships, amplifying veteran voices, and ensuring that service members, veterans, and their families feel seen, supported, and connected.
