Following hundreds of nominations nationwide and a national vote yielding more than 23,000 votes, Ashley Marshall has been named the 2020 Armed Forces Insurance Fort Rucker Spouse of the Year.

Marshall is currently stationed with her husband Lt. Colonel J.B. Marshall, at the 23d Flying Training Squadron at located at Fort Rucker.

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 the sacrifice and reward the change of military spouses from all six branches of the Armed Forces who are inspiring others and having a tangible, measurable effect on their communities.

ince marrying her husband, Marshall has followed him around the country, seeking out employment wherever she could find work. In addition to struggling to find work opportunities, Marshall has also had to struggle with licensing issues in each state as she is an attorney.

Since arriving at Fort Rucker, Marshall has recently opened her own law firm where one of her focus areas is offering military spouse businesses highly discounted services to get them up and running.

“I am so humbled to be honored with this title for my work with military spouse businesses,” says Marshall. “I plan on spending my year helping to launch and build successful military businesses and advocating for more military spouse employment in our community.

“Employers should not be wary to hire us, customers should not be hesitant to buy from us, and clients should not be nervous about utilizing our services because we are military spouses.”

Nominations from community members nationwide were accepted Nov. 25, 2019 through Jan. 24. The program is organized by base-level winners, then top 18 finalists, then branch level winners, and, finally, the overall 2020 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year® (AFI MSOY) who are all selected by popular vote and judging panels.

Marshall plans on attending an awards dinner to recognize her accomplishment on May 7 at The Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Va., in conjunction with National Military Spouse Appreciation Day, which occurs on May 8.

“Over the 10 years Armed Forces Insurance has been involved with the Military Spouse of the Year® awards program, we have seen it grow and amplify the voice of the military spouse 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 2020 base winners to the AFI MSOY family and work alongside them to make an even bigger impact.”