MBA graduate with a passion for our nation’s military puts degree to work on front lines of new veterans center

In October, five months after graduating with her MBA in Strategic Management from Liberty University, Vanessa Talavera was invited to tour the site of the new National Center for Healthy Veterans’ (NCHV) Valor Farm in Altavista, Va., 20 minutes from Liberty’s campus. The 339-acre site is being developed as a place for military veterans — many suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other combat-related injuries — to decompress and be renewed as they transition to civilian life.

As she walked along the Big Otter River on the property with NCHV Chief Executive Officer Ret. Maj. Gen. Robert Dees, founder of Liberty’s Institute of Military Resilience, and Chief Operating Officer Ret. Brig. Gen. Jeff Horne, she learned about their vision for recreational outlets on the property, where residents and visitors will be able to enjoy kayaking, swimming, and fishing.

“I told her we were clearing certain places along the river, and we are going to have a series of beaches where you can come in and kayak or just go down with your family and put your feet in the water,” Dees said. “The second I said that, Vanessa said, ‘OK, there’s Normandy Beach, there’s Sword Beach, there’s Omaha Beach, Utah Beach,’” referring to the 1945 D-Day Operation Overlord invasion sites.

That told the retired Army generals that Talavera knew her military history and was on board with Valor Farm’s mission of helping to equip veterans and lead them into productive, purpose-filled post-military lives.

Dees and Horne gave Talavera an opportunity to utilize her strategic management skills by planning, organizing, and coordinating the center’s grand opening and dedication ceremony on Nov. 11, Veterans Day. The event featured Lt. Col. Oliver North as its keynote speaker and attracted 400 supporters from around the Altavista and Lynchburg areas and across the United States.

“I jokingly told the generals, ‘That was the hardest job interview I’ve ever had, planning this massive event during COVID. But it was a blast,’” said Talavera, who was officially hired as Valor Farm’s director of external relations after the event. “I’ve never seen a community come together such as this one. People were just so willing to help in any way, with volunteering, donations, anything. That was amazing to see. It really solidified my drive and (desire) to be a part of this full time.”

“I loved the business world, but being a part of this, on the front line with the veteran suicide epidemic, kind of in the trenches with military generals, and for them to be looking at me, saying, ‘We’re going to take a chance on her,’ I was just blown away.”

Last summer, Talavera had turned down an offer to work at the USO headquarters in Arlington, Va.

Talavera grew up in a patriotic family, with her great-grandfather having served as a rifleman in the Pacific during World War II.

“I was always just inundated with the veteran military world (and) I bleed red, white, and blue,” she said. “When they were writing up a position for me, everything about it is exactly what I wanted to do. I couldn’t have dreamed this, so it’s a total God thing because it’s too perfect for it not to be.”

While she was pursuing her B.S. in Business Administration with cognates in project management, strategic marketing management, and entrepreneurship through Liberty’s School of Business, Talavera volunteered with Liberty’s Office of Military Affairs then later served as an intern. She also got involved with the Lynchburg Area Veterans Council, developing relationships and friendships with local veterans and their wives.

“I have never heard of or seen a community that patriotic before,” Talavera said. “I stayed connected, and eventually ended up being an administrative intern, and that sparked even more dreams and goals.”

Working with Liberty’s chapter of the Student Veterans Association, Talavera coordinated the first SVA Gala on campus last year, a black-tie event in the Montview Student Union Alumni Ballroom.

“The business program at Liberty is phenomenal,” she said, “and I don’t think I would have gotten the same experiences, especially in the military world, elsewhere.”

Now, she is surrounded by leaders with vast experience in military operations. Dees is also the former associate vice president for military outreach at Liberty, and Horne was a space and missile system senior program executive for Lockheed Martin after serving as the U.S. Army’s first space systems general.

Dees is thankful to have Talavera on staff, providing enthusiastic support of the mission.

“She really is quite unique — her walk with the Lord, her exuberant spirit, and then her deep knowledge,” he said. “She really has a love of history, a love of the military, so she’s a wonderful complement to our team.”

Talavera believes Valor Farm will emerge as a prototype for providing veterans around the nation spiritual sanctuaries and rehabilitative refuges from the stresses of military life.

“This mission and vision and the goals of the National Center for Healthy Veterans, I think, are going to catch on and eventually spread all over the country and all over the world because it’s a business model that is incredibly unique,” she said. “We address health in terms of physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, (financial, professional,) and relational wellness.”

That holistic approach, patterned after the Institute for Military Resilience’s strategy for Liberty’s military students, will incorporate coaching, counseling, ministry, mentorship, and physical and life skills training to help veterans win their battles with PTSD and suicidal tendencies as they pursue post-military career callings.

Built on what was primarily a horse farm, the center will soon break ground on five villages of 20 tiny homes, each with its own recreation center, and a chapel atop a hill, offering a panoramic view of the property. It will offer equestrian therapy and expand its range of recreational pursuits and vocational options to include cattle and pig farming and other entrepreneurial opportunities such as forestry.

The NCHV is aware of all the resources Liberty offers to its 35,000-plus military students and their families, making it one of the top military-friendly universities in the United States. (In 2020, Liberty was listed No. 2 in the Military Times’ “Best for Vets Colleges” ranking among online and non-traditional schools.)

“Liberty University has a wonderful DNA for helping the military, and that goes all the way back to (founder) Dr. Jerry Falwell,” Dees said. “We’re incredibly grateful, and it wasn’t an accident that I positioned this place close to Liberty University, because I just recognized all of the goodwill, the volunteer support we would undoubtedly get, and then the technical expertise from faculty and staff and every way that we could labor together on behalf of veterans. It’s a very strong community.”

Talavera will be acting as a liaison to Liberty and is eager to establish and maintain connections between her alma mater and Valor Farm, offering students from various departments opportunities to gain valuable experience while providing service in their chosen fields — from military chaplains and business entrepreneurs to aspiring public health, nursing, and College of Osteopathic Medicine students.

“The center is in a perfect position because not only is it close to Liberty, but it is also surrounded by incredible patriotic people, people that love God, love country,” she said.