Bio

Dr. Abby Kinch (she/her/hers), a first-generation college student herself, is the Vice President of Programs and Services at Student Veterans of America, where she is responsible for the creation, implementation, and success of the myriad functions designed to empower veterans in higher education. Dr. Kinch has participated in SVA as a chapter member and chapter president at Florida State University, an SVA student council member, and an adviser. She has represented SVA in an advisory role to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Department of Education. In Florida, she participated in the advocacy for legislation to provide in-state tuition to veterans and gap fund payments to veterans with financial need during semester breaks. Following an enlistment in the U.S. Air Force as an Airborne Chinese Cryptologic Linguist, Dr. Kinch worked for six years in the private sector using the language skills the Air Force provided before going to school to finish her bachelor’s degree and ultimately earn her PhD in Public Administration and Policy from Florida State University, specializing in strategy. Her dissertation examined the policies of higher education institutions targeting student veterans. She has written extensively on this topic from the institutional, state, and national perspective.