Christina M. Hernandez, LSW, is the Assistant Director of the Veteran and Military Resource Center at Ocean County College in New Jersey and a Doctor of Education candidate in Higher Education Administration at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Her research centers on the lived experiences and support systems of minoritized student veterans at community colleges.

As a Licensed Social Worker, Christina brings a trauma-informed, strengths-based and social-emotional learning–driven approach to higher education leadership. She is deeply passionate about embedding social-emotional learning into institutional culture, particularly in the ways colleges support military-connected students navigating transition, identity, and belonging.

At Ocean County College, Christina has helped build and expand comprehensive veteran support services, contributing to the development of a one-stop model integrating academic support, psychosocial care, and community partnerships. She has forged partnerships with more than 20 stakeholders across the country and serves on the Council on Military Transition Education, providing recommendations to the Department of Defense to advance military education initiatives.

Christina is also the creator of Operation THRIVE in Higher Ed, a military cultural competency training designed to equip faculty and staff with the tools to better understand and support student veterans. She frequently presents on veteran services, inclusive de-escalation strategies, and building trauma-informed campuses.

In her leadership journey, Christina openly reflects on the imposter feelings that can arise when building programs from the ground up and stepping into complex institutional spaces. She is committed to reframing imposter feelings as signals of growth, courage, and transformative leadership in higher education veteran services.