STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A Staten Islander is stepping into her new title as the Military Spouse of the Year for her branch.

She is Jaime Billert, 33, and has just been named 2025’s Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year. Billert is a former educator, mother of four, dedicated military spouse and a community leader.

“I’m just amazed and honored that my community sees good leadership qualities in me,” Billert said.

Since 2019, Billert’s family — U.S. Coast Guard petty officer second class Kyle Billert, stepdaughter Olivia, 11, sons Pierce, 6, and Emmerson, 4, and daughter Haven, 2 — has called Fort Wadsworth home. One of the oldest military installations in the nation, it spans 226 acres along the northeastern shore of Staten Island.

From Illinois to Staten Island

When Billert moved nearly 1,000 miles from northern Illinois to Staten Island six years ago with her husband, Kyle, she was a new mother to their seven-month-old son, Pierce.

“We’re a blended family, so our oldest is my step-daughter and my second oldest is my biological son,” she said. “When we moved here, it was a transition into motherhood, transition in our marriage, and it was also my first immersion into military life.”

Although Billert had been stationed at a base in Illinois, she explained that it was a small unit with families spread out. Since she was from the area, she already had her own friends and network, so she didn’t feel like she truly experienced the military spouse lifestyle until she moved to Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island.

“Think about the friends that you have, that you’ve accumulated through grade school, high school, your cousins, your family,” she said. “For an everyday person, that’s your network... or if you work, you find coworkers that you jive with. Imagine now, you get removed from that, and you get plunked into a whole new location.”

It is through the Spouses Club that Billert has found a community and network of people, she says. The club is led by a group of volunteer spouses who serve on the board, which Billert describes as a team of like-minded individuals united by a common mission and a passion for serving others.

“The Spouses Club was very impactful because it was a way for me to not only meet other spouses, but they provided sub-clubs, club meetings and socials where I can meet those spouses and figure out who I have common interests with to form those friendships,” Billert said.

The club evolves with its members, bringing new approaches to outreach and activities each year. It supports local organizations on Staten Island, organizes fundraisers and plans both community events and exclusive club gatherings. The club also features a variety of sub-clubs, such as a book club, fitness club, playgroup, craft club and more.

“It’s really amazing the amount of time spouses put in to ensure a positive experience,” she said.

Stepping into leadership

In 2020, just a year after moving to Fort Wadsworth, Billert took on a leadership role as the treasurer of the Spouses Club.

Leadership roles on the board are voluntary and last for one year. In 2021, Billert went on to serve as the president on the board. In 2022, she served as the vice president.

“The seasoned spouses who had been here for a while had all PCS’d (a term for Permanent Change of Station, when they relocate), and they nominated me for president, saying they wanted to ensure the success of the club and have someone on the board who understood how things had gone in the past,” she said.

In 2023, she took on a different kind of leadership role as the Ombudsman for Sector New York.

The Ombudsman program, adopted from the Navy, includes several days of training covering program details, crisis intervention (like evacuation coordination during hurricane season), and the role of being the command’s official extension, Billert shared.

As the Ombudsman, she serves as a key resource for families and the main link between them and the command, ensuring they have the information needed to navigate military life, prepare for emergencies, and receive support during crises.

“Military life can be hard sometimes — people move a lot, deployments happen, and families miss each other. You’re there to make sure no one feels alone and everyone knows where to go for help,” she said. “We become versed in the various resources that can help military families, specifically the coast guard, and you provide that connection.”

Some resources she mentioned include support for families going through family planning, such as assistance with the adoption process or IVF, which can be expensive. Additionally, there is access to Coast Guard Mutual Assistance, offering interest-free grants or loans to help families in need.

In 2024, Billert expanded her role, becoming the Ombudsman for both the Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) NY and Station New York units, in addition to Sector New York. She now serves as the Ombudsman for all three.

She shared that raising her children while managing responsibilities can feel overwhelming at times, so she finds balance by leaning on the people she trusts for support and guidance.

“There’s so many plates spinning. Some of them are inevitably going to fall, so which ones do you need to keep up and which ones are okay if they fall?” she said.

But Billert has always liked challenges. That’s why, after graduating from DePaul University in 2015, she became a high school physics teacher — a subject she was drawn to for its complexity and fascination.

“I liked the challenge,” she said. “For me, school was a safe place and I really appreciated my teachers that I connected with and again I wanted to pay it forward.”