Women Veterans Leading Change at Columbia

At CVTI, we love celebrating our team, and we’re especially pleased to highlight the extraordinary work of Ebonnie Goodfield ‘24GS, ‘26SW.

Ebonnie brings so much to the table: she’s a U.S. Navy veteran, a Columbia GS alumna, a current master’s student at the Columbia School of Social Work, and a longtime leader of MilVets and Women Veterans of Columbia University (WVCU).

Oh...and did we mention she's just a really cool, kind, caring person? We love that about her.

Last year at SVA NatCon, she led a powerful session on gender equity in leadership for student veterans. She dug into what it means to navigate higher education, the military, and professional life as a woman veteran, raising big questions like: why does gender matter when we transition to civilian life?

Creating a women veterans student chapter like WVCU was one solution Ebonnie sought to tackle this question. In her session, she also spoke about reframing women veterans as leaders—rather than treating their veteran identity as secondary—which, in turn, promotes equity by showcasing the diversity of the veteran community and challenging the stereotype of the military as a ‘good old boys’ club.

These kinds of conversations are exactly why CVTI exists.

We’re a hub for veteran identity and stories—helping people understand and support veterans at Columbia University and beyond.

We connect across Columbia’s 16 graduate schools to build networks, share resources, and turn support into action.

And we make space—real and symbolic—for veteran voices, women veterans among them, to be heard, appreciated, and amplified.

Advocacy isn’t just about awareness. It’s about building the spaces, networks, and partnerships that shift culture from the ground up. That’s the work CVTI is doing every day at Columbia and beyond.

If veteran support in higher education matters to you, we’d love to connect. Swing by 205 Kent Hall or email us at [email protected].