The Yellow Ribbon Advance (YRA) grant is dedicated to creating supportive educational and career pathways for service members and their families. By recognizing the unique talents and skills developed through military service, the program helps learners apply those strengths in the classroom and the workforce—often accelerating time to graduation and addressing critical skills gaps in our regional economy.

Our mission is to recruit, retain, and graduate military-connected students while preparing them to thrive in today’s demanding workforce. Through tailored support and career-focused opportunities, we ensure that veterans, service members, and their families have the tools they need to succeed.

At Minnesota State Moorhead, we live this mission through innovative programs such as Service to Success Internships, P.A.V.E. (Peer Advisors for Veteran Education), and dedicated Career Navigators—all designed to support student success from enrollment to career readiness.

Service to Success Internships P.A.V.E. (Peer Advisors)
Career Navigators

Meet the YRA Success Team

Aaron Krenz

Yellow Ribbon Advance Director

Larry Shellito Veteran, Service Member & Family Success Center | Grants & Sponsored Programs Office

Send Email | Phone: 218.477.4101218.477.4101

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As the Yellow Ribbon Advance Director at Minnesota State University Moorhead, I am committ...

As the Yellow Ribbon Advance Director at Minnesota State University Moorhead, I am committed to supporting military-connected students transitioning to successful civilian careers. I collaborate with employers at all levels to secure meaningful job placements and connect students with on-campus career services that translate military experience into career readiness. Off campus, I work to reduce employment barriers by educating employers on the value of military-affiliated talent and coordinate job shadowing and paid internships for military-connected students. Drawing from my own journey as a former MSUM student, Dragon football athlete and retired Army Lieutenant Colonel with over 33 years of service, including three overseas deployments, I bring deep personal insight and dedication to empowering the next generation of Dragon Veteran professionals.

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Danelle Wolnik

Assistant Veterans Resource Outreach Director

Larry Shellito Veteran, Service Member & Family Success Center | Grants & Sponsored Programs Office

Send Email | Phone: 218.477.5931218.477.5931

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Danelle is 24-year Veteran of the North Dakota Army National Guard and is also a military ...

Danelle is 24-year Veteran of the North Dakota Army National Guard and is also a military spouse. She served in various leadership and customer service roles in her fulltime military capacity. Danelle can relate to Veterans, current service members, and military-connected family members. She is passionate about serving the military-connected population at Minnesota State University Moorhead.

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Alli Belfiori (She/Her/Hers)

Yellow Ribbon Advance Digital Marketing Specialist

Marketing & Communications | Grants & Sponsored Programs Office

Send Email | Phone: 218.477.2850218.477.2850

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Yellow Ribbon Advance is funded by the US Department of Education, as a Congressionally Directed Spending Award of $2.25 million dollars. Award # P116Z230319.

The project contents; however, do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and the reader should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.