Our Story
Built From Lived Experience. Driven by Evidence.
The Military Family Advocacy Group was founded after our families experienced the divide between federal healthcare policy and real-world access to care. While navigating the TRICARE Autism Care Demonstration, we saw military families forced to overcome complex administrative barriers simply to obtain medically necessary services for their children.
We also recognized that individual stories, while essential, are not always enough to change large systems. Policymakers and organizational leaders need documented evidence, credible analysis, and practical solutions that show not only where a system is failing, but how it can be improved.
Drawing on experience in policy compliance, public-sector administration, case management, research, and advocacy, we built MFAG to bridge that gap. Our work combines direct-source verification, structured data analysis, regulatory research, and stakeholder experience to transform complex access problems into defensible findings and actionable recommendations.
What began as an effort to protect military families has developed into a broader healthcare audit and policy research capability. MFAG’s work has informed congressional and federal stakeholder briefings, provider-directory investigations, legislative proposals, and systemic reform efforts.
Our mission remains grounded in the families who revealed these problems, but our work is designed to help organizations understand them, document them, and build better systems.
The team
Mariah Wilkins
Founder/ Principal Policy Strategist
Mariah Wilkins is the Founder and Principal Policy Strategist of the Military Family Advocacy Group. She specializes in healthcare access analysis, provider-directory auditing, regulatory and legislative research, and the translation of complex policy requirements into decision-ready findings.
Mariah has led multi-state healthcare-access investigations and developed research, policy briefs, model legislative language, and oversight materials for congressional staff, federal stakeholders, and organizational leaders. Her work combines structured data analysis, direct-source verification, regulatory review, and stakeholder experience to identify systemic barriers and support practical reform.
She brings more than 15 years of combined experience across higher education administration, policy compliance, justice-system case management, applied research, consulting, and advocacy. Mariah is also an adjunct faculty member teaching research methods and due process.
Mariah holds a Doctoral Degree in Criminal Justice and is pursuing a Master of Legal Studies in Compliance and Risk Mangement at William & Mary.
Katherine Farley
Co-Founder
Katherine is currently completing a post-baccalaureate program in Clinical Psychology at Fielding Graduate University where she is preparing to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology with a focus on forensic psychology and psychological assessment. Her academic work includes independent research examining mental health treatment continuity, behavioral stability, and systemic barriers affecting vulnerable populations.
Her professional background includes experience in behavioral health, addiction recovery support, crisis intervention, and peer support services, along with additional training in mental health response, applied behavioral analysis, and research ethics. Katherine’s work is driven by a strong interest in mental health advocacy, justice reform, and improving support systems for individuals and families navigating complex healthcare and institutional challenges.