Crafting Your Narrative: Effective Strategies for Military-to-Civilian Transition

Tina has cultivated a multifaceted career, beginning with four years of active duty in the U.S. Army. She commissioned as a Second Lieutenant through the ROTC program at Western Illinois University and was stationed at Fort Campbell, KY, where she specialized in Operations & Planning and Human Resources for aviation and infantry units. After transitioning from the Army in 2015, Tina earned a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). In her social work career, she provided academic and life skills coaching to high-risk student-athletes, served as a therapist for the University’s Employee Assistance Program, and worked in suicide prevention and crisis intervention.

Tina later pivoted to Human Resources, gaining experience in the non-profit, retail, and tech sectors. She furthered her expertise by obtaining a Master’s in Human Resources and Industrial Relations from UIUC. For the past 4.5 years, Tina has been with Zillow, where she initially served as an HR Business Partner for three years before advancing to her current role as a Senior Program Manager, supporting Zillow’s International HR Strategy.

As a Marine Corps veteran herself, she brings skills, duty and a true love of country to everything she does.

Chris Phillips is a highly recognized advocate through her extensive work with our nation’s veterans and their families. She stood up the military recruiting program at PNC Bank, created a sustainable model in the Military Advisory Council, helped establish military employee groups across corporate industries and when she retired from PNC Bank in 2021 she was the Military Affairs Liaison for the enterprise.

She stands out as a true champion for our nation’s heroes through her extensive work with organizations dedicated to making a difference in the veteran community.

She is a strong advocate for the medical service dog industry, a huge supporter of the use of horses for therapy and believes these highly trained animals are a solution to end the suffering of our veterans nationwide. Her work has raised in excess of 2.7 million dollars for service dogs for veterans in danger of suicide.

Her work for our veterans doesn’t stop there. Chris serves on the Board of Directors for Gunny’s Ridge as the Director of Development. She created and chaired the Holly Jolly Holiday Party in cooperation with Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall in Pittsburgh to honor veterans and their families during the holiday season in support of Gunny’s Ridge, Toys for Tots and the Pittsburgh Food Bank. The event is in its third year in 2025.

She is a member of the Board of Directors for Folds of Honor Western Carolina. She is the newly named chair for the Western Carolina Folds of Honor Patriots Gala in September 2025.

As a Founding Executive Board Member for My360Tribe, which serves our Special Operations Operator Community nationwide she manages the development of the organization’s service partners and the development of the brand.

She was named the 2023 Pittsburgh Veteran of the Year by the Military Friendly Brand through public vote… the most prestigious award given to a veteran in the region.

She has been nationally recognized by the US Chamber of Commerce for her work with transitioning veterans and is a two-time finalist for the Col. Endres Individual Excellence in Veteran Employment Award. She is the recipient of the 2013 Secretary of Defense Patriot Award and continues to be sought out for her candid and real-life approach to the issues facing our veterans.

MENTORING

She mentors veterans and military spouses alike through workshops with GI Jobs and LinkedIn and other veteran and disability focused organizations.

Facilitates the Women Veterans Mentoring Workshop at Military Officer Job Opportunities reaching women veterans and military spouses from across the country.

She personally mentors veterans in the Special Forces Operator Community.