Connecting the Dots: A Template for Military Spouses to Tell Their Unique Career Stories

Military service members aren’t the only ones who sacrifice during their active-duty years; their spouses do, too. This is not widely acknowledged or understood, however, so they face even more difficulty in the job search process than their service member spouses do. This talk will identify the unique challenges a military spouse faces when trying to establish and/or maintain a career, and provide instruction on how to “connect the dots” of their often-crooked career path so it makes sense to hiring managers and recruiters.

Kelley Biskupiak (She/Her)

Kelley began her career in Education as a teacher, then later in Administration and Curriculum Development, providing educational consulting services to urban school systems. After taking a career break to raise her children, she opened a thriving practice as a CTI-trained certified Co-Active coach. She is a LinkedIn Learning author-instructor and the co-founder of Prepare To Launch U - a learning company that provides instruction, inspiration, and community to women navigating work-life transitions along the continuum of life. Kelley and Susan Rietano Davey co-founded the learning company Prepare to Launch U that provides instruction, inspiration, and community to people navigating work-life transitions along the continuum of life. In partnership with the veteran organization FourBlock, they lead the renowned Career Readiness Program supporting military spouses. Together, they have helped launch thousands of career returners globally.

Susan Rietano Davey (She/Her)

Susan began her career in Fortune 50 Tech where she rapidly moved up the ranks from producer to manager to staff roles, and earned many top performance honors. After taking a career break to care for her children, she became a pioneer for the flexible workspace as a partner in a consulting and recruiting firm, Flexible Resources, Inc. Later, she ran a robust executive coaching practice. She is a LinkedIn Learning author-instructor and the co-founder of Prepare To Launch U - a learning company that provides instruction, inspiration, and community to women navigating work-life transitions along the continuum of life. Susan and Kelley Biskupiak co-founded the learning company Prepare to Launch U that provides instruction, inspiration, and community to people navigating work-life transitions along the continuum of life. In partnership with the veteran organization FourBlock, they lead the renowned Career Readiness Program supporting military spouses. Together, they have helped launch thousands of career returners globally.