Do you know how to reach your Congressperson? And is this important in your career development? Jackie Gordon, Congressional Candidate, sits down with Thaida Masters to discuss how we can be more civically engaged, and how our level of engagement could affect our educational training and career advancement. Jackie is a veteran, educator, and force for change who has helped revitalize her community and support wounded soldiers through the Wounded Warriors Project.
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Bridget FinkeldeyJackie Gordon is a veteran, an educator, a public servant, and a community leader.
Jackie was born in Jamaica, West Indies, and grew up in Queens, NY. While in college and teaching in local schools, she enlisted in the United States Army Reserve. Over her 29-year career in the Armed Forces, Jackie served our country overseas as a platoon leader in Germany during Operation Desert Storm, as an operations officer at Guantanamo Bay during the Global War on Terror, as a battle captain in Baghdad during the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, and as Commander of the 310th Military Police Battalion in Afghanistan in 2012. She retired from the Army Reserve with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 2014.
Jackie spent three decades working in New York public schools, and has earned degrees in education from Hunter College and Queens College. As a former guidance counselor at Wilson Technological Center in Farmingdale, Jackie has mentored and advised Long Island high schoolers, guiding them into productive lives, into college, and into the workforce. From 2007 to 2020, she served on the Babylon Town Council, where she worked to direct resources to veterans and military families as Chair of the Veterans Advisory Council, pushed for the revitalization of Wyandanch Village, which has breathed new life into the community, and helped raise nearly $1 million for the Wounded Warriors Project through the annual Soldier Ride in Babylon.
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Sanmaya MohantyThaida is an experienced HR Professional who is passionate about helping others to take a step closer to their career goals. She is a Budding Entrepreneur - founder of SweetAD'signz and Luxury Intimates & Cosmetics. She is also a Self-Published Author, where she writes/creates low content books such as children's activity books, journals for all ages, coloring books for all ages, puzzle books for all ages and more. Thaida can be found spending time with her family or working on a design/book and is also known as a nature lover.
