Veteran's Day is celebrated each November in the US and every year, PowerToFly gathers together a diverse lineup of speakers for our Supporting Veterans, Active Service Members and Military Spouses summit, part of our Diversity Reboot series.
We were joined by sponsors including Esri, Expedia Group, Freddie Mac and Meta who shared resources as well as open roles.
We also hosted a diverse lineup of workshops and fireside chats featuring speakers discussing such topics as "Empowering Military Spouses: Navigating Employment, Entrepreneurship, and Career Growth in a Mobile Lifestyle", "From Combat to Code: Launching Tech Careers for Veterans" and "Bonded for Life: The Life-Changing Connection Between Veterans and Service Dogs".
You can re-live the entire event HERE! (Scroll down the page and click on the talks in the Schedule)
Thank you to our amazing sponsor:
Featured Talks:
Expedia Group’s Jordan Rusk, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and former Submarine Officer, sits down for a fireside chat where he shares valuable insights for veterans navigating career transitions into civilian roles. Drawing on his own experience in service and at Expedia Group, where he now leads as Senior Director of People Technology, Jordan emphasizes the importance of leveraging military skills in project management and leadership to succeed in corporate environments. Jordan will share tips on building strong professional networks, navigating successful transitions, finding meaningful mentors and much more. His message is clear: by strategically applying military skills and embracing networking, veterans can find fulfilling roles in the private sector.
From Service to Software: Navigating a Tech Career as a Veteran
Get ready for an engaging fireside chat with two powerhouse leaders at Esri: Philip Suarez, a veteran and tech professional and Jamon Johnson, a former Intelligence Officer and now Group Product Manager. Philip and Jamon will share their exciting journey from military service to a fulfilling career in technology. They will dive into the invaluable skills they honed during their time in the military and how they’ve powered their success in the tech world, along with the challenges he faced during their transition. They’ll also shine a light on how their roles at Esri lets them give back to the military community, proving that veterans can make a significant impact in their professional lives. Plus, Philip and Jamon will share tips on how fellow veterans can leverage their unique backgrounds to thrive in the tech industry.
Home to Inclusion: From the U.S. Air Force to Making Home Possible
This session features a financial services industry leader who is advancing a more inclusive future for veterans. Hear from Freddie Mac’s John Emans as he shares his career journey – from the U.S. Air Force to Freddie Mac — and ways he’s helping to advance other employees, especially veterans, while making homeownership a reality for more families across the nation.
More Amazing Resources:- VeteransPlus - their programs were designed by Veterans and are delivered by Veterans to provide practical financial solutions geared to real life circumstances of current and former military personnel. In the often confusing atmosphere of stressful financial situations, their Veteran counselors can help break down communication barriers that might exist when Veterans discuss personal finances with non Veterans.
- Code Platoon - a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that transforms Veterans, active duty Servicemembers, and military spouses into professional software engineers through an immersive, hands-on educational process and paid apprenticeship program. They recognize the unique and diversified skill sets and experience Veterans bring to the tech industry and provide the hard and soft skills for these individuals to transition to careers in tech.
- Hope For The Warriors - provides comprehensive support programs for service members, veterans, and military families that are focused on transition, health and wellness, peer engagement, and connections to community resources. Hope For The Warriors was founded by military families aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, NC in 2006 as they witnessed, firsthand, the effects war imparts on service members and their families. Hope For The Warriors has remained grounded in family values as the organization expands both the span of programs offered and the number of wounded, family members, and families of the fallen assisted.
- NPower - a national nonprofit that leverages an evidence-based model to foster economic mobility through best-in-class skills training with industry-recognized credentials for military-connected individuals, young adults, and women from under-resourced communities. Their strength is seeing students of non-traditional backgrounds through pivotal life transitions. Their unique approach combines rigorous, free training and trauma-informed support services, career readiness skills, and job placement assistance.
- Warrior Canine Connection - a pioneering organization that utilizes its Mission Based Trauma Recovery model to help wounded Warriors reconnect with life, their families, their communities, and each other. Warrior Canine Connection is an accredited member of Assistance Dogs International (ADI), a global organization that establishes and promotes standards of excellence in all areas of assistance dog acquisition, training and partnership.
- NaVOBA - an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and two-thirds of NaVOBA’s Board of Directors seats are held by corporations to ensure its alignment with the needs of corporate supplier diversity programs. NaVOBA’s VBE/SDVBE certifications directly mirror those of the MBE and WBE certifications and ensures that any certified VBE/SDVBE is at least 51% owned, operated and controlled by one or more U.S. military Veterans.
