11:00am-11:15am
Welcome and Opening Remarks

11:15am-11:45am

Morning Keynote

Ryan Manion
President | The Travis Manion Foundation

Ryan Manion has dedicated her life to supporting our nation’s military, veterans, and families of fallen heroes. She is inspired by the character, leadership, and sacrifice of her brother 1st Lt. Travis Manion, USMC, who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Al Anbar province of Iraq while drawing fire away from his wounded comrades on April 29th, 2007. Now the president of one of the nation’s leading veteran service organizations – the Travis Manion Foundation – Ryan works to empower veterans and families of fallen heroes to inspire future generations to be change makers in their communities.

11:45am-12:25pm
5-Star Employer Best Practices: Creating a veteran-inclusive culture

When they transition out of the military, veterans must mold themselves to fit into corporate culture. But the best veteran employers mold their organizations as well, to be a better fit for veterans. This panel will explore how training of nonveteran employees, employee resource groups, and other factors can make your organization more veteran-inclusive.

MODERATOR

George Altman
Managing Director | VETS Indexes

PANELISTS

Scott H. Jenkins
Sheriff | Culpeper County Sheriff’s Office

John Lees
Sr Manager, Talent Acquisition & Outreach, Human Resources | Serco

Gary Patton, MG (Ret)
Vice President Veterans and Military Affairs | CACI International

Samantha Storjohann
Federal Government Account Manager | United Rentals

12:30pm-12:50pm
Morning Break and Networking Session

12:50pm-1:30pm
How to build the best veteran recruiting team
Sponsored by USAA

As more employers recognize the value of veteran talent, organizations must compete harder than ever to recruit veterans. This panel will discuss the various approaches companies take to veteran recruiting, considering the benefits and drawbacks to a dedicated veteran recruiting team, the number of recruiters companies use, how the recruiting team is trained in military-related issues, and other factors.

PANELISTS

Paul A. Dillon
Adjunct Instructor, Sanford School of Public Policy | Duke University

Dave Ferguson
Executive Director of Recruiting Programs | USAA

Jared Lyon
National President & CEO | Student Veterans of America

Patrick Sence
Military Program Manager | General Dynamics Bath Iron Works

Troy Shullick
Manager of Military Sourcing | Carmax

1:30pm-2:10pm – BREAKOUT 1 | OPTION 1
How to better identify your organization’s military employees
Sponsored by Fiserv

One of the first steps to becoming a great employer for veterans and the military-connected community is knowing your military-connected employees, but that’s sometimes easier said than done. Some military-connected employees are hesitant to identify themselves, some employees who are military-connected don’t think of themselves as such, and some employers are hesitant to ask about military-connected status. We will discuss these challenges and ways to overcome them.

MODERATOR

Raymond Bermudez, PHR
Vice President, Human Resources | Fiserv

PANELISTS

Rob Arndt
CEO & Founder | BufferSprings

Garrett D. Boesch
Global Supply Base Manager | Teradyne

Joshua Wilson
Corporate Relationship Manager | America’s Warrior Partnership

1:30pm-2:10pm – BREAKOUT 1 | OPTION 2
Tailoring recruiting and retention efforts for military spouses

Veterans and military spouses are often grouped together in employer diversity initiatives, as they represent inter-connected communities and both face employment challenges. But while there is some overlap, military spouses face employment challenges that are often very different from those of veterans. This panel will explore the similarities and differences between the groups and how employers can design recruiting and retention programs tailored specifically for military spouses.

MODERATOR

Andrea Fisher
Programs Manager, Transitions | USO

PANELISTS

Lindsay Helm
Founder & CEO | Empower Employ LLC

Susan DeWitt Christ
Diversity & Inclusion Veterans Outreach Consultant | Oracle

Jeremy “Monte” Montgomery
Director of Business Development | Fusion Cell

2:10pm-2:30pm
Afternoon Break & Networking Session

2:30pm-3:10pm
Diverse in more ways than one: Veterans and ethnic diversity, the disabled community, LGBTQ+
Sponsored by Comcast NBCUniversal

While employers are increasingly recognizing veteran status as a priority category in their efforts to create a diverse workforce, many organizations haven’t yet recognized that veterans often function as diversity hires in more ways than one. The U.S. military is one of the most ethnically diverse employers in the country, many veterans leave the military with a disability rating, and veterans are also sometimes members of the LGBTQ community and other diverse categories that employers may not always expect. In this panel, we will explore how veteran hiring can benefit your organization’s larger diversity efforts.

MODERATOR

William Baas
Vice President | Comcast NBCUniversal

PANELISTS

Crystal C. Romero
Retired US Army Master Sergeant | United States Army

James Fitzgerald
Strategic Communications & Engagement | AmeriVet Securities

Jesse Gemberling-Johnson
Director of Talent Recruitment and Development | MCFA

3:10pm-3:50pm
Skillbridge: Your best opportunity to connect with a top notch talent pool and strengthen your teams

The DoD Skillbridge program connects employers with service members, scheduled to soon leave the military, who work for the employer in an internship-like program. Not only do employers not have to pay the salary of program participants, who continue to receive paychecks from the military, they are actually prohibited from offering compensation. And Skillbridge gives both the service member and the employer a chance to test each other out before committing to a long-term position. This panel will discuss how to best take advantage of this program.

MODERATOR

Crystal Cochran
Senior Director, Programs and Events | Hiring Our Heroes, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation

PANELISTS

Derek Helm
Global Vaccine Launch Excellence Leader | Merck & Co

Cathy Miclat, CSM® CSPO®
Director of Career Services | Vets2PM

Matt Schulter
Process Improvement Consultant, Supply Chain | Xcel Energy

Haley Weaver
Senior Manager, Military Relations | The Home Depot

3:50pm-4:00pm

Closing Remarks

George Altman
Managing Director | VETS Indexes