11:00am-11:20am
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Nicholas Antaki
President | VETS Indexes
11:20am-11:50am
Keynote Speaker – Jared Lyon
National President & CEO, Student Veterans of America (SVA)
Jared Lyon was appointed National President & CEO of Student Veterans of America (SVA) in 2016. He leads the organization’s efforts to empower student veterans using the transformative power of higher education. Since he took office, Lyon has overseen SVA’s growth to a network of over 1,600 chapters on campuses in all 50 states and three countries representing over nearly 600,000 student veterans.
During his tenure, he co-authored the National Veteran Education Success Tracker (NVEST), a comprehensive study of the first 854,000 student veterans to use the Post-9/11 GI Bill. In 2017 Lyon led SVA’s commitment to pass the “Forever GI Bill,” the largest expansion of college aid for military veterans in a decade with an economic impact of $3.4 Billion. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, he served as a submariner and diver, taking part in multiple deployments in support of the Global War on Terrorism.
Before joining the headquarters team at SVA, Lyon held key positions, including National Program Manager at the Institute for Veterans and Military Families Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans, and Manager of Florida Operations for the Washington Nationals Major League Baseball team. He is an active member of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans’ Advisory Committee on Education, the Board of Advisors for the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation, the President George W. Bush Institute Advisory Council the Florida State University (FSU) Veteran Advisory Board, and the FSU Student Affairs Development Council. Additionally, Lyon was recognized as the grand marshal of the 2020 New York City Veterans Day parade, a 2018 Presidential Leadership Scholar and the 2011 SVA National Student Veteran of the Year.
11:50am-12:30pm
5-Star Employer Best Practices in Veteran Recruiting & Hiring
These VETS Indexes 5 Star Employers will provide actionable strategies for fostering a veteran-inclusive culture through targeted recruitment, tailored support, and recognition of veterans’ unique contributions.
MODERATOR
Nicholas Antaki
President | VETS Indexes
PANELISTS
Keith Cassant
Veterans Program Manager Federal Military Family Network Liaison | Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
James Christman
Senior Engagement Leader Workforce Development Veterans and Disabilities | Con Edison
Tom Downs
Director of Talent Operations and Programs | Booz Allen
Richard Moore
Program Manager, Military Outreach Program | General Dynamics Missions Systems
12:30pm-12:50pm
Morning Lounge & Networking Session
12:50pm-1:30pm
Breakout 1, Option 1: Leveraging Veteran Networks, Influencers and Organizations to Meet and Exceed Recruiting Goals
MODERATOR
Master Sergeant Crystal C. Romero
(USA, Ret.) | United States Army National Guard
PANELISTS
Kaitlin Cashwell
Director of Development | America’s Warrior Partnership
Lida Citroën
CEO & Founder | LIDA360, LLC
Jesse Shearer
Campus Recruiter | Withum
12:50pm-1:30pm
Breakout 1, Option 2: Veterans in Technology, Cybersecurity and STEM
MODERATOR
Rachelle “Shelly” Waite-Bey
Business Owner | Waite SLTS
PANELISTS
Garrett D. Boesch
Global Supply Base Manager | Teradyne
Stephen Lance
Regional VP, ISP Northwest | Spectrum
Shaun Stephenson
Strategic Military and Veteran Program Manager | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)
Jeffrey Wheatman
SVP, Cyber Risk Strategist, Black Kite
1:30pm-2:10pm
Panel 2: The ROI of Hiring Veterans: Understanding Their Value
MODERATOR
Chris Miles
Military and Veteran Relations Manager | Sonepar
PANELISTS
Rob Arndt
CEO & Founder | BufferSprings
Kelli Burke
DEI Lead – External Partnerships and Strategic Pathways | Humana Health
Jordana Megonigal
CEO | The RECON Network
Louis Olander, Ph.D.
Director of Research and Veteran Initiatives | Disability:IN
2:10pm-2:30pm
Afternoon Lounge & Networking
2:30pm-3:10pm
Breakout 2, Option 1: The Big Impact of Employing Veterans in Small Organizations
MODERATOR
Peggy Kerber
Director of Human Resources | Warrior Service Company, LLC
PANELISTS
Ken Cates, U.S. Army (ret)
Director – Strategic Growth & Regional Operations | Major Talent
Leslie Coffey
Vice President – Military Engagement | American Corporate Partners (ACP)
Derrick Green
Founder | Waffles and Whatnot
Chris Meek
Co-Founder & Chairman | Soldier Strong
2:30pm-3:10pm
Breakout 2, Option 2: Attracting and Retaining Guard and Reserve Members
MODERATOR
Brigadier General David W. May, USAF (ret)
Director, National Guard and Reserve Partnerships | VetJobs
PANELISTS
Celia Croff
Military Recruiting Programs Manager | US Foods
Kelly French
Veterans Talent Acquisition Program Specialist | United Rentals
TJ Martin
Senior Military Recruiting Program Manager | USIC
3:10pm-3:50pm
Panel 3: Retaining Veterans in the First Year
Establishing mentorship and peer programs to support veteran employees’ integration, development, and career advancement is a key component to a robust strategy.
MODERATOR
Janine Smith
Founder/CEO | Sparrow Consulting, LLC
PANELISTS
James Moore
Principal and Co-Chair of Veterans BRG | KPMG
Kyle Freedman
Principal | Director of Talent | Pond & Company
Chambala Roach
Program Manager Military Affairs | HCA Healthcare
Brian Brooks
Talent Acquisition Manager | Knowles Precision Devices
3:50pm-4:00pm
Closing Remarks
Nicholas Antaki
President | VETS Indexes
Upcoming Spring, 2026 Conference Topics
Below is a list of topics currently under consideration, and we are open to suggestions from leaders in the field. If you’re interested in speaking on and/or sponsoring any of these topics, please reach out to us! If there’s someone in your network you think would be a great fit, we would also appreciate any introductions you can share.
Keynote and 5 Star panel to kickoff the day:
Conference attendees are set to receive SHRM and HRCI recertification credits (pending approval), thanks to our Education Partner NYC SHRM.
Topics under consideration include: