(All Times Are Eastern Time)
8:00am-8:45am
Registration/Continental Breakfast
8:45am-9:00am
Welcome and Announcement of the 2025 VETS Indexes Employer Awards Recipients
George Altman
President | VETS Indexes
9:00am-9:30am
Keynote Speaker – Bruce Townshend
I DoD I Chief – Employer Engagement, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR)
Bruce Townshend is responsible for the planning, design and execution of proactive ESGR employer engagement initiatives to customers (Employers) and stakeholders (Guardsmen, Reservists and the Department of Defense). In this capacity he establishes and maintains frequent contact with corporate executives in a broad spectrum of industries, state government executives, mayors of major cities, and high-ranking military and Department of Defense officials.
Mr. Townshend is a native of Lowell, Massachusetts, where he enlisted in the Army in 1981 as a military policeman. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University in Boston, 1987. He was commissioned as an officer in the Military Police Corps through ROTC. He is a 2004 graduate of the Defense Information School and is a qualified Public Affairs Officer. He served a combined total of 28 years in the Army and Army Reserve, with assignments in Alabama, Virginia and Washington, and overseas assignments in Panama and Germany. He has served in Korea and deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom with the 416th Engineer Command from Darien, Illinois, in 2003. For the final three years of his career, he mobilized with the Army Reserve, deeply involved with the primary development and implementation of the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program (YRRP) as a project and program manager. He retired from the Army Reserve in 2011. He worked for the YRRP as a contract program manager until coming to ESGR in November, 2017.
Mr. Townshend and his wife, Robin, reside near Front Royal, Virginia. They have five grown children and eight grandchildren. Bruce is a firearms enthusiast and professional, an avid poker player, and is fiercely proud of his Scottish and Irish heritages. He has been to all 50 states.
9:30am-10:10am
5-Star Employer Best Practices to create a veteran-inclusive culture
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
George Altman
President | VETS Indexes
PANELISTS
Jeffrey DePasquale
Manager, Human Resources | Spectrum
Kevin Johnson
Director of Veteran Recruiting | Hearst Corporation
Michael Kelly
AVP, Military Affairs Deputy | USAA
Jason Price
Head of UBS Veterans Affairs | UBS
10:10am-10:30am
Morning Break & Networking Session
10:30am-11:10am
Leveraging nontraditional pathways to find military spouse talent
Employers can gain access to an incredibly skilled and versatile talent pool by learning how to leverage nontraditional pathways to find military spouse talent.
MODERATOR
Amy Rossi
Co-Founder | Military Spouse Jobs
PANELISTS
Rear Admiral Dan Kloeppel, USN (ret)
Founder and CEO | VetJobs and Military Spouse Jobs
Patricia “Patty” Montes-Barron
President | PMB Consulting, LLC
Susan Charlton, AFC®
Senior Key Spouse, Latham New York
Spouse of Brigadier General Gary R. Charlton II, Assistant Adjutant General – Air, New York Air National Guard
11:10am-11:50am
The myriad benefits of hiring 55+ Veterans
Hiring 55+ veterans brings a wealth of experience, leadership, reliability, adaptability, and strong work ethic, contributing to a more skilled, disciplined, and diverse workforce.
MODERATOR
Lida Citroën
CEO & Founder | LIDA360, LLC
PANELISTS
Rich Luby
Head of Career Services | Code Platoon
Sujal Kapadia
Co-Founder | Jivan
Charlotte Mather-Taylor
Board Chair – CWI Works & CEO | Area Agency on Aging of Broward County
Nicole Orlando
Director of Veteran Transition | NYC Department of Veterans’ Services (DVS)
11:50am-12:50pm
Luncheon & Networking
12:50pm-1:30pm
VERG Roundtable: Veteran Employee Resource Group leaders share advice, success stories, and lessons learned
Sponsored by General Motors
Highlighting insights and success stories from Veteran Employee Resource Group leaders, emphasizing strategies to support veteran employees and foster inclusive workplaces.
MODERATOR
Michelle Aguirre
Community Partnerships Program Manager | General Motors
PANELISTS
Greg Hamm
Vice President – Field and Government Recruiting | Werner Enterprises
Frank McCray
Operational Excellence Manager | United Rentals
Darby Mee
Vice President, Public Sector | Virtual Service Operations
Damian Plioplys
Principal | KPMG US
1:30pm-2:10pm
How to Find Top Veteran-Owned Vendors and Suppliers
Sponsored by Fiserv
Partnering with veteran-owned businesses can enhance supply chains while supporting veteran entrepreneurship.
MODERATOR
Brennan Kenney
Senior Finance Manager | Clover
PANELISTS
Sidney Covington
Vice President of Veteran Engagement | AmeriVet Securities
Andrew Dorazio
Founder | Veteran Industrial Suppliers (VIS)
Peter Fehnel
Deputy District Director, New York District Office | U.S. Small Business Administration
Mike Schoeneck
National Program Director, Onward to Opportunity Program | D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) at Syracuse University
2:10pm-2:30pm
Afternoon Break & Networking Session
2:30pm-3:10pm
Building mentorship and peer programs to maximize veteran employee retention and success
Establishing mentorship and peer programs to support veteran employees’ integration, development, and career advancement is a key component to a robust strategy.
MODERATOR
James Tongate
Vice President, Government & Military Relations | BeneLynk
PANELISTS
Beau Higgins
Vice President of Business Development | Oplign, LLC
Jennifer Lynn
Program Manager, Military Talent | Cedars-Sinai
Robert Opp
Talent Sourcer for Veterans and People with Disabilities | TD Bank
3:10pm-3:50pm
Metrics and data-driven approaches to optimizing veteran employment policies, practices, and outcomes
Metrics and data-driven approaches to optimizing veteran employment policies, practices, and outcomes
MODERATOR
Rob Arndt
Founder & CEO | BufferSprings
PANELISTS
Hector Rivera
Career Transition Specialist | Wounded Warrior Project
Matt Watkins
Military Program Manager | Premise Health
3:50pm-4:00pm
Closing Remarks
Nicholas Antaki
Chief Marketing Officer & Managing Director | VETS Indexes