7:30am-8:15am
Registration and Continental Breakfast – Sponsored by ETF Global

8:15am-8:30am
Welcome and Opening Remarks – VETS Indexes and Military Times

8:30am-9:00am
Morning Keynote Address

Bob Jones – Board of Directors, AmeriVet Securities

9:00am-9:45am
Successful Veteran Recruitment and Retention

Just a few years ago, veteran unemployment was at crisis levels and companies didn’t have to work too hard to recruit employees with military backgrounds. Now, the latest generations of Vets are essentially at full employment levels and many of the country’s biggest companies are aggressively seeking veteran talent. In this new competitive environment, companies must work harder to recruit top veteran talent. This expert panel will discuss the best ways to optimize the results of this process including: creating vet-specific recruiting teams, attending vet job fairs and networking through existing veteran employees.

Moderator: Karl Snyder – Chief Market Strategist, VETS Indexes

Michael Bianchi – Sr. Dir. Education & Career Training, IVMF
Christopher Plamp – CEO, Hire Heroes USA
Diego Rubio – Financial Services Risk Management, EY
Julia Ruddock – Assistant Dir. Career Services, West Point Association of Graduates

9:45am-10:10am
Morning Break

10:10am-10:50am
Military Spouse and Family Support

Where would your career be right now if you had to move around the country every few years because of your spouse’s job? Military spouses must build their careers despite this huge obstacle and several others. Through their policies and practices, companies can help military spouses overcome these challenges. We will explore what actions companies can take to keep their military spouses even as they move around the country, to support spouses and families when their service members are deployed, and to bring more military spouses into their ranks.

Moderator: Cal Quinn – CEO, Bancroft Capital

Beth Conlin – Sr. Advisor for Careers, Blue Star Families
Mona Dexter – Senior Director, Operations and Communications, Hiring Our Heroes | U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation
Sherri Eiler – Program Manager, Military Programs, Walmart
Maggie Hahn – Military Spouse Initiatives Lead, USAA

10:55am-11:35am
Veteran Employee Resource Groups

For many service members, one of the hardest part of transitioning out of the military is losing the unique sense of camaraderie and joint purpose inherent in military service. A strong employee resource group can help address this for a company’s employees, recreating an environment of camaraderie with people who have similar backgrounds. This panel will explore the different forms such groups can take, the activities and services they provide and benefits they can have both for veteran employees and the companies they work at.

Moderator: Nicholas Antaki, Director of Marketing, VETS Indexes

Michael Abrams – Founder, FourBlock
Joshua Hartley – Manager, PwC
Won Palisoul – Chair of Veterans Roundtable, CFA Society New York (CFANY)
James Perduto – Head of Global Talent Acquisition, Fiserv

11:40am-12:40pm
Lunch and Networking Reception

12:45pm-1:00pm
Partner Recognition

1:05pm-1:35pm
Afternoon Keynote Address:

J.C. Glick – Partner, MVP Development Group and Partner Emeritus, Kenning Associates

1:40pm-2:20pm
Recently Separated Veterans Panel

A panel discussion with a group of service members who transitioned out of the military recently, discussing their difficulties, successes and lessons learned.

Moderator: Andrew Tilghman, Executive Editor, Military Times

Hill Pluviose – Intern, CBS Veterans Network
Jason Loughran – Associate Director of Special Programs, Public-Private Partnerships, NYC Dept. of Veterans’ Services
Timothy Rojas – Veteran Associate in Equity Research Sales, Guggenheim Securities
Michael Sanchez – Investment Banking Associate, Citi

2:25pm-2:45pm
Afternoon Break

2:50pm-3:30pm
Disabled Veterans in the Workplace

Some service members leave the military different than they entered it. They may have experienced significant physical trauma, such as the loss of a limb. They may carry mental burdens, such as PTSD or TBI. But despite these challenges, disabled veterans are a highly talented labor pool, filled with job candidates that will become integral parts of the companies they join. This panel will discuss how companies can find disabled vet talent, what sorts of accommodations such vets might need, and what laws mandate related to disabled veterans.

Moderator: Leo Shane III, Deputy Managing Editor, Military Times

Rob Barea – Director, National Diversity and Inclusion Team, KPMG
Simon Coombe – Director, North America Head of Talent Acquisition, NASDAQ
Martha Jackson – Assistant Commissioner, Employment and Business Relations,NYC Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities
Andrew Morton – Lt. Col. (Retired) – Dir. Veterans and Certification Affairs, SHRM

3:35pm-4:15pm
Partnering with the Government

Over the last decade, federal agencies have dedicated themselves to supporting veteran employment like never before. This includes the Veterans Affairs Department and Defense Department, as well as agencies that you might not immediately associate with vets, such as the Labor and Education departments. Congress also often seeks to address vet employment issues through legislation and hearings. This panel will explore ways that businesses can work with such government groups to find vet recruits, ways they can help you support your veteran and reservist employees and the rules surrounding veteran employment that companies need to know.

Moderator: George Altman, Deputy Managing Editor, Military Times

Jay Garcia – Global Veterans Program Manager, Fortinet
Michael Bocchini – Deputy Director, New York State Division of Veterans’ Services​
Quamid Francis – Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Engagement and Community Services, NYC Dept of Veterans’ Services
Bruce Townsend – Chief, Employer Engagement, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR)

4:20pm-4:30pm
Closing Remarks

4:30pm-5:30pm
Cocktail Networking Reception

** The Expert Series reserves the right to alter the agenda without notice including substitution or cancellation of speakers and topics.