FALL 2021 VIDEOS

Our Fall, 2021 Conference was all virtual and it was a huge success! We encouraged (and always do) feedback from everyone – from vendor, sponsor, speaker and attendee – and all of the comments were positive and lifting. We thank you for such a great event. Below are the highlights!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR FALL CONFERENCE

RECORDED FROM OUR VIRTUAL EVENT, OCTOBER 14, 2021

Welcome

Opening remarks by George Altman
Managing Director, VETS Indexes

Morning Keynote Address

Shaun Stephenson, Program Manager, Strategic Military/Veterans Outreach and Recruiting
Training Functional Area Manager, Strategic Human Resource Management Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)

VETS Indexes 5-Star Employer Best Practices Roundtable

A panel comprised only of 5-Star Employers, talking about the most important aspects of their veterans programs

MODERATOR
Gerald Williams, Chief of Operations
OMNI Technologies

PANELISTS
George Bernloeher, Military and Veteran Affairs
Booz Allen Hamilton

Anthony Felice, Managing Partner
Drexel Hamilton

Kelly French, Veteran Talent Acquisition Program Specialist
United Rentals

Tom Watson, Senior Vice President, Defense Services Group
Serco

Preventing and addressing veteran underemployment

Underemployment – working a job that is below one’s skill level — is a big problem for vets in particular.

MODERATOR
Jose Ocasio-Christian, Chief Executive Officer
Caelus Partners, LLC, Washington, DC (Delaware LLC)

PANELISTS
Sidney Covington, LMSW, Associate, Veterans Engagement
AmeriVet Securities

Ross Dickman, Chief Operating Officer
Hire Heroes USA

Pat Hanley, Section Manager – BW Overhead
Con Edison

Chuck Kluball, Military Relations Leader
The Home Depot

USERRA Guide: What you need to know about the laws governing treatment of Guard/Reserve employees

USERRA is the law companies must follow when dealing with Guard/Reserve employees, but ESGR leaders have noted that many companies don’t know or understand the rules.

MODERATOR
Bruce Townshend, Chief, Employer Engagement
DOD/ESGR

PANELISTS
John Berry, Criminal Defense Attorney
Berry Law

Lee J. Metcalf, VP, Daugherty Business Solutions
State Chairman, Missouri: Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve ESGR, Emeritus
Rear Admiral, USN (ret)

Kevin Schmiegel, President and Founder
KMS Strategies LLC

Military spouse recruiting: Which methods give you the most bang for your buck?

Employers don’t always know where to recruit military spouses. This panel will give a breakdown of the various approaches available, their costs, and their benefits.

MODERATOR
Danielle Haro, Senior Program Development Specialist
USO

PANELISTS
Jason Boone, Enterprise Talent Sourcing Leader
Jacobs

Nicole Utt, Content Manager
Sandboxx

Improving identification and tracking of your veteran employees

Companies constantly tell us that it is hard to know which of their employees are vets, but a few orgs have developed good techniques to address this.

MODERATOR
Courtney Browne, Military Talent Network Manager
Maximus

PANELISTS
James Beamesderfer, VP, Veterans Initiatives
Prudential Financial

Ann Treadaway, MA, Dir. Office of Veteran and Military Programs and Services
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Finding and contracting with veteran-owned suppliers/vendors

It’s not just who you hire but also who you contract with — this panel will talk about the importance of engaging veteran owned businesses and how to find them.

MODERATOR
Julia Arnold, Supplier Diversity Program Manager Commercial Inclusion SBLO
Hewlett Packard Enterprise

PANELISTS
Wayne Shanks, Supplier Diversity Director
USAA Global Sourcing and Procurement

John Perez, Head, Military & Veterans Affairs
Johnson & Johnson

Jessica Briseno, Sr. Supplier Diversity Sourcing Manager
AT&T Global Supply Chain & Logistics

The importance of mentorship and apprenticeship programs for transitioning veterans – Sponsored by AppreNEXT

Mentorship and apprenticeship programs are a very important part of the veteran hire on-boarding process — this panel will discuss various forms mentorship and apprenticeship programs can take and why they are so critical for veteran hires in particular.

MODERATOR
Michael Mell, Senior Director, Custom Indices
S&P Down Jones Indices

PANELISTS
Romualdo “Mo” Cisneros Jr., Outreach Specialist / Intake Coordinator
St Louis & Kansas City Carpenters Regional Council

Gary Patton MG (Ret), USA, VP, Veterans and Military Affairs
CACI

John “JR” Register, Founder
Inspired Communications International, LLC
Paralympic Silver Medalist
Combat Veteran & Inspirational Speaker

Closing Remarks

George Altman
Managing Director, VETS Indexes