11:00am-11:20am
Welcome and Opening Remarks
George Altman
President | VETS Indexes
11:20am-11:50am
Keynote Speaker – John Lowry
Former Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (ASEC DOL VETS), Marine Corps veteran, and businessman
John Lowry is a Marine Corps veteran, businessman and the former Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans’ Employment. He served on active duty for 15 years and spent an additional 10 years in the reserves. While on active duty he led a Force Recon platoon during the First Gulf War, and he was subsequently activated during the Global War on Terrorism to serve in the Horn of Africa. In his business career, he held senior manufacturing roles at Harley-Davidson and was the Chief Operating Officer of the company producing Fleetwood, Monaco, Holiday Rambler and American Coach motorhomes. He later led the US Supply Chain and Operations practice for the leadership advisory firm, Egon Zehnder. Today he serves as an independent advisor to several companies and sits on the boards of YMX Logistics and The Whiskey Project Group. John earned degrees from Princeton, Stanford, Harvard Business School and the US Army War College. He and his wife, Meleda, live in Burlington, Vermont.
11:50am-12:30am
5 Star Employer Best Practices in Veteran Employee Support and Retention
Hiring veterans is great — but it doesn’t help anyone if your new hire pipeline becomes a revolving door that veterans walk right back out a few months after their start dates. Research shows that more than 40% of veterans leave their civilian jobs within the first year. Here’s how your organization can improve retention of veteran employees during that crucial first year and help them develop into senior leaders.
MODERATOR
George Altman
President | VETS Indexes
PANELISTS
Jack Bechtold
Strategic Segment Lead – Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | AT&T
Robert Licata
Director, Service Delivery Management | Prudential
James Moore
Tax Principal and co-chair of Veterans BRG | KPMG
Michael Piper
Michael Piper – Sr. Talent Acquisition Manager | Lowe’s
12:30pm-12:50pm
Morning Lounge & Networking Session
Breakout 1
OPTION 1
12:50pm-1:30pm
Getting more support for your Veterans program from your organization’s leadership and executives
Sponsored by GM
MODERATOR
Cherie Johnston
Business Analyst, Sales Operations & Strategic Initiatives | Panasonic Avionics Corporation
PANELISTS
Eric Airola
Sr Manager, Military Relations & Inclusion Strategy People Dept. | J.B. Hunt
Paul Dillon
Duke University | Sanford School of Public Policy
Jhansi Nalla
Engineering Group Manager – Software Defined Vehicle | General Motors
OPTION 2
12:50pm-1:30pm
How To: Attract and Retain Top-Quality Military Spouse Talent via Strategic Partnerships
MODERATOR
Angie Hood
Manager, Events and Engagement | U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Hiring Our Heroes
PANELISTS
Josie Beets
Program Manager, Spouse Education and Career Opportunities (SECO), Office of Military Family Readiness Policy | DoD, Military Community & Family Policy
Sean Casey
Senior Director of Communications | Comcast NBCUniversal
Erin Leavitt
Military Spouse Liason | Merck
Jennifer Lynn
Program Manager, Military Talent | Cedars-Sinai
1:30pm-2:10pm
What I wish I knew: Recruiters and HR leaders share their hard-won lessons learned in veteran employment
MODERATOR
Charles (Chuck) Veillon
Director, Human Resources – IVR & PAC Operations | Spectrum
PANELISTS
Gary Halstead, Jr.
Manager, Military Veteran Talent Acquisition | Collins Aerospace – An RTX Business
Quita Keller
Talent Engagement Senior Specialist | Chemonics
Lloyd Knight
Veteran Talent Acquisition Strategy Manager | UPS
Nate Smith
Lead Recruiter, Campus and Military Programs | Fiserv
2:10pm-2:30pm
Afternoon Lounge & Networking Session
Breakout 2
OPTION 1
2:30pm-3:10pm
How to Build Base Partnerships to Become an Employer of Choice on a Military Installation
MODERATOR
Kelly French
Veterans Talent Acquisition Program Specialist | United Rentals
PANELISTS
Peter Mahmood
Military Relations Manager for Programs and Partnerships | Cox Enterprises
Alec Mizner
Manager of Military Recruiting | Werner Enterprises
John Tansill
Director of Veteran Affairs | SkillStorm
OPTION 2
2:30pm-3:10pm
What government contractors need to know about federal veteran employment requirements
MODERATOR
Donrita Cottrell
DEI Compliance Lead | General Motors (GM)
PANELISTS
Dana Deason
Senior Manager, People Compliance | J.B. Hunt
Peggy Kerber
Director of Human Resources | Warrior Services Company
Ramiro Carmona
Military Recruitment Program Manager | ABM
3:10pm-3:50pm
Not just entry-level: Strategies to source and hire veterans for senior roles
Sponsored by GXO
MODERATOR
Jessica Lane
Manager, University Relations | GXO Logistics
PANELISTS
Tara Burnette
Recruiter | System High Corporation
Jonathan “JD” Due
Raymond A. Mason School of Business | William & Mary
Matthew Louis
President | Purepost
Darby Mee
Vice President, Public Sector | Virtual Service Operations
3:50pm-4:00pm
Closing Remarks
Nicholas Antaki
Chief Marketing Officer & Managing Director | VETS Indexes