HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR SPRING CONFERENCE
RECORDED ON APRIL 9, 2025
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Nicholas Antaki
President | VETS Indexes
Keynote Address
Mona Dexter
Vice President of Military and Veteran Affairs | Comcast NBCUniversal
5-Star Employer Best Practices for Supporting Guard & Reserve Employees
MODERATOR
Nicholas Antaki
President | VETS Indexes
PANELISTS
Adam Farmer
Branch Manager | United Rentals
Maj Gen (Ret.) David May
Vice President, Military Partnerships | VetJobs
Jason Pandak
Vice President, Capital Markets | Amerivet Securities
Cauldon Quinn
Founder & CEO | Bancroft Capital
Fireside Chat: Bridging Military Leadership and Corporate Culture
LEADERS TRACK ONLY
PANELISTS
Damian Plioplys
Principal | KPMG
Bo DeLaCruz
Equity Capital Markets, Head of Equity Syndicate | Drexel Hamilton
Veteran Hiring Excellence – What the Best Employers are Doing Differently
LEADERS TRACK ONLY
MODERATOR
Nicholas Antaki
President | VETS Indexes
PANELISTS
Ben Biles
CEO | American Veterans Group
Matthew Easley
HR Project Manager | Spectrum
Arlie Haddix
CEO | Operation Stand Down Tennessee
Military Spouse Employment — Building Sustainable Pathways
LEADERS TRACK ONLY
MODERATOR
Lucie Piper
Career Counselor & Employer Relations Manager, CENTER FOR Military- AfFiliated Students | The New School
PANELISTS
Sultan Camp
Director | Hampton Roads Veterans Employment Centers
Erin Leavitt
Military Spouse Liaison | Merck
Amy Rossi
Vice President of Client Services and Co-Founder | Military Spouse Jobs
Fireside Chat: Employer Pathways to Fair Chance Hiring for Justice-Impacted Veterans
LEADERS TRACK ONLY
PANELISTS
Caz Walcott
Director, Inclusive Hiring | Responsive Business Initiative for Justice
Brig Gen (Ret.) David MacEwen
Director, Veterans Justice Commission | Council on Criminal Justice
Retention, Growth & the Next Generation of Veteran Talent
LEADERS TRACK ONLY
MODERATOR
Gene Wu
Enterprise Strategy Lead | Bank of America & VetHack Foundation
PANELISTS
Jason Price
Head of UBS Veterans Affairs | UBS
Ed Carr
Senior Director, Military and Veterans Affairs | Comcast NBCUniversal
Auston Stanhope
Associate, Debt Capital Markets | Drexel Hamilton
Workshop: Designing a Veteran Hiring Program from the Ground Up
PRACTITIONERS TRACK ONLY
MODERATOR
Matt Watkins
Military Program Manager | Premise Health
PANELISTS
Alec Mizner
General Manager of Military Recruiting | Werner Enterprises
Alex Calfee
EVP | Oplign LLC
Nikita Wallace
Sr. Mgr. Veteran Hiring & Engagement | Hearst
Workshop: Startup Ops: Navigating the Business Battlefield – Part 1
PRACTITIONERS TRACK ONLY
MODERATOR
Seth Peterson
Manager, Corporate Citizenship | Fiserv
PANELISTS
Amy Amoroso
Director | VBOC at McNulty Center (NY/NJ)
Marcello Rios
Assistant Commissioner for Capacity Building & Corporate Partnerships within the Division of Economic and Financial Opportunity (DEFO) | NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS)
Charles Devigne
Co-Founder & CEO | Harlem Baking Company
Nicole Orlando
Deputy Chief of Staff | NYC DVS
Henry Stoever
Chief Executive Officer | Dog Tag
Jim Yauger
Program Manager, Entrepreneurship | IVMF
Workshop: Startup Ops: Navigating the Business Battlefield – Part 2
PRACTITIONERS TRACK ONLY
MODERATOR
Seth Peterson
Manager, Corporate Citizenship | Fiserv
PANELISTS
Amy Amoroso
Director | VBOC at McNulty Center (NY/NJ)
Marcello Rios
Assistant Commissioner for Capacity Building & Corporate Partnerships within the Division of Economic and Financial Opportunity (DEFO) | NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS)
Charles Devigne
Co-Founder & CEO | Harlem Baking Company
Nicole Orlando
Deputy Chief of Staff | NYC DVS
Henry Stoever
Chief Executive Officer | Dog Tag
Jim Yauger
Program Manager, Entrepreneurship | IVMF
Building Mentorship & Retention Programs That Last
PRACTITIONERS TRACK ONLY
MODERATOR
Annie Brock
President and CEO | Leader Transition Institute
PANELISTS
Jacqueline Harris
Vice President of Strategic Partnerships | American Corporate Partners (ACP)
Nathaniel Lowery
Business Manager, Office of the CEO | Barclays US Consumer Bank
J Warren
Human Resources Generalist | BeneLynk
Not All Veteran Wounds Are Visible – The Employer’s Role
PRACTITIONERS TRACK ONLY
MODERATOR
John McCaffrey
SHRM Military Inclusion Ambassador | NYC SHRM
PANELISTS
Michael Farve
Military Workforce Development | Performance Contractors
Kevin Prego
Army Veteran & Nonprofit Development Consultant | N/A
Hector Rivera
Career Transition Specialist | Wounded Warrior Project