You are still figuring out what needs to be done and you are needing an assistant. Men have to be lead parents or fully equal coparents. For our complete schedule, go to cspan. Org. We have more on the u. S. Chamber of commerces summit on Job Opportunities for veterans. Up next, former first lady laura bush. She specifically focuses on Military Spouses and the challenges they face. Attendees also hear from congressional medal of honor recipient dakota meyer, labor secretary tom perez and joint chiefs of staff vice chair admiral james winfield. This is just under two hours. Good morning, im the executive director of the institute for military families and i would like to welcome my friend mark here from deloitte and ill i guess ill say first its humbling and honestly intimidating to follow president bush but is to spend just ten minutes talking about the collective and collaborative action. A recap of where weve been relative to vets em ploimt and also what may lie ahead. Challenge challenges and opportunities for our transitioning Service Members, veterans and families but also for the Employer Community that has been so supportive of this effort. Only because you expect it from me do i have a graph with a bunch of data and things behind me but i wont talk to it. Only use it as a way to suggest that we really have accomplished an awful lot over the last five to seven years in particular. Weve made Significant Impact on the vocational situation of veterans. We have learned a lot in the context of doing this work as well through the coalitions that the president mention ed the hundred thousand Jobs Coalition and i wont because the president did already list off some employers who have made remarkable contributions. It gives me an out not to mention any employers by name and therefore leave some out and get in trouble later on. But only to say probably at in point in our history since world war ii has the private sector stepped up in such a meaningful way to support the vocational transition of our Service Members. And collectively as a community we deserve credit for that. Weve built tools, put them into action, well hear more about some tools today that are positioned to move this effort and agenda forward. But we put up data like i have here it always begs the question and it has recently in the context of whats next for this community is there an employment challenge . Is there an employment crisis relative to our nations veterans . And i suggest suggest very delicately so as not to offend because these questions do sometimes make for good dueling opeds but at the end of the day i actually think the questions themselves are a bit of a red herring because the only answer that matters to questions like that are the ones that you get when youre standing in front of a veteran who has done everything that they need to do to position themselves for postservice employment and they tell you whether or not they have been successful finding a job. Ultimately, thats the only answer that matters and we can, as i learned in my first graduate statistics class, torture this data to death in a way that tells any story that we want it to tell. And hopefully pahu8j of what wee going to do and as i transition to mark and let him talk a little bit about a tool that deloitte and the ibmf have been working to build, well get to a place where were asking more nuanced and perspective questions about veterans employment moving forward. One of the things that seems to get us in trouble a bit as we focus on putting our inherently constrained resources to the first best use, serving the vocational challenges of veterans, is that we tend to paint this community with one single brush. And dont acknowledge the heterogeneity that exists across this community. Ill give you an example how you can frame that different to the employment challenges that some cohorts of this community may or may not face. What you see on this graph are two lines. The dark and top line represent a longitudinal view all the way back to 2000 of the employment gap between post9 11 veterans ages 20 to 24 and their civilian counterparts. What you see on the light blue line is the employment gallon between post9 11 veterans pos post9 11 veterans age 34 and above relative to their civilian counterparts. I could build 25 of these, 30 of these as i slice and dice up the Veterans Community but as i talked to really smart economists around the country about how we should be thinking about focusing our efforts moving forward, this idea of identifying and then acting on this idea of an employment gap relative to civilian demographic counterparts, whether its a function of ethnicity, gender, a age, skill, industry, etc. Because at the end of the day, the Value Proposition relative to volunteering for military service is one such that youre better off on the way out so every recruiting effort is based around that Value Proposition while here for example is one group that by the data it appears that were not delivering on that Value Proposition. There is lots of reasons to explain this and some are inhernt in who these folks are but that data does highlight that persistently over the course of the last 10, 12 years there has been an employment gap between that particular population and their civilian counterparts i use this i said i could build 25 of these. Im already over, arent i . I used this one because i wanted to share this chart. Is there cause for sustained action for us moving forward . Well, there are the projection separations, these are d. O. D. Numbers. Over the next five years and look at the cohort that is going to be separating in the highest numbers. So the idea is that whether or not we have this discussion about are there is there an employment challenge, what matters most is that were asking a different set of questions moving forward again so that we can focus our resources to serve the need where the need is greatest. What weve learned heres a quick summary as a way to transition this to mark. As we think about our research and the surveys of thought leaders we have conducted, the surveys of veterans. At the end of the day really the path forward is about institutionalizing a focus more upstream of transition. This initiatives but really got off the ground as a function of dealing with immediate crisis but as we talk and have conversations about the future of military force which secretary carter is having now this idea of a partnership becomes central to enacting that vision. But we need better data. The reality is we dont have great visibility into that upstream pipeline in such a way that it that it allows not for profits, private sector employers, et cetera, to position resources appropriately to support that vocational transition. Its also important to acknowledge that both the labor market and the demographic represented by this population is changing pretty dramatically over time. The population of veterans or Service Members leaving the military 2007, 2008 relative to today is an entirely different population. And we have to build therefore Dynamic Models of intervention, programs that can be adapted and evolve over time to serve that changing demographic. And also to be aligned with changing labor market demands. And ultimately finally my transition is to suggest that we have to start asking different questions. We have to start moving the level of analysis from a high Level National effort where were looking at veterans as a population to drill into cohorts and sub cohorts of veteran population. And importantly at the local and regional level. Because at the end of the day, one of the most powerful lessons that weve learned from the work that weve done with our partners at the bush center is where it matters most is local. Our Service Members are returning to the towns, villages, et cetera where the economies are local, the social networks with local, the Supportive Services are local. And if we dont start asking questions about how we can serve and support at the local level, i think we miss the opportunity to really institutionalize a focus on employment transition over the long term. With that, i can transition to mark to actually give him an opportunity to put that call to action, if you will, that i just suggested in to action, to demonstrate a tool that we have been building they have really been building it and weve been helping them see what to build. But that offers the opportunity to really dig in a much deeper way and more powerful way focus. Thanks, mike. And i have 1 03 to go through four slides, so i will do it quickly. The president mentioned smart policy and mike mentioned the community level. And thats the problem set that we began it work with as we began to aggregate the data and hone it into a dynamic model that we can yoe value eight at the local level. You can see there is lots of data here. The purpose here is to put the data to work for us to allow us to ask the probing questions to get at that regional construct. And i can go through this surely later on. This is an aggregation of the data nationally that can help us depict veteran unemployment down to the county level, it can help us look at the data by gender, by age, by disability status, by education. It allows us to capture all the data sets so now we can begin to ask the questions of how do we drill down and look at this information and start to reorganize our policy, start to reallocate resources from a National Level down to a community level. Let me give you a quick example. Here we look at two counties, 60 miles apart in texas. One is a rural community, one is an urban community, and you can see in grimes, the rural community, much higher levels of unemployment, much lower Median Income. 60 miles away in an urban community in harris county, you can see the Median Income much higher. You can see the employment much lower. Now, that doesnt necessarily give us an answer, but when we talk about how do we allocate resources and programs, one might ask is this an issue of transportation, simply making sure that 60 miles apart, how do we put together resources to get those folks in the Rural Communities to places where the jobs exist just 60 miles away. It may be a transportation issue. Or it may be a training and skills issue. The president mentioned you can train skills. Of course you can. Couldnt we leverage the skills in employment that is 60 miles apart to give Employment Opportunities to those veterans . And we can do this nationally now, at the county level we can drill down and look at any one of a number of dtel demographic. So it begins to allow us to peel back the discussion and most importantly it allows us to target resources and programs to where the greatest need is at the community level. One other piece of the model that we looked at was the highest industries. Youll see this chart really depicts the highest Growth Industries in the upper right hand corner by growth right on the x ax sis. And on the y axis, the total number of jobs available. The size of the bubbles represents the size of the veteran population. So you can see in education and health services, has the most jobs but the smallest number of veterans. In the lower left in the federal space has the greatest number of veterans but it has the lowest growth rate. So how do we use data to help us target where we can best allocate resources and target our opportunities for veterans. So these models allow us to ask questions and answer these in making informed decisions again to policymakers, for veterans, for employers and for community leaders. Were really thrilled and excited to be doing this with syracuse. I would say it will take a village and more information and certainly other partners. We welcome this and welcome other partnerships to make this work. Thank you very much. [ applause ] i was in denial of how bad it really was. The outer shell of him came back, but everything on the inside was dead. Its like it just died in rag. Iraq. Every day at least 22 u. S. Veterans commit suicide. Thats almost 8,000 a year. But a new program could save their lives. Its called save a warrior. This isnt broken. This is broken. And thats why youre in that chair i assert. Hes told me multiple times if this program doesnt work, hes going to kill himself. So im literally on borrowed time right now. How is the family situation when the booze and pills kick in . I see heads knocking up and down. Its not working for you, is it . Its only a five day program. How can a person in 5 1 2 days. Brotherhood is a lot to do with it. This is the last house on the block. I feel guilty because i have i feel like im back in a parachute. I got hurt in a parachute. They literally feel like in that moment that they will die. Love you, brother. Im learning how to love you guys back. 100 active duty members. How many would you you guess were suicides . Somewhere between 80 and 90. How many have killed themselves . None. A lot riding on this. My life is riding on it. [ applause ] thank you. And good morning. So that clip might lead you to believe that im going to share a sad story with you this morning. Instead ill tell you an optimistic story. I started working on this documentary in 2013. I had just left cnn fulltime to start a Media Company called starfish media group. And my very first assignment back for cnn was do a full length documentary on what happens to veterans and their Family Members when they return home but they are struggling with posttraumatic stress. So we embedded for five days with save a warrior, which is a Small Organization based out of Southern California that believed that soldiers who were returning home needed tools to specifically deal with some of the issues that they were facing. Depression, anxiety, anger, loss, issues that in the past might have been dealt with using prescription drugs or maybe nonprescription drugs or alcohol. And that in fact these tools were teachable like meditation and even just understanding that other people were going through, feeling a connection to other Service Members, a brotherhood if you will of sorts, undergoing challenging experiences, a ropes course, rock climbing, equine therapy, meditation, all art, all of these strategies that save a warrior utilized to create a connection between 13 guys who had never met before and yet this many ways shared a very similar struggle. Many of them were frankly suicidal and they couldnt figure out how to live in the world. You saw the africanamerican gentleman in the clip there, hes the one who ended as he jumped to the ropes course, he would speak very openly with his wife who you saw crying in that clip telling them that if this five day course didnt work, he was going to kill himself. And he described to me. The suicidal feel as being in a burning building. He said its like the building is on fire and you dont want to jump. Youre afraid to jump. But the pain is so intense, you feel like you have no other choice but to jump. So i spent five days embedded and then several more days interviewing the families. And as you saw in the clip, those five days were very emotional, very intense, some of those days were very miserable and some were thrilling. Garrett combs was chosen to be in our documentary because he was exactly the kind of guy who hates to appear in documentaries like this. His it is taken for the news media was very clear. He told me he did not trust that i would not screw up his storyi media was very clear. He told me he did not trust that i would not screw up his story and he challenged me to run unedited what he said because the news media always ran it wrong. He said the when the stories come can on tv, none of us, meaning veteran, watch. They were all bs. We never watch these stories because theyre just not real. And he challenged us to tell the real story and get it right. And so we did. I felt we owed to these 13 men and in this case it was men, they also do female cohort, to follow what happened. For good or for bad. For success or for failure, we would just tell their story. And in the end the program was life changing. We went in with no preconceived notions. Delon who was clearly an alcoholic, he was drinking several bottles of wine every single day. I by the end stopped drinking. Had reengaged with his wife and his small children. And hes been doing really well ever since. And garrett, whose anger lay just below the surface also changed and i learned much more about him, as well. Not just his experiences in war, which he spoke about, but also his hopes and his dreams for his life after the service. And i learned that his dream was to be a photographer. And with a little bit of shoving at times, i got to see some of his work. Instead of us shooting him, we got toe s see what he was shoot for us. I learned that he enjoyed hiding behind a camera which made him feel a little bit more secure in in conversations. And it also made him a wonderful student of human nature which turns out to a very good thing if if you have any desire at all be a photojournalist. His experience in the military being ultra observant made him a great and very valuable story teller and story recorder. The fact that he had wrestled with some demons successfully made him a good listener, people threat tick and sympathetic, all very good qualities in a journalist. Oh, and he had tremendous rawtal le talent. And i think because of his military training, the quality of excellence was built into what he consistently delivered. He was always working on his craft, always seeking feedback, never ever said no. And i wont talk with timeliness and showing up organized, et cetera, et cetera. So no surprise then that my company, starfish media group, has hired garrett combs after doing a documentary on him to be our west coast photojournalist for the projects that we do. And i almost hate to say it out loud because i feel like there are people in the audience who are going to steal him from me because he is that amazing, its like giving away a good secret. The media i think often frames the issue of posttraumatic stress as kind of a curse like some kind of crazy lets watch this explode sort of thing. And that is not the case. And what i learned in my reporting, the war comes home, or documentary, is that posttraumatic stress is real. It is not to be ignored, diminished or trivialized, but it is manageable. And people do come out the other side. And those people who come out the other side, what they have to offer as employees, but more importantly of course as human beings, is incredibly valuable and makes all of us better. So im pleased to be part of the conversation today because i think this is a crucial message that is often lost in our daily reporting about veterans. The contributions and the potential for contributions is huge. But i also want to take a moment and introduce you to garrett comb s who ive asked to join u this morning and now partners with me serving us well in telling stories about veterans and others because of his well honed and excellent eye, much i think is due to his time in the military. So garrett, if you would stand up so i can introduce you to our audience, id be grateful. [ applause ] ive have a chance to lead a panel this afternoon and im looking forward to tackle this top i go. Thank you very much. Please welcome the u. S. Secretary of labor, thomas e. Perez. Good morning. Its an honor to be here. Good morning mrs. Bush. That can for you honoring us with your presence. I had the arrive of spending a little time with president bush behind stage and it was an honor to be with him and you set a high bar for us coming in in terms of serving our veterans and i want to say thank you to you you on behalf of the president and first lady, Vice President , dr. Biden. So much that were doing. And i also want to say thank you to tom. I saw him somewhere before, as well. And everybody else eric, thank you. I know youre here. And i also want to say thank you to all the distinguished active duty and retired military leaders here and your spouses. We know its a joint venture and so we want to say thank you so much. Yesterday would have been my fathers 93rd birth day. Next monday is the 41st anniversary of his passing. And i come from a family where military service was a badge of honor. My mother was one of nine. Our family immigrated from the dominican republic. I grew up listening to their stories. My father after he left the service went to the v. A. Hospital in buffalo, new york because buffalo, new york and the dominican republic, the weather was very similar. And so they really wanted to settle in that warm weather climate of buffalo. And so my father worked at the v. A. Hospital until his passing. My father then worked at the v. A. Hospital a few years later and as we speak now my nephew all of whom are named rafael perez is now working at the v. A. Hospital in buffalo, new york as a physician. And i wear that as a badge of honor. They taught us that this is so important to seven our nations, folks who served us with such distinction. And in my previous roll at the civil rights division, we had a robust docket of cases on behalf of Service Members. We recovered over 125 million on behalf of Service Members who had been victims of wrongful foreclosure. We settled the largest cases involving active duty Service Members who were deployed and then came bag to find that their jobs were not there for them. Thats illegal. And we fought for them. And we also fought to make sure that the right to vote was available to Service Members and their spouses serving overseas. And again, that work was a labor of love. And that work continues to be a labor of love. And at the tecdepartment of lab now, we get the opportunity to partner with you to make sure that the unit for employment is an opportunity that is available to everyone. And the chambers announcement that as of this month half a million veterans and their spouses have been hired through this initiative is a remarkable example of our partnership in action. And i want to say congratulations and thank you. This has indeed been an all hands on deck enterprise. You look at the rostrum of speakers and it demonstrates our nations commitment across the board to making sure that we seven our Service Members. Im so excited to be going to a job fair in a few weeks in hawaii to talk about how we can get our veterans the jobs that they need and deserve. And again, with your efforts and with the efforts of the first lady and dr. Biden joining forces, we certainly have come a long way. You look at the Unemployment Rate take for veterans is 5 , which is 1. 6 lower than it was two years ago. And you look at post 9 11 veterans, 5. 4 compared to 7. 3 two years ago. So were moving in the right direction. And we have a vast network of partnerships. That is the key. Youll hear me say the word partnership so many times because that is what it really is about. Making sure that our federal partners are working together, making sure that we avail ourselves of the leadership of people like president and mrs. Bush, making sure that were working with our friends in the Business Community, making sure that we are learning everything we can. And earlier this month, i had the privilege of traveling to three different cities with secretary mcdonald and secretary castro because what we were trying to do was give light to a significant issue that were making progress on, but which we have more work to do. And that is the issue veterans homelessness. We travelled to houston and we met with mayor parker because houston has announced the creation of a system in her community that ensures that all veterans who need Housing Assistance will be quickly linked to Supportive Services and permanent housing. Because president obama set forth a goal by of ending veterans homelessness by the end of this year. And in houston, they have set up a system so that they are well positioned to meet that goal by the end of the year. Salt lake city and phoenix have already instilled and installed systems so that they have been able to address and attack and effectively end chronic veterans homelessness. And so we will continue that work. And the thing about this is when i go to these cities, its not simply the numbers and the data and partnership, but its really the people that we meet who are most remarkable. In tucson, i met a guy named cliff, it wasnt the first time i met cliff. We do a point in time survey every year to measure how many people are poemless across america. And this year i travelled to tucson and met with cliff. Cliff was served in the military. When he got out, he fell on tough times. He was in the criminal just tes syst justice system. As a result of some of our investments, he was able do just that and you now hes a counselor working with veterans and hes helped over 400 veterans in the last year. Ou nor working with veterans and hes helped over 400 veterans in the last year. U now hes a counselo working with veterans and hes helped over 400 veterans in the last year. Now hes a counselor working with veterans and hes helped over 400 veterans in the last year. Now hes a counselor working with veterans and hes helped over 400 veterans in the last year. Cliff himself was formerly homeless and now hes a leader in preventing homelessness. People like cliff inspire me. People like a woman i met named jen genevive inspire me. But with the help of our investments and partnerships and the leadership of so many folks in the community, shes back on her feet. She was so proud because she just got her degree in social work. Now shes going to get a masters in social work and what she wants to do is help other veterans because she has walked in their shoes and she can and she will help them. And what she said to me really epit me epitomizes where were at. They said the help turned my life around and its about giving my daughter a brighter future, too. And thats why were all in this. Because people like jenna veef and cliff have given us so much and we owe it to them. And thats why im grateful for the partnership that weve had with vsos and others to make sure that the Transition Assistance Program is working well, the Transition Assistance Program is a joint venture with d. O. D. , with the v. A. , with the department of labor. And we are making it better and better with every passing year because were learning from our experiences. And were measuring our progress. So for instance we did a survey recently of 11,000 participants and 91 reported that they would use what they learned in their own transition planning and 89 reported that it enhanced their confidence in transition planning. And so that is another area where once again partnership at work is serving Service Members at scale. Another area of investment that were all in on is apprenticeship. I will that apprenticeship is the secret weapon for employing so many people across this country and we have been working collaboratively to make sure that veterans have access to apprenticeship. I often refer to it as the other college. Apprentice 14ship has applicati in i. T. , health care, cyber security, in so many different areas. And were working together to make sure and through our grant making we are giving opportunities for apprenticeship to so many veterans, and veterans eligible to use their postgi bill to supplement wages while they participate. So that is a real pathway to the middle class and that is why we continue to work to expand and grow apprenticeship. Another thing we need to do is work hard to eliminate barriers to credentialing and licensing. Every time i have been to a military base, i will ask the c. O. How many times have you moved in your career. And if someone has been there 16 years, usually its double figures. And i dont need to speak to you because you know that from your own experiences. And the challenge is when you move from one state to the other and your spouse may be a teacher or some other profession that has licensing that it is hard to get that license in the other state. And ill never forget, the combat medic that i met when i was up at aberdeen proving grounds in maryland, he had served in a war zone, he had been a paramedic there and he was told by the state of maryland that he wasnt good enough. And i couldnt understand that. And we need to address those licensing barriers. I think we can all agree that its hard to understand how someone who is an explosive Ordnance Disposal tech in the navy and who served two combat tours overseas is somehow not qualified to work demolition on a highway construction crew. That makes no sense. That is the most polite description i can give of that. And a number of states have taken action in recent years to identify and address these unnecessary licensing barriers. And these steps are critical to ensuring Economic Opportunity and mobility for Service Members and their spouses. And in order to encourage this, the president s budget proposes a 15 Million Investment to help states in those efforts. We know that this affects Military Spouses because again moving credentials from state to state can be time consuming, frustrating, and expensive. And so that is why were continuing to work on these efforts and we need your help. We need youred a vow ca ed a vae level so we can do that. I want to talk about a resource that has been a linchpin in our efforts to progress and that is the 2500 American Job Centers across the country. When a veteran goes into those job centers, they receive priority of service. By law, they go to the front of the line because they deserve to be at the front of the line given all the service that they have provided. American job centers provide expert Personalized Services to help you find that right career path, to Access Training opportunity of opportunities and to put yourself in front of employers. And were working hard to make sure that we translate the Core Competencies that you have as a Service Member and as a civilian workforce. So often we hear from Service Members i was an e6. What am i going to do . And the answer is yyou got game. There is a lot you can do. And what were doing is servinging a thserving as that translator. And its not only the hard skills, but the teamwork skill, showing up on time, understanding you how to work under pressure. You know what defcon one means and you translate that working under pressure. And thats what we do in the workforce system. And now were set to become an even more Potent Network because last year in an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote, the workforce innovation and opportunity act was passed and its set to take effect july 1. And the reforms that are contained give job seekers additional tools to punch their ticket to the middle class. And so were going to continue that work. And partnerships are it continuing. Just a few weeks a ago on, i was with rich cordray at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau because what we have done is joined forces with the cfpb to launch a new initiative boying financial coach to go in veterans. So we will better serve vets by providing them with a credentialed financial coach who has an understanding of the Veterans Community, military families and the challenges they face. These professionals will provide oneonone free coaching to help them craft a personalized plan for financial success. Because that is critically important. How to manage your money. And so were making these one stop centers truly one stop centers for all of the needs that veterans confront. And so that is what were doing. And i want to say in closing, i want to say thank you. Because we all play different instruments and president and mrs. Bush are playing a remarkably important instrument in the front of the orchestra. The Business Community im a trial lawy tri trial lawyer, so i drift. Just want to warn you. The Business Community is playing a Critical Role because you keep employing folks. Now were moving in to sectorbased partnerships, so the entire Construction Industry as opposed to simply one or two companies have made a commitment to hiring veterans. Our educators have made a commitment to tailoring programs to our veterans. The stove pipe implosion that were seeing in the federal government is working for veterans. Were working with our state and local partners to make sure that we eliminate those licensing and credentialing barriers that i talked about. And our nonprofit and faith communities, they are in this orchestra. So weve played different instruments, but were all in the same orchestra. And its the orchestra of opportunities. And with your leadership here at the chamber, with the leadership of remarkable people like president and mrs. Bush, remarkable leaders like president obama, mrs. Obama, jill biden, the Vice President , we are commanding an orchestra that is remarkable. We have changed as a nation. I remember the vietnam era. We did not respect our veterans when they returned home. And we have changed that as a nation. And we owe to our veterans as a thag nation. And we have specific work do with post nichbl v9 11 veteran. There is no spike in theful even though the Unemployment Rate is coming down. And so we need even more people in this orchestra even though its already a robust orchestra. And you have my assurance that we are going to continue to play our instruments as long as its necessary to enable our Service Members who have earned that right to be treated with dignity to make sure that they have a seamless transition to the middle class. Because America Works best when we feel the full team. And when we feel the full team of Service Members who have served with distinction, then our team is simply the best team in america. Youve seen that. Thats why employers have stepped up. Weve seen that at the department of lawyer thats why 30 of our hires are vets vaner. And america sees that. And thats why i have chronic optimism that this progress will sustain itself for many years to come. Thank you, mrs. Bush, for setting a high bar and making that bar high. Thank you, president obama, for making sure were sustaining that progress and mrs. Obama and dr. Biden and Vice President biden. We honor the memory of beau by making sure we serve our nations military and we give them opportunities in the after math of their service. The orchestra is humming, but there is more work do about that so there is no letting up. Thank you so much for having me and for your presence. And thank you so much to tom donahue and the chamber for your leadership. All right. Thats a tough act to follow. But good morning, everyone. And thank you so much for including mary and me in this important discussion. And what a Great Program that the whole team has put together. This is a great place to hold this event. We in uniform are grateful to the might be difference in hiring our heros, for arranging this Mission Transition event. Starting at the top, this means thanks to the dose amigos, eric and miguel, and your whole organization for what youve done. Amigos, eric and miguel, and your whole organization for what youve done. And of course the president and mrs. Bush. It your gift of personal attention to this effort is immensely important and deeply appreciated by all of us. Thank you so much. And thanks to all of you for being here and for your enduring support to our veterans including recognizing their potential as employees once they transition out of the military. These men and women have raised their right hand and volunteered, they have donned the cloth of our nation, they have gained valuable training and experience, they have breathed in a culture of integrity and hard work and they have become leaders under stressful conditions. And many of them in in many cases have sacrificed deeply for our country. They have grown personally like nobodys brings. And they and their spouses are now a tremendous win win opportunity that should be everybodys business. As much as wed like to keep them all, as with those in the many generations before them, huge numbers of them are shifting back into civilian life. And are eager to find honest work. As president bush said over the next five years, over a million of these volunteers are going to make this transition. Yet despite the sea of goodwill generated by the literally thousands of nonprofits and Veterans Service organizations dedicated to helping with their transition, too many of them are still finding it difficult to find a job. While the overall veterans Unemployment Rate has fallen below the national average, the post9 11 rate is not there yet. But there are good reasons why american businesses should hire our veterans and this room is a critical part of getting the word out on that. First, our people are motivated by the right ideals. Our recruiting statistics show that most of these people entered the military because they wanted do something important. Thats no surprise. Its a signature characteristic of the millennial generation. In fact a recent survey about why people join the military found that the number one reason was pride, selfesteem and honor. Followed by a desire to better their lives and then duty and obligation to country. And then Everything Else you would imagine came after that. Now, i would sure want to hire someone mature enough at a young age to think of country before self. And americans can at least count on the fact that we only added to that maturity over their time in uniform. I was exposed to this early on in college when i became friends when a fellow who had flunked out of college and joined the navy during the vee either family war. When he left the navy, he came to georgia tech where i was a student and literally aced the course if aerospace engineering. That pretty much captures how motivated and mature these young people can be. Aerospace engine. That pretty much captures how motivated and mature these young people can be. N aerospace engin. That pretty much captures how motivated and mature these young people can be. Weve already talked about what Good Business it is to hire a veteran. Weve invested a lot in these people including for those who have taken advantage of it additional education. In many cases, these veterans offer Technical Expertise directly relevant to the job for which theyre applying. In other cases, they bring the ability to quickly absorb new training in a skill similar to what they might have been doing in the service. Or even not similar, they just know how to learn. The reality is that military experience confers on Service Members, skims and experiences that are highly sought after in business and industry. Its a Diverse Workforce that malt cut to get in to the military in the first place from a generation in which only 3 of 10 young people qualify. Over 40 years of Peer Reviewed academic articles from several fields suggest that there are a number of Key Attributes required to success in business and industry take we in the military incull indicate into our veterans. These clue being entrepreneurial, assuming high levels of trust, being adept at skills transfer. Leveraging advanced Technical Training and their ability to learn. Being comfortable and adaptive in working in discontinue us environments, bringing high levels of resiliency, exhibiting advanced Team Building skills, having strong levels of organizational commitment. Leverages crosscultural experiences and definitely working in diverse settings. Who wouldnt want these character tistics in their workforce and is this before you consider the tax credits that are available under several programs. Third, these young men and women bring values including loyalty, integrity and teamwork. When asked about employees they have recently released, employers most often cite character flaws rather than gaps in skill as their rationale. Were pretty good at ironing out character flaws in the military, yet Many Companies hire for a skill set, not character. Ill cite a study done by the Corporate Executive board aimed at capturing the Value Proposition of veteran employees. They found that veteran performance is 4 higher than for nonveterans and that veterans experience 3 less turnover. When you apply this to a company with a workforce of only 25 veterans, that translates in to at least an extra percent or two in annual revenue. Ill also point to a monster survey that noted 99 of employers believe their veterans perform better or as well as their nonveteran peers. Now, those of you here this business already have helped veterans and you know that youve seen their adaptability, interpersonal skills and their ability to perform under prer and go the extra mile when its required. We just need to also help ensure these folks are getting a i dont think that is the right fit. Because we want to anything sure that theyre success follow their first try. Because we wante that theyre success follow their first try. To, sure there are other imperatives that dont translate into the bottom line. In this regard i would ask that we advocate not looking upon hiring a veteran as an act of charity, but that it can be an act of patriotism because it actually con contribute a buttes to our militarys future. That is you because as i believe again president bush mentioned, the next generation of Service Members will be influenced by how well those before them are treated. One of the most important drivers for a young person signing up in the first place is key influencers who have served this in tin the military before. A positive narrative there one of these can open the door to others willingness to serve. So what are we in the military doing to help our members with their transition . We recently resigned our trabs six Assistance Program known as tap to provide contemporary, relevant tools and training to ensure our members are prepared for civilian life. This year the services will again implementing the military lifecycle model into their tap programs including grabbing on to whatever equivalency certifications that we can find. We recognize that simply briefing people as they walk out the door will not lead to their success. Rather, this model is designed to ensure our members careers are aligned with their civilian career goals. And highlight things that they should address before they separate. Successful transition is ultimately an individual responsibility that requires planning and deliberate execution. The veterans employment transition road map that you will hear about later and that i believe you have a copy of, d ochl s amigos will probably talk to you about it, are unveiling today a could be very helpful in this regard. And in my view, we need to propagate it as fast as we can. But weve also made transition a leadership priority. I believe its going to take a while to get our program right. And we definitely need your feedback. What were looking for is Continuous Improvement over time. Even with such a program, veterans still face stereotypes that can be barriers to their ability to find employment. Many prospective employers are scared off by the misimpression that veterans suffer disproportionately from posttraumatic stress. Indeed 46 of hr pros surveyed by the society for Human Resource management cited pts and Mental Health issues as potential barriers to hiring employees with military experience. What a shame. The reality is that while a small minority of veterans do experience pts, and mild traumatic brain injury, hair susceptibility to it is no greater than the average american. Moreover, these conditions can be treated. And they probably may well have been treated better for some veterans than any other sector of society but there is much more that we can do. Ill close by saying that all americans should take an interest in successfully transitioning our nations veterans. For over 40 year, weve relied on volunteers to fill our ranks, raising ones happened and and n oath to support and defend the constitution of the United States has regained the rightful place of dignity in our land that it unfairly lost decades ago. That dignity is extended and i would say leveraged in a good and honorable and profitable way when these magnificent men and women come home and their talents are put to use in the private sector. I dont use the phrase give them a job. That sounds like a handout. I much prefer recognize their exceptional potential to make a solid contribution to the bottom line. Its a win win for them and for american business. Veterans maintain stability in their lives and business does well by doing good. I again thank the organizers of this event for getting the word out on that. If anything ive said today can help do you that, then ive done my job. This is a room full of passionate advocates and amazing network. And im so proud to see helen here today, whose husband pending confirmation from the senate will be our next chairman. Its so important to have you you in this audience today. Thank you for being here. All of to do is see the many connections that are being made and the many familiar face has we see and its passionate caring for our military members and veterans is incredible. So thank you for your continued support for our men and women both in and transitioning out of uniform. We have much more to do, but youre making a big difference and may god bless those soldiers, sailors, air men, coast guards member a s memberss who are on watch this morning. Thank you very much. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome former first lady of the United States, mrs. Laura bush. thank you all. Thanks very much. Thank you. Im thrilled to be here. This has been very interesting to hear so far. But you now im going to talk a little bit about what is coming up next in the next panel and thats the people we dont want to leave out, those Military Spouses. I know what its like to be the spouse of a leader. Thanks to the u. S. Chamber and commander eric eversol for hosting this mission, Miguel Howell and you Lieutenant Colonel matt almadon, thank you all for your leadership at the Bush Institute with our military service might be difference. As colonel howell and colonel almadon and many of the service men and women gathered here today know, you arent the only member of your family who serve. Your spousesg0 y serve, as wel. While our service men and women are deployed, their spouses are the ones who take care of the families at home. They care for the children. They manage the finances. And they pray that their husbands and wives will return home safely. Master sergeant rocky rodriguez and his wife, marlene, joined us at our ranch in 2013 and 14 for the bush centers annual warrior 100 bike ride. When marlene talked about rockys years of service in the air force, she said we, i say we, served 25 years. I lived every deployment with rocky, every trial and tribulation, but the day i said yes to him, i didnt realize the impact it was going to have on me. And thats why its so important to make sure that while our service men and women receive the support they need, that we care for their families, as well. As weve heard this morning, employment support is the Perfect Place to start. Studies show that post9 11 veterans face higher ranks of unemployment their than civilian counterparts. And the consequences of that unemployment or underemployment arent only financial. And of course when one Family Member is suffering, the entire family suffers. Military spouses face a similar set of challenges. Studies show that their primary concern is also employment. Their own. Acting Military Spouses are more likely to have Young Children at home. They may spend their marriage moving their family around the country or even around the world. Moving makes it hard to maintain a consistent employment. On average military families move to a new Community Every two to three years. This displacement causes periods of unemployment and it produces a weak professional network for the spouses. Among female Military Spouses aged 18 to 44, the Unemployment Rate is almost three times higher than their civilian counterparts. The department of defense estimates that nearly 25 of Military Spouses are unemployed and roughly 40 are underemployed. And those these spouses are often highly educated, they also earn less, 38 less, than civilians on average. Fortunately many Military Spouses use their own experience to help advisory spouses. Amy bontrager on our next panel provides career and Education Support to Military Spouses. Amy holds a masters in nonprofit management and philanthropy. But amy had difficulty finding employment herself. Even with a masters and years of Work Experience at one duty station, the only job she could find was as a receptionist at the local baptist church. Now at blue star careers, amy is using her experience to help the spouses of our military find meaningful employment. Rachel ohern is self described rehab partner to her husband, captain larkin ohern who was injured in afghanistan in 2011. As a fulltime caregiver of an injured husband with many needs, rachel couldnt seek other employment. But when the captains condition improved, rachel found a job at the quality of life foundation. Now as executive director, rachael works with other caregivers who give daily substantial care to severely wounded veterans. Just as she has done. Because supposes are typically subject to their Service Members inflexible schedule, they develop an entrepreneurial spirit and sometimes seek careers through selfemployment. Patricia, a Military Spouse and Small Business owner, embraced this entrepreneurial spirit when she started navy rat packs. Ten years ago, pats husband, ed, told her that light streamed through like through cheese cloth through his navy issued rack or privacy screen. So pat sewed him a better occ curtaoccu curtain. She began it is pdisplaying her dugts and within weeks she was swamped with orders. Today she has a brick and mortar operation and pats curtains are sold directly to navy ships, submarines, coast guard cutters, military sea lift command as well as to individual service men. Pat attributes her success to the training and skills she learned while her husband served in the navy. Her story is a testament to the resilience, determination and ingenuity of our Military Spouse community. Amy, rachel and pat represent many Military Spouses who give years of steadfast support and devotion to our men and women in uniform. Their comment to their marriages and to our country is an inspiration to us all. As americans, its our duty to support the men and women who defend our country, who risk their lives and too often gave their lives so that the rest of us might never know terror again. And of course to support their loved ones who are here at home. Thank you all very much. Were going to transition to a fire side clat. So i think the format is changing a little bit. Ladies. Now were getting to the you power session. If you really want to know what is happening, its in the spouse network. Session. If you really want to know what is happening, its in the spouse network. This is one of my favorite subjects. Before we get started asking these ladies about their experiences, i want to give a big shout out to the chamber. I remember four years ago sort of when all this was in its infancy, and working with noreen at that time and we were talking about doing a Spouse Employment conference and then we did one as well for caregiver. And i remember the first one for caregivers, i think you could count on one happened, we did it in the basement of a hotel up by walter reed. The number of participants that came in. And there was one gal who came in, i was out with registration and she walked right out and was in tears. I go this to the room and i said what did you all say to her . Found out she was in tears because it was the first time someone had actually thought of her and what she was going through. And was actually looking at how to make it work for her. So from where weve come in that basement and having a handful of spouses with incredible experience and getting to where we are now having you all there is fabulous. I recently had an opportunity to go down to dallas and Derrick Blake took me around. And it was the coolest thing. I went into their ceos office and on his board, he had gold stars and silver stars. And sometimes all you need is a job. And those were the silver stars. Sometimes youre look for a could rear where you can move around and move up in a company. And those were the gold stars. And they would move back and forth. And i just thought, wow, down to that level. And understanding that sometimes you need a job, sometimes you really want to make a career. And la quinta is one of the many examples out there. So thank you also for the special ifemphasis. Mrs. Bush already told you some of the statistics about what the average there are no average Military Spouses. So i wont go over some of those that they gave me earlier other than it is hard for us to find a career that we can transfer. I was fortunate, i worked for a defense contractor for many years and they had offices around the world and they were actually very proactive with working with me. But for many out there, this is not the case. Really strong point we will talk about this a little bit later that Military Spouses i think make us unique is that we are more apt to volunteer than our civilian counter parts. Four times more. We dont have time. Were usually in a place for two years. We get in, we start volunteering, we take over the pta, we take over the finances of any organization, we get it done. Where a lot of times civilian counterparts who know they will be there take their time. So i think that is a one of our strong characteristics, as well. But were talking today specifically about transitioning and Military Spouses and employment. Ill be listening to their responses because my spouse is transitioning soon. So any ideas out there from the audience or from the panel, ill be very appreciative of. So well start with amy. In your current job and as your previous job was soldier for life, you closely worked with spouses who were transitioning had Service Members who were transitioning. Why do you feel it was really important for to have to find employment, to keep their employment . Well, meaningful employment is obviously vital for the wellbeing of the family and particularly during this time of transition as many of the speakers have mentioned, its going to create stability. When that family begins that transition, theyre going to go through a challenge of insurance is going to change. Theres going to be new financial obligations. Base house allowance doesnt exist in the civilian sector, so if that spouse has been able to grow and develop skill sets throughout their Service Members career, theyre going to be able to take that and help that ease ease the transition for the family and so think thats very vital for the success of our Transition Service members when that spouse has the skill sets and a position, theyre going to be table to contribute. But i also want to mention also for our active tuttduty. At some point in the conversation, as an active duty spouse, is how are we going to retain our top talent. How are we going to retain these leaders who have experience. And when that question comes up in the home, to i stay in or get out, its going to be a lot easier to say lets stay in and continue to serve our country when that spouse has been able to find meaningful employment and grow skill sets. So, i think its twofold. I think we both have to look at that Transition Service member, but also those families that are currently serving as they continue their career. Yeah, i would agree. Its not only stability for the family and reduces the financial pressures which could also translate into some situations for the family that are not real good for the military. But if they can find the military member throughout my time being married to the military, you see a lot of times where families it becomes a real stress item, the job, the Military Spouse, whether she can keep her job or find meaningful employment when she moves on. Lets transition to the skill set of our Military Spouses and caregivers. And what do you feel that they have to offer and are strongest . Sure. A couple of things we thought. Caregivers and spouses both i think have a tremendous amount of experience in working with collaborative teams. When my husband was on the tour, i was working with the va and nonprofits and his chain of command, all those moving parts. The same thing is true on the active side on a more traditional career path. Creativity. Im from texas, and in texas we say theres nothing we cant fix with baling wire and duct tape. I mean, we are trying all kind of things. Were going to get to yes. Were going to get how do we make this work. I think that goes back to not necessarily a skill set but what the president mentioned in his remarks and that the core value of how do we make this happen. We are mission focused. We are Mission Driven and were going to get to yes. Agreed 100 . Amy, you were stationed at ft. Polk and you said while you were there you had a real hard time finding Corporate America. Could you explain that and tell us what maybe would help Corporate America out here. Yeah. As the first lady alluded to, my husband was returning from his fifth deployment, and i knew to keep our family together, i was going to have to make this move to ft. Polk, louisiana. I was i had an amazing position. I was traveling the country just very meaningful, rewarding work, and i find myself in ft. Polk, louisiana, i learned quickly there was no gs positions, no contract positions and thankfully somehow i found that position at the church making 10 an hour and they were very clear to me they didnt want me doing anything else. You just answer the phones. And so it took about a year for me to find a position. And i ended up working as a contractor for soldier for life which was previously acap and i started in that position as a counselor working oneonone with those soldiers. Within about a month of me in that position, a new position became available. The liaison officer. Two of my supervisors told me dont apply, youre new. The transition managers going to want a greensuiter so i was deterred from it. In reflection something said, amy apply, and i did. I paid tribute to that transition manager because she saw something in my skill set, she saw something in my drive and she took that chance with me, if you will. And we were able to implement some great ratings and programs at ft. Polk as the vow mandate was implemented. And so what for Corporate America can take away from that is that when you have these employees who come in, a Military Spouse isnt going to wait around. They need to be advocates for themselves and so when theyre applying for that next position to move up even if it hasnt been a month or maybe its six months, that you really look at their skill sets and their drive and their talent because what their contribution can be to your company its going its a lot theyre able to create products sometimes a lot quicker than their civilian counterparts because they know time is an essence, they are driven, theyre pushed. So i think my main point with that is understand your talent base. Dont underutilize it. And i was thankfully able to access that at ft. Polk, but i think thats a challenge a lot of spouses face is that underemployment that theyre getting these entrylevel jobs and theyre not able to progress and its actually a disservice to Corporate America because you could be tapping into a lot greater skill sets if you understood your if you really evaluated the talent that is there. Yeah. And thankfully they you know, she saw through all of that and saw that she had a really good thing here. Hopefully. And you made a great impact. Something that i can definitely not answer, but im hoping our panelists can, is what is it like to be a millennial in the job market . Well, theres some negative stereotypes out there and were just going to steer clear of those. Some things that we are known for, prioritizing education, pushing marriage back to even focus on education and career aspirations. And some ways to connect with that i would say flexibility is very important and that would certainly resonate with a Military Spouse or a caregiver whether its a telework options, whether thats starting in a position in an office and looking to transition that to a virtual position to keep a spouse in a position. I think an important thing to reb as far as millennials go is, number one, it might be number two, most important thing about a job is quality of what youre doing. Do you feel like youre giving back, is this meaningful work. I think thats where being open to moving something to a virtual position once you start it in a corporate one. And you touched a little bit on development opportunities. Millennials really want to learn, we really want to grow, we really want to get really awesome at a lot of things and we know we need development because were not quite there yet. One thing im great at in my position, i know about Program Management and caregivers. My president said, ill work with you and really took time out and said were going to to get good and its worked well for our organization and im grateful for the opportunity and investment. I see a lot of i mean, a lot of our spouses may not even be millennials but theres an awful lot of traits that are exactly the same, its in us, its bred in us. We want to believe in our work. Yeah, we want to believe in what were doing. So, that kind of rolls into as well as what Corporate America could potentially do. How can they help us to make this a stronger. All right. Got a couple of things on that. Well start real broad. I think setting clear goals. Ive heard 100,000 jobs, ive heard 200,000, ive heard percentages. Ussa, 30 the last time i checked. Good job. There you are. The thing i would say do your best to make your organization clearly friendly to military families. I have had people take their wedding rings off for their interview, whats your spouse do. Sove, oh, so youre moving, i dont want to bother spending any time with you because youll leave. It happens, right . The guard can talk to us for days im sure about questionable practices. But, you know, just for awareness. My corporate sponsor for my organization has a Conference Room that they kindly let me use and they have pictures with their military affiliated employees with their Service Member in their uniform. What a tremendous thing that says, well, this organization really values my lifestyle and they dont look at me as a liability, they see me as an asset and then just kind of some more tangible, a lot of us have student loans. Loan repayment. Reimbursement for any kind of certification transfer. If youre an Insurance Company and you have a nurse on staff because shes reviewing claims for you and shes moving, maybe consider reimbursing him or her, sorry. For those costs. So those are some things that we can look at and we talked about development so maybe educational stipends as well. Telework is a big thing, too, that were starting to realize thats vital as we live in the world that theres a lot of transition going on. So, currently right now i work for Blue Star Families and their model i find is so whats the it really works with the military lifestyle. The majority of our positions, theyre in telework, so wherever this Military Spouse is, shes able to work for Blue Star Families and continue her career and potentially grow with this organization as her Service Member serves. And so and theres Larger Companies that are using this model, too. And so as we with the wealth of technology we have now and as that continues to grow, how can Corporate America tap in to telework positions, but also financially. Is it more financially viable for organizations and companies to have their employees work in telecommunicationtype positions where theyre working out of their home versus office space, et cetera. Its something to definitely look at and review on a model of how could that be financially viable for your company, but then also how thats going to allow Military Spouses to come work for your milt for your company and then grow with that organization. Im a true believer, you know, a spouse who potentially starts off at a call center, who is to say after a 20year military career supporting her Military Spouse that that spouse doesnt end up a vp or president of that company . Each place they go, they can grow skill sets. They can gain these skill sets and develop. And so for companies to be able to tap into that, even at the entrylevel position you could potentially be looking at your next vp in the future or ceo. Thats right. You never know who is walking through your door, so thats great. On the military side, i did want to give a shoutout also, lisa vitalgia is here a. So, its really important, thank you all for being here. Because its really important that i think our more junior spouses see that this is something also not just, you know, the active duty side, but it is something that the spouses take very seriously and want to make that connection as well and help out in any way, so thank you all for being here. Anything else in closing that you ladies would like to add to this . Hire Military Spouse. And keep them and train them and let them grow and develop and be awesome. Yeah. Great. Thank you. Today we pay tribute to an american who placed himself in the thick of the fight. Theres u. S. Troops getting shot at and those are your brothers. You either get them out alive or you die trying. Let me tell the story. A patrol is on foot heading into a village and suddenly the lights go out. We were set up. Thats when it happens. About a mile away dakota and Staff Sergeant Juan Rodriguez chavez could hear the ambush over the radio. Taliban fighters were unleashing a firestorm. The patrol was pinned down taking ferocious fire from three sides. They had mortars, rocketpropelled grenades. Four times dakota and juan asked permission to go in. They denied it. The story of what happened next will be told for years. They were defying orders but they were doing what they thought was right. The whole valley turned on this truck. Dakotas exposed to a blizzard of fire. I didnt think i was going to die i knew i was. Rounds were hitting the turret and kept moving back left and right. When they finally got to those trapped americans dakota jumped out. Probably the longest run of my life. Through all bullets and smoke and chaos dakota carried them out. It would be extraordinary if i could have brought them out alive. He has earned the nations highest military decoration. Im not a hero. The hero are the men and women who are still serving. The medal of honor. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You know, i want to thank the chamber, its foundation, the Bush Institutes military Service Initiative for inviting me today and allowing me to speak. Im always grateful to come out and talk about not only my experience but the experience that so many of us post9 11 veterans are facing today. We were blessed to live in the greatest country on the face of the earth. Founded by principles of freedom, independence, and equality. It is these principles that continue to make our nation strong and i am proud to have worn the uniform of such a great nation. Signing up for the marines was by far one of the greatest decisions that ive ever made in my life, and still ill tell you the truth, when i joined the marines at 17, just like a lot of us, i thought i had all the answers. And some of you know, they drill that out of you at parris island. But in my time in the marine corps, more than anything else, it taught me this, youre never going to know everything, but you should always be able to handle anything. Do whatever it takes attitude. And this is the mind set that i would need not only in the corps and in the battle, but once i left the military as well. When i got out, i had no idea what i was going to do. I just remember thinking what company is going to be looking for a sniper. I see now that i was looking at it wrong. In the marine corps i was much more than just a sniper. I led teams. I managed projects. I honed my communication skills and more. I advised, i planned, i strategized. All skills that companies are looking for. So, to be honest, maybe more companies should be looking for snipers. Our curriculum was just as tough as Higher Education courses, physics, target and intel jennings assessment, weapon systems and mission planning. But instead of a diploma, we got a special designation. And this designation is something that no civilian and few marines will ever have. In spite of all this the toughest fights we veterans will ever face is figuring out what were going to do when we take off the uniform. Hundreds of thousands of Service Members leave the military and return to our communities every year. Unfortunately, many of them will struggle. Because, you know, its a challenging time. But if there was ever any group of people thats known for rising to an occasion, its our men and women who have worn the uniform and our armed forces. All they need is the resources and opportunities that your organizations are providing for them. Many of these employers in this room have responded to the call of veterans by recruiting veterans and Military Spouses into your ranks. Rather than a handout, you decided to meet the need with an opportunity. That decision has paid off for those companies tenfold. Still, there are just as Many Companies out there that have yet to experience this benefit. To those businesses, i say this it doesnt matter whether youre recruiting for a Large Corporation or youre a Small Business. I can guarantee that your Company Wants candidates that have the highest qualifications and the utmost character. The private sector has stepped up and will continue to step up in the coming years. Ultimately, though, the transition process is something that we as veterans have to own. Its something that we have to be prepared as possible to make the jump from the military to the civilian world and a big part of the preparation is knowing exactly what we did in the military and being able to show those skills to the employers. Ive seen resumes that just say logistics or intel or a sniper. Those words alone dont mean anything to employers. They dont demonstrate the incredible amount of skills and readiness that veterans possess. We as veterans need to start thinking of our military service as our personal brand. We are men and women with worldclass training in medicine, logistics, Information Systems and other critical fields. We also have those intangible skills like problem solving, reliability, and resourcefulness. We can do a lot with little. We can lead teams and accomplish complex tasks. Less than 8 of americans can point to their military service on their resumes. I think its time for a military that we start emphasizing on this. And helping veterans tell their stories was exactly what we had in mind when the chamber hiring our heroes, toyota and i launched a personal branding resume engine, an online tool that takes a Service Members military career and turns it no an effective civilian resume. We wanted to help Service Members talk about their backgrounds and take advantage of the opportunity that they have earned. Im a Small Business owner myself, and ill be honest, im not going to just hire anyone. Im going to hire someone who demonstrates their value, someone that can show what skills they bring to the table. The best advice that i can give those who are about to transition and become a veteran is to own your transition. Theres i didnt clear this by you, miguel. Clearly when you offered to host here you wanted the homecourt advantage of audio visual aids. Thats okay. You are out playing football, were out there fighting our nations wars. Yeah. How many years has it been . Since weve been winning our nations wars . No, no, no. About 238, 239. Something like that. You know, it wouldnt look like it but miguel and i actually have a lot in common. Some people consider us twins. Im arnold schwarzenegger, youre danny da veevito. Im actually bald so but we actually started we do have a lot in common. We actually both started with our respective organizations about two years ago. And weve really had the good fortune of learning a lot from each other and a lot of the people here in this room and, you know, as we were learning about this issue and trying to get smarter about it, we really started to click that next slide. Yeah, click that. There you go. Yeah. We really started to really ask three basic questions and it was who are they. Who are these Service Members that were trying to serve. Second, what are their challenges. And then how do we help them navigate the sea of goodwill to find those bestinclass resources. The one thing that miguel and i both knew from the beginning is that he and i would not figure that out on our own. Clearly the two of us if our transitioning Service Members and veterans were in just our hands, theyd be in big trouble. But as the secretary of labor talked about, theres a great orchestra, theres a great team that already exists and eric reached out to me very early on and said, hey, miguel, wed like to host our next hiring our heroes event down at the bush center but we dont want it to just be hiring our heroes group. We want to bring in the full sea and community of Business Leaders who, of course, focused on this issue for the last seven to five years. And so eric wanted to include jpmorgans hiring our 100,000 Jobs Initiative and the Blackstone Group and major independents like walmart and bank of america and others. But theres also been tremendous work in the nonprofit space and so folks like the institute for vets and military families and the Henry Jackson foundation and cnas. But then critically was to have our government partners here who have been leading the effort from joining forces to dod to the services to labor and va. And so we brought that collective brain trust and expertise and leadership to the Bush Institute to focus on these three core questions. And i think, you know, we learned very quickly, who are they . And, again, theres no one size fits all to this and theres various segments but what we did see as a clear pattern is that we saw young enlisted Service Members under the age of 35, most of them had some post secondary education but they didnt have a post secondary degree or certification, but those were the ones that are really facing high employment. Greater than 11 . So, that was our target population, and one of the first things we learned as a group and the second question right. What are some of the major challenges that the they face. We heard it starting from the president and dakota. One is a communication and culture gap and barrier between jobseeking veterans and their spouses and you the great business communities that want and need them in their businesses. Secondly we saw despite tremendous effort by the va, by dod and by labor, who have really advanced the Transition Assistance Program and developed Innovative New tools and programs as well as the great Public Private partnerships, that young servicemen and women are still generally not prepared for that transition. Theyre not they dont yet know what they dont even know, and how to attack and do that planning and leverage those bestinclass tools and resources that dakota just talked about. Right. That really led us to the third question, right . You know, how do we help them navigate the sea of goodwill. And, you know, theres so many great resources out there, but thats really where the roadmap comes in and, again, its a collective effort. But we really wanted our young Service Members to really have a guidebook that helps them navigate the process and point them in direction of great resources exist across the space. Now, we didnt want to its not a one size fits all approach and we certainly didnt want to take that, but we did see some commonalities between the transition process among all classes of Service Members and their families. Thats right. Theres essential elements to every veterans transition regardless of where they find themselves on that spectrum. And so we continued to work with this Great Coalition to develop the tool that we are releasing today and we worked all the way up until last night quite frankly. Yes. On the tool that you have before you. And so it really captured and consolidates the essential steps and processes and theres really three phases. The first is to prepare. Part of that preparation is ani. Really working through that. And a skills assessment. And what we bring to the table as transitioning Service Members and Military Spouses. And then to start that Strategic Planning process and how to work through that. That then takes us to the second phase which is transition. And that really starts with a Value Proposition that dakota talked about. What is the skill set, how do i bring value to your businesses and to your companies. And then its the ability through marketing networking to articulate that Value Proposition, whether its through a great resume, elevator pitch, and interview skills and processes. But then from there youve got to take it into a targeting process, a process to find those opportunities, to negotiate which is certainly a new skill set. Right. And then to decide. And through that process mentors play a Critical Role. But its at that point where we cannot declare victory as transitioning Service Members and veterans, because thats where it really starts and thats where lead and succeed comes into play, the third phase of the operation. And so theres got to be some cultural competency just as we prepare to go to places like iraq and afghanistan, we have to prepare for the new civilian Business Environment that were moving into. And then from there its connecting. Connecting with our new team and our new businesses but also within our community. And finally weve got to continue to succeed and take ownership and management for our success within our new Business Environment whether that means more directly taking control and responsibility for training and education, but also for our career advancement. And, you know, we wanted it also to be a work book and thats really where you get to the meat and potatoes of this guide or transition roadmap is help Service Members and their families regardless of where they are in the transition process to learn some easytouse tips, a checklist of sorts, so they can go back and forth and pick up where they may have left off because of their busy lives. But more importantly, as youll see in this resource guide, theres actually great resources in here as well. Because that can be overwhelm g overwhelmingly to a lot of young Service Members and Service Members in general, so these are bestinclass resources and they represent all the great resources that exist in the space that many of you contributed to. Thats right. And so what were releasing today is not designed to replace anything that already exists. Its a way to help aggregate and consolidate all of that, so that our men and women who need the great services, resources and organizations represented in this room can better find and navigate through that process. So were also asking for your assistance today in two ways. The first is, is that we want your feedback to this first version, this first generation of this important tool kit to better arm and empower our Service Members and veterans and their families. But then we also need your help getting it out. And pushing it out to the population that very much needs it. So, you can find the tool kit here at the two amigo websites, hiringourhe hiringourheroes. Org roadm hiringourheroes. Org roadmap. We know there are other populations that have challenges. We want to make sure we have a similar roadmap for Military Spouses and wounded ill and injured and caregiver population as well as our guard and reserve member. Thank you all very much we look forward to continuing the collaboration. Miguel, any last thoughts . Go army. Beat navy im the president and ceo of the International Franchise association. We represent nearly 9 million jobs in this country, 800,000 establishments and over 2 trillion in economic output annually. And it was four years ago in this very building on veterans day, 2011, that the International Franchise association made a commitment to hire 80,000 veterans, Military Spouses and Wounded Warriors as part of the hiring our Heroes Program and first lady obamas and dr. Jill bidens joining forces initiative by the end of 2014. Im very happy to report that we met that goal and exceeded it by the end of 2013. And, in fact, just through may we have now hired in the franchise industry df 243,000s in our industry and over 6,000 Small Business franchise owners that are veterans, Military Spouses, and Wounded Warriors, so were very proud of that accomplishment. Thank you. And we knew we had a shot at meeting that goal because we already knew we had 66,000 veteranowned franchise businesses that employed 815,000 people. And the great thing about veterans as you all know is they tend to hire veterans. So, with that, i want to give a special thank you to tom donahue for his great leadership of the chamber in so many ways including this initiative. My friend eric, who is maniacally focused on the mission each and every day in terms of getting veterans hired, the great job that the chamber does. I also want to thank our friends at capital one who have been great partners with us as well as the Bush Institute and the great leadership of secretary spellings when she was here running the foundation and now at the Bush Institute. So, with that, please draw your attention to the video presented by capital one. Thank you. We partnered with capital one to launch the hiring 500,000 heroes campaign. We wanted to get businesses of all sizes across the country to make commitment to hire veterans, Military Spouses and transitioning Service Members and then provide them the tools and the resources to accomplish that mission. We have literally hundreds of thousands of men and women who have served reentering the civilian workforce. Its really just a perfect time for us to try to influence other companies to, you know, really recognize the talent that these men and women have. Together with capital one in june 2015 we surpassed half a million veteran hires. Veterans make us a better enterprise and their spouses do as well. Their experiences, their participation in community, their sense of selfless service, these are all traits that Companies Like starbucks and many, many others want more of in their company. My role in the army is not only spouse but caretaker, taxicab driver. I also work full time being a Military Spouse is a lot more than waiting for someone to come home. The campaign is really a community effort. Its about working with businesses of all sizes, large and small, to find, hire, and retain great veteran and Military Spouse talent. One of those great partners is the International Franchise association. Not only have they helped many veterans and Military Spouses find meaningful careers in franchises, theyve also created significant Ownership Opportunities for those veterans and Military Spouses. Its important to have support because obviously getting out of the military the environments just different. By having people that have made that transition previously and that can help you through it, that obviously is helpful and it makes that transition all the easier for our military folks. We have a lot more work in front of us. Were going to see one of the biggest transitions from the military since the end of the cold war and we need to make sure the private sector is ready. I think any size company anywhere should set the initiative to hire a veteran. First and foremost, because its the right thing to do. And enabling skills with them and personal values and competencies like leadership, how they Work Together as a team, the persistence to overcome obstacles and the ingenuity to solve really complex problems. So, in this session were going to be discussing private sector leadership and i will troo to your two panelists, Carolyn Berkowitz who is sitting next to me is responsible for capital ones awardwinning National Community investment strategy. As the president of the Capital One Foundation she also leads initiatives that foster the link between quality education and Community Economic development outcomes. Under her leadership both capital one and the Capital One Foundation invest in creating Economic Opportunity in communities where the company operates, including support for education and jobs and financial literacy, through grants and volunteering and signature programming. In 2012 she assumed leadership of capital ones market president network, partnering with local executives to represent the companys civic interests in markets throughout the footprint and, of course, focusing at all times on pressing community needs. Its so nice to be with you this morning. You bet. Also with me ben lam, he is Vice President for Service Member affairs for the Capital One Financial corporation. He joined in 1999. Leads the Service Members Affairs Office where he is responsible for providing products and services tailored to the unique needs of military customers. And this includes the development, the implementation, and the ongoing leadership of an enterprisewide scra program. Before this role he led capital ones digital and mail channel customer servicing and before that he was an Intelligence Officer in the u. S. Army where he served as a platoon leader, executive officer and intelligence staff officer with several middle east deployments. Its nice to have you as well. So, the video i think really laid out the issues that weve been discussing all morning. Why was it so important for capital one to be part of this and how successful has it been . In 2012 when literal hundreds of thousands of Service Members were returning home, there was an enormous issue that needed addressing. So, there was both a need and an opportunity for us to get engaged in the meaningful employment of Service Members. And capital one in our Community Work always works in a way where we first look at what can we give and then what are the particular needs and where is there a match. We have always been in the business, as you said, of educating people for jobs that provide meaningful and gainful and progressive employment. And this, then, became a natural to us. So, we need can we make a meaningful difference and the answer was yes. We can make a meaningful difference and so we turned to our great partners at the u. S. Chamber foundation and talked together about what kind of a difference we could make and there came hiring our heroes. Whats the impact on the business side . Yeah, as caroline leads the foundation i lead big Business Operations at capital one and my best teams start with best people. And if youre looking for best people, and i know every company is or should be, you should be looking for the talent that comes from a sprveterans and miy spouses, weve been very successful with veteran and Military Spouse hiring. Our cio is an air force veteran. In every part of our company at every level of our company we have talented veterans and Family Members. We couldnt be more pleased. Whats the impact on Small Business . We heard someone in the video say, you know, its the right thing to do, but, of course, i know with a lot of confidence people who run businesses are, like, yes, thats important. It also has to make business sense for us. Tell me about the impact on Small Business. So, first of all, seven out of ten jobs created in this country come from Small Business. And Small Business has just as much of a need as big business to hire great people who have a great skill set. So, number one, there is that piece of it. I think the other thing thats important and it was mentioned earlier, is that the skills that one learns in the service are great entrepreneurial skills and so as more and more Service Members are coming home and actually being entrepreneurial and starting Small Businesses, theres a role that we can all play in educating them, in the ways of the digital world, for example, so its not necessarily just enough to have expertise in the product that your business makes, but you also now to succeed in the Business World need a set of Digital Skills that are unprecedented. And so thats another place where we can be helpful. Private sector. Why is leadership from the private sector so important . Theres lots of debate, of course, as to who should be leading the way. Ill tell you again i hire to fill out my big teams. If youve got a big company, a small company, again, youre looking for best talent. You know, veterans and Military Spouses they have that best talent. We talked about some of the skills and abilities they had, leadership, team work, ability to solve complex problems. Thats what were looking for. Thats what every company is looking for. And we find it right there in the Military Spouse and veteran community. I could imagine that private sector is just more flexible, too, that you guys can turn on a dime in a way that maybe government, with all due respect, cannot necessarily make fast decisions and really create new initiatives. Ive seen you create a bunch of initiatives. Sure. We create new initiatives all the time. Companies need to reinvent themselves all the time. Companies need the kind of talent that can reinvent themselves all the time, which clearly this population has. And so i think number one is that that employment set. I think the stats that folks gave about the retention of former military members is incredible. And i think also the giving back, that sense of caring for community that former military members have is incredible. So, theres a story of a gentleman who works at capital one, lieutenant owen finnigan, and he is a former trainer hes a former marine. And he trained afghan units on skills like medical issues, logistics, communications, operations. 350 members of this unit. And so, if you ask a person like that what their skill set is, they have enormous skills that translate into our business. He never thought about capital one and we never thought about him. And through the u. S. Chambers hiring our Heroes Initiative and the job fairs, we met there. Not because job fairs are necessarily the greatest place to hire somebody from, but because you meet people. And so through that networking we learned about each other. He is not only an incredibly successful leader and analyst in our company now, but he is one of the key folks that gives back, so he goes to these hiring fairs. He works with others who are in the military, leaving the military, their spouses. And so there is that sense of giving that is just incredible. Have there been challenges that youve had to solve and has your own perspective as a veteran been helpful in sort of fixing those challenges . Absolutely. Again, i go back to, you know, the skills that i learned that i had a chance to practice and hone in the military, leadership, team work, creative problem solving, those were the skills that made me successful in the military and those are the same skills and abilities that made me successful in the Business World. I did want to say hiring veterans and Military Spouses is important, but thats not the last stop and not the last step. The full transition, the transition into the corporate world, doesnt stop with the hiring. At capital one we have a transition program. We have onboarding, specific training, and mentoring thats led by our 800person military network, right . Associates who are veterans and Military Spouses who just have an affinity for the military, thats the recipe for a successful transition. It doesnt stop with the hire. Thats a great point, because i think often measure two and not all the way through. The goal was 500,000. You hit the goal. What happened . Are you done . No 250,000 more returning now. We saw the highest gap in jobs for 18 to 24yearold veterans. We have something to contribute to that. And we will continue to contribute to that. Allen berkowitz and beth lam, thank you. Appreciate it, guys. Thank you, everyone. Ladies and gentlemen, we will be taking a brief fiveminute break. Please rejoin us in the room in five minutes promptly. Thank you. Tonight on cspan3, American History tv on the civil war. Coming up at 8 00 eastern its the 150th anniversary of the confederate surrender and then more on the two generals who is your surrender. Also a look at the andersonville prison in South Carolina where Confederate Forces held more than 45,000 union soldiers. This holiday weekend, American History tv on cspan3 has three days of featured programming. Beginning friday evening at 6 30 eastern, to mark the 125th anniversary of the birth of president dwight david eisenhower, his grand daughters susan, ann, and Mary Eisenhower gather to talk about his military and political career as well as his legacy and relevance for 21st century americans. Then on saturday afternoon at 1 00, 60 years ago rosa parks defied a City Ordinance for blacks to leave their seats on a city bus to make room for white passengers. Her stand helped instigate the montgomery bus boycott. Well reflect on the boycott and see what role lawyers played in that protest and the Civil Rights Movement as we hear from ted gray attorney for rosa parks and montgomery bus boycott demonstrators. And then william d
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