November 16, 2018
9:00 a.m. — 3:30 p.m
The Conference Center at OCLC
6600 Kilgour Place
Dublin, OH 43017
Theme:
Elevating Our Veterans – Education and Engagement
Adam Crawford has six years of experience in the higher education disability services field. Adam currently works as an Access Specialist at The Office of Student Life’s Disability Services (SLDS) at The Ohio State University. In this role, Adam serves as the liaison for veteran initiatives and the primary point of contact for student veterans in SLDS. He also currently serves as a Director-at-Large for the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) and as Membership Chair for the Ohio affiliate organization, Ohio AHEAD. Adam received his B.S. in Sociology and his M.S. in Student Affairs in Higher Education at Missouri State University.
Angela Abel MA, CRC is the VA VetSuccess on Campus Counselor at The Ohio State University assisting student Veterans, Military members and dependents utilizing VA educational benefits to achieve academic and career success. Ms. Abel is an employee with the Department of Veterans Affairs who is located on-site within The Office of Military and Veterans Services at OSU.
She is an alumni of The Ohio State University, having earned a Master of Arts Degree in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling in 2003. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology/Pre-Physical Therapy from Ohio University. She is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and has over 15 years of experience working with Veterans as they transition and achieve their educational and vocational goals. She served as social chair of Chi Sigma Iota while attending OSU. As a federal public service worker, Ms. Abel has received accolade as the Wings of Excellence Award recipient by the Cleveland Federal Executive Board in addition to multiple other awards. She currently serves as the Committee Chair of the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Division, Vocational Rehabilitation Panel. She is highly involved in fundraising and community service activities and loves spending time with her family including Cubscouting and watching her sons play soccer.
Within the VetSuccess on Campus role, she provides services including: Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling; guidance and support with educational benefits; career exploration; assistance understanding transition issues; serves as a liaison with OSU departments and community stakeholders to coordinate success for student Veterans; accessing, understanding and applying for VA benefits; referrals for VHA healthcare registration and readjustment counseling services for eligible Veterans and their family members; resume review; and job placement assistance.
Ashley Burns is transmission project coordinator in American Electric Power’s Transmission organization.
She began her AEP career in 2016 in the company’s Regulatory department, responsible for rate design and rate cases. She currently works on the Transmission Ohio Project Team with a focus on transmission line and substation projects.
Burns graduated from West Virginia University Institute of Technology in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Pre-Law. While in college, she was a member of the Reserve Officer Training Program, graduating at the highest level possible (Battalion Commander). She was also on her ROTC’s Ranger Challenge Team which competed on the national level.
She was also a nominee of the university’s Leadership Award, founded Tech Alliance (the first diversity and inclusion group on campus), and served as a student representative for the business college. She was a member of the women’s soccer team, president of Greek Council, and held several positions in Alpha Sigma Tau national sorority.
Commissioned in 2016 as a second lieutenant in the West Virginia National Guard as an ordnance officer, Burns has deployed to South Korea with field artillery serving with the 6-37th MRLS Battery; worked as a bilingual translator (Spanish) at the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation at Fort Benning, Ga.; was officer in charge of unit operations during the 2016 West Virginia Summer Rain Storm disaster; unit movement officer for Battery; and served as a platoon leader/ XO.
Originally from Point Pleasant, W.Va., she currently resides in Columbus, Ohio. Burns is chair of the Military Veterans Employee Resource Group at AEP, and a member of Team Rubicon, Volunteers with Veteran into Scuba, WiNUP, and all the Employee Resource Groups offered at American Electric Power.
Dr. Gordon is a physician, author, filmmaker, innovator, and advocate for the successful reintegration of veterans with traumatic brain injury. Her book, Turn the Lights On! A Physician’s Personal Journey from the Darkness of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) to Hope, Healing, and Recovery, was published in January 2018, and documents her own TBI recovery and the research and resources available for TBI diagnosis and treatment.
She has served as Medical Director of Rehabilitation Services at Memorial Hospital of Union County in Marysville, Ohio, since 1988, and manages her own medical practice in physical medicine and rehabilitation. In 2017 she founded Gray Matter Innovations, a company focused on creating digiceutical solutions for the treatment of TBI, especially in military veterans.
In 2008, Dr. Gordon was called to action, beginning with a part-time position at the Chalmers P. Wylie Veterans Administration Outpatient Clinic in Columbus, Ohio, where she performed second-level screening for the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suspected with traumatic brain injuries. These experiences led to the production of a documentary to educate the military world about the signs and symptoms of the injury and to educate the civilian world about the difficulties with reintegration our heroes were experiencing as a result of their service.
The film, Operation Resurrection, was completed by Patton Productions in February 2013, and demonstrates solutions for health care, education, and employment for our returning 450,000 veterans with TBI.
In 2012, Dr. Gordon founded the non-profit Resurrecting Lives Foundation (RLF), which follows through with the solutions set forth in the documentary, promoting collaborative efforts between military and VA resources, and the civilian community. RLF continues to serve as a voice for our heroes with TBI and the families who struggle to care for them.
Her goals in establishing the foundation were to provide educational, vocational and employment opportunities for the more than 65,000 veterans of the OIF/OEF conflicts currently living in Ohio, and to provide a national networking community to assist the nearly 500,000 veterans currently affected by TBI.
Most recently, Dr. Gordon was invited to discuss the necessity for civilian collaboration in the reintegration of our service personnel with NATO’s Confederation of Medical Reserve Officers in Quebec City, as well as participate in a panel discussion on “Bridging the Civil-Military Divide,” sponsored by Star Mountain Capital, the Milken Institute, the Military and Veterans Appreciation Trust, and the Military Leadership Circle, in Los Angeles.
Daniel joined the National Diversity Council in June of 2016, transitioning from his role as a public school teacher in one of the highest-ranked high schools in Ohio. During his four years as a teacher, Daniel was fortunate enough to be involved in many forward-thinking projects and groups. He was selected to assist in creating and implementing a pilot program designed to bridge the academic gap for at-risk students between high school and college in the South-Western City School District, and worked with a city-wide group of educators and researchers to further explore that student transition. As a part of the excellent Olentangy Local Schools system, Daniel helped to create a new blended learning module for senior students, and was an active member of the district’s curriculum blueprinting team.
Daniel graduated with a Master’s of Education from The Ohio State University, and is a life-long Ohio resident. Over his adult years, he has participated and led many international trips, some as short as a week, and others ranging from months to almost two years. While on a team to start a bilingual elementary school for at-risk youth in Thailand, Daniel managed a diverse team of educators, of all ages, ilk and nationalities, providing linguistic and cultural leadership. He wrote curriculum, translated, taught full-time, volunteered with local non-profits, and fostered a young Thai child with his wife.
In Columbus, Ohio, Daniel and his family volunteer with World Relief as cultural liaisons to incoming refugee families, providing friendship and support in times of transition. They seek to walk with refugee families through the cultural barrage of resettlement, all while learning about their home culture, language, and traditions.
Daniel has been married to his wife, Noelle, for ten years, and they have two biological children together. Recently, they returned from the Democratic Republic of the Congo with their newly adopted son, a family-building dream over two years in the making.
Daniel counts himself lucky to have had the opportunity to expand his worldview by traveling the world, and continues to seek new opportunities to do so. He’s also thrilled to live in a city and state where he doesn’t have to leave to experience myriad cultures, languages and diversity.
He has high hopes to increase The National Diversity Council’s visibility, work and influence in the great state of Ohio.
Darrin M. Adams began serving as the agency’s Director for the State of Ohio with the U.S. Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment and Training Service in October of 2012. Mr. Adams brings 30 years of leadership experience in public service within the federal, state, private sectors as well as in higher education.
Prior to his appointment as State Director, Mr. Adams held the position of Program Administrator for the Ohio Jobs for Veterans State Grant (JVSG) for the sixth largest veterans’ populated state in the nation. He directed the program and compliance training for staff located in 56 of Ohio’s 88 counties.
Mr. Adams is a retired career soldier with the United States Army, a veteran of the Gulf War, Bosnia-Herzegovina Peace Keeping Mission and the Multinational Force Peacekeeping and Observers in Sinai, Egypt. He has earned a Master’s in Business Administration (Organizational Management) and Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Mount Vernon Nazarene University and has completed graduate studies program in Biblical Studies and Theology at Princeton University.
Eboni Williams-Sankoe is the Program Support Specialist for the National Guard Employment Support Program. A Texas Native, joined the US Air Force in 1999. During and after her service she deployed to multiple countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, Germany, and Russia.
Eboni completed her Master’s Degree in Business Management, Bachelor’s Degree in Corporate Finance, and Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice.
She has worked with government contracts around the world, successfully designing training, security, and military hiring programs.
The National Guard Employment Support Program is designed to educate employers on hiring qualified service members.
Eboni assists with building or enhancing military hiring programs for employers that support service members. She educates employers on resources and financial benefits of hiring Service Members, Veterans, and their family members.
Eboni is located at the Joint Force Headquarters for the National Guard in Columbus, Ohio.
Jeremy Moore is a United States Marine Corps veteran and served on active duty from 2000-2008. During his eight years on active duty working as a defense specialist, he was stationed on the east coast and traveled all over the world.
After serving in the Marines, Jeremy joined Abbott in Columbus, Ohio as processing operator in Manufacturing. Over the last 10 years, Jeremy has taken on roles of increasing responsibility and is now a senior manager of Project Management in Supply Chain Global Supply Operations group. At Abbott, Jeremy helped start the Columbus chapter of the Abbott Veterans Network which is now a recognized employee group with the corporation with chapters all over the United States.
Jeremy holds a Juris Doctor and MBA as well as an undergrad in Business Administration.
Joel (Craig) Mason is a financial controls business operations analyst senior in AEP Transmission, a position he has held since 2013. Working in the Transmission Technical Services Performance section at AEP Transmission Headquarters in New Albany, Ohio, Mason is responsible for administration of financial controls, contract administration, analysis and administrative support activities for Transmission employees. He is Co-Chair of the Military Veterans Employee Resource Group and is actively working to increase the number of veterans and those actively serving into the AEP ranks.
Mason is a U.S. Army veteran, serving from 1986 until his medical military retirement in 2016. Highlights from his military career, he served from 2004 to 2005 in Kosovo as a squad leader and platoon sergeant; served from 2005 to 2006 with the Corps of Engineers, coordinating rebuilding efforts in Baghdad, Iraq; served as an organizational team leader in Hungary and Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010; and served as a security force instructor/course manager in Saudi Arabia from 2011 to 2012.
He has also served as a military science instructor and mentor at the University of Toledo, Army ROTC (2010-2011); and as a training instructor at Camp Atterbury, Ind. (2006-2009), training over 10,000 deploying Army Reservists, National Guardsmen, Navy and Air Force personnel in combat operations.
He has been awarded Two Bronze Stars and an Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster for his service in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as numerous other military awards. While in Iraq he was nominated for and inducted into the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club, (the top 1% of all Non-Commissioned Officers)
Mason graduated from Ohio University in 1985 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, and from Amberton University in 1998 with a Master in Business Administration degree.
He is a resident of Commercial Point, Ohio.
Margaret “Meg” Muller recently joined the PSA recruiting team in the role of Assistant Director of Maintenance Recruiting. Meg has been in aviation recruiting since 2007, primarily focused on technical recruiting operations. She started as a Recruiting Specialist with Air Wisconsin and moved to American Airlines’ Talent Advisor team prior to the US Airways merger. In her new role, Meg is leading the strategic outlook of PSA’s base recruitment team.
Moné Givner accepted her position as Field Operations Program Delivery Manager with ODJFS in January of 2018. Moné’s duties within the Office of Workforce Development include management of the Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Section of Wagner-Peyser as well as the Employment Services Support Section and employer engagement with OhioMeansJobs.com.
Prior to this role, Moné served as a Regional Program Delivery Manager where she sat on several Workforce Development Boards and worked with OhioMeansJobs Center Operators, Partners and Providers to ensure cooperation in delivery of programs and services for all job seeker. Moné also served as one of seven Veterans Program Managers within ODJFS where she was responsible for the development and implementation of service delivery to educationally and economically disadvantaged veterans with significant barriers to employment.
An honorably discharged Army veteran, Moné attended Georgia State University to acquire her Bachelors of Science in Human Resource Management. She resides in South Euclid, Ohio with her husband Phillip and their three children Kassidy 19, Cohen 9 and Quinn 6.
Nicolette leads the Performance Consulting’s Process Engineering Center of Excellence (CoE) which comprises a global team of (80+) Process Engineering professionals. Nicolette’s group is designed primarily to deploy Lean principles and practices that will significantly strengthen and standardize management processes across CCB Operations, optimize service delivery as well as enable an exceptional customer experience for customers who do business with the Consumer and Community Bank.
Nicolette’s team partners with clients to drive strategy to execution. The Center of Excellence is focused on enterprise alignment and results and fosters a culture of excellence and respect throughout the firm while striving for continuous improvement.
Prior to joining the firm, Nicolette served in the United States Air Force for fourteen years as a Commanding Officer. Nicolette is a transformational leader driving new business creation, market development, global expansion and operational excellence across domestic and international enterprises. Nicolette was responsible for $44B of defense funding to include: acquisition, contracting and logistics during her tour on Capitol Hill. She was appointed to lead the Joint Basing program for the Congressionally mandated Base Realignment and Closure initiative valued at $437M. She led a diversified team of 150 subject matter experts, consultants and contractors. She procured Research & Development Test and Evaluation funding to support Air Force and Navy mission requirements. Nicolette trained multi-faceted teams in LEAN principles and eradicated programmatic issues for Air Force Corporate Structure saving $7.2 M in manpower.
Nicolette held commands in Air Force Space Command, the Pentagon and served as a White House Intern along with a myriad of tours in the Middle East and Asia.
In the corporate sector, Nicolette served as the Director Business Process Improvement for Johnson & Johnson in multiple operating companies. Her responsibilities included establishing strategic direction for the North America & European Neurology portfolio for Codman Surgical Solutions. Nicolette also served on the Operational Excellence Board at Codman and launched end to end product services in France, Germany, Ireland and Spain totaling $1B in 2017.
Nicolette holds several advanced degrees from multiple universities to include: The United States Air Force Academy, The University of Oklahoma, New York University & Howard University.
Personal/Interests: Skydiving, Reading, Running, Writing Poetry, Mentoring for Odyssey of the Mind and serving on the Mustard Seed Foundation.
Quentin is the Director of Human Resources at the award winning Hilton Columbus Downtown. The hotel opened in 2012 and has already won Hilton’s highest honor for Guest Satisfaction throughout all of North and South America three times. It is set for expansion via an additional tower to be completed in 2021, making it the largest hotel in Ohio.
Quentin’s 18 years with Hilton has allowed him to work in a variety of locations from Utah and Nebraska to Atlanta and Orlando. In 2015 he was awarded Hilton Worldwide’s Business Leader Award for Human Resources. This award recognizes the individual who has “gone above and beyond the traditional and perceived role of Human Resources by partnering with Operations on business decisions to achieve current goals while strategizing for the long term.” His focus every day is to ensure every Team Member feels valued and respected, giving them the opportunity to understand and realize their potential.
Quentin earned his bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Science and MBA from the University of Utah. He also completed the Human Resources Excellence program through Cornell University. He is active in his church, which included a mission in Haiti. He, his wife of 19 years, and seven daughters live in Lewis Center, Ohio.
Ryan Blackburn is a native of central Ohio and an Air Force veteran. While serving on active duty from 2004-2010 as an Operations Intelligence Analyst, Ryan deployed to Iraq twice and once to Afghanistan. His first permanent duty assignment took him to Spangdahlem, Germany where he lived for two years supporting the Air Force European Command. The latter part of his military career was spent at Hill Air Force Base outside of Salt Lake City, Utah where he supported tactical level F-16 operations. He also had numerous temporary assignments including ones in Italy and Alaska.
After receiving his honorable discharge in 2010, Ryan worked in the finance and real estate industries. He utilized his post-military education benefits to pursue a degree at The Ohio State University and graduated cum laude in two and a half years with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. He worked as a Veteran Peer Sponsor while at Ohio State, helping new veteran students acclimate to the collegiate atmosphere and providing guidance and resources to the student veteran population on campus. That veteran interaction and assistance led to Ryan’s interest in joining the Ohio Department of Veterans Services.
As the Workforce Manager with the Ohio Department of Veterans Services (ODVS), Ryan coordinates and manages a team of workforce consultants that work with employers across Ohio on identifying best practices for recruiting, on-boarding, and retaining veteran employees. Ryan also serves as the primary ODVS liaison to all public and private employers with an interest in hiring veterans, veteran employee support groups, veteran employment programs, and veteran employment interests. Ryan also makes recommendations for changes in benefits, programs, policy, legislation, laws or rules that affect employment systems supporting Ohio’s servicemembers, veterans, and their families.
Ryan currently resides in Lewis Center, Ohio, with his wife, Allison, and their two young sons, Parker and Evan.
| 9:00a-9:30a | Registration and Continental Breakfast |
| 9:30a-9:45a |
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Daniel Juday – Director, Indiana Diversity Council & Ohio Diversity Council |
| 9:45a-10:00a | Welcome by Ohio Department of Veterans Services Director, Chip Tansill |
| 10:10a-11:30a |
Military Culture, Rank, and Skills – Translated for Business
We’ll take a look at the demographics of the veteran workforce in Ohio, and hear from industry experts about military culture and translating military service into business-speak. *This session is eligible for 1.5 SHRM credits. Ryan Blackburn – Workforce Manager, Ohio Department of Veterans Services Nicolette Freeman – Executive Director, Process Engineering COE, JP Morgan Chase |
| 11:20a-11:45p | Roundtable Discussion |
| 11:35a-12:20p | Lunch |
| 12:20p-13:35p |
Access and Accommodations
We’ll do a deep dive around reasonable accommodations for veterans in the workplace – we’ll hear about resources you can utilize locally and hear from organizations with success stories. Chrisanne Gordon – Founder and Chairman, The Resurrecting Lives Foundation |
| 13:35p-13:50p | Roundtable Discussions |
| 13:50p-13:55p | Break |
| 13:55p-15:10p | Elevating Veterans
We’ll hear from some companies that are implementing new initiatives or leveraging existing resources to better elevate those veterans already within their workforce. Ashley Burns – Transmission Project Coordinator, American Electric Power Jeremy Moore – Senior Manager, Global Supply Operations Program Management, Abbott Nutrition Margaret Muller – Assistant Director – Maintenance Recruiting, PSA Airlines Power Quentin Pease – Director of Human Resources, Hilton Columbus Downtown |
| 15:10p-15:30p | Closing Remarks |
For questions or comments please contact Kathryn Hood at [email protected].
