It was a full house this morning for Operation Partnership presented by USAA! The April 3 morning session began with a stellar panel of subject experts on leveraging military talent in the civilian workforce as well as the transition process for service members. Our thanks to panelists: Rebecca Mohan-Gonzales, Senior Manager of Talent Acquisition at Raymond James Financial; Crystal Lewis, Human Resources Business Partner at HNTB; and Jessica Long, Program Manager for Hiring Our Heroes Corporate Fellowship Tampa Program.
Panelist from L to R: Rebecca Mohan-Gonzales, whose family has several generations of military service; Jessica Long, Air Force Veteran, military spouse and manager with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Hiring Our Heroes Program; and Crystal Lewis, an Air Force Veteran and military spouse.
It’s a busy time of year in the Chamber’s military programming, participating in a handful of important meetings and gatherings in the 4-5 weeks! For starters, Chamber Members served as subject experts during the panel at the 2024 Military Spouse Career Seminar hosted by the USF Office of Veterans Success.
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Attendees heard from Chamber members Kerry Irvin of Operation Healing Forces and Kelly Douglas of Douglas & Yates – both military spouses sharing how they maintained their professional careers alongside their service member. The panel was moderated by Katie Lopez, Vice President of Member Engagement.
During the Lunch & Learn by Special Operations Command (SOCOM) on March 5 and the March 18 meeting of the Tampa Cohort of “Operation New Uniform”, our Chamber was invited as a guest speaker. Both gave us an opportunity to speak to military attendees about our programming and efforts to help them transition into the business community in civilian careers. On March 26 our Chamber offices had the honor of hosting Retired Major General Rita Broadway, the State Chair of Florida’s Employer Support of the Guard & Reserve (ESGR).
And preparations are underway for the 25th Annual Military Appreciation – salute to Tampa Bay’s service members. In advance of the May 16th event at Armature Works and National Military Appreciation Month in May, we’re raising community awareness to new heights, starting highway billboards and digital ads in the . Bay Times! Check out this story spotlighting how our Chamber businesses help local military families here in Military Bay, USA!
See Video Highlights of 2023 Military Appreciation Event at the Florida Aquarium: https://youtu.be/syl6rPfKAIU
To learn more about the Chamber's Military programming and initiatives or Chamber Members wanting to get involved with our Military Advisory Committee, visit Our Chamber’s Military Page.