One way companies can better communicate their ESG efforts is by considering the broader social impact they are making when working with a company like AVG. Veterans are a deeply diverse group of people and reflect the fabric of the American people and experience. There are many companies in the United States that consider the hiring and training of veterans as a key CSR goal, but we also know that simply hiring X number of veterans and checking a box is not enough. Companies that think “outside the DEI box” and take it to the next level will shape the new standards for their workforces and society. In honor of Veterans Day we are profiling some of the veterans who have benefitted from our philanthropy. By directing our philanthropy to nonprofits important to our clients, they can make a broader impact on veterans in their communities. Here’s the transition story of US Army Major Lenora Ridley.
Air Defense Artillery Officer, Major Lenora Ridley decided it was time for her to transition out after serving 11 years in the U.S. Army. Based in Aberdeen, Maryland, she and her four-year-old son for almost two years have been living apart from her husband who is in the U.S. Air Force stationed in California.
A West Point graduate, Lenora has spent the last three years of her service in Maryland. During her service she was deployed to Turkey during the Syrian civil war, and to the United Arab Emirates. The separation from her husband has been challenging, and while she would have wanted to stay on active duty, she made the difficult decision to transition from active to reserve duty. Not long after making that decision, Lenora received an email from her first sergeant with an informational presentation about Hiring Our Heroes and its corporate fellowship programs.
“I just kind of flipped through it and then thought, this is actually perfect, and I think this would be a really good opportunity,” Lenora says. “I went to the website and got in contact with a local POC (point of contact) and did the research about what the program would be like and decided that that was perfect for me.”
She applied for the fellowship program but was also considering other SkillBridge offerings. The SkillBridge program is an opportunity through the Department of Defense for service members to gain valuable civilian work experience through specific industry training, apprenticeships, or internships during the last 180 days of service.
“I was also looking into some of the other SkillBridge opportunities and researching that, but nothing stood out to me as strongly as the Hiring Our Heroes corporate fellowship program,” Lenora says.
The first step in her journey was to find out where she wanted to do her internship. Hiring Our Heroes works with companies across America. She thought through her transition plan and realized it would be easier to do her internship where she could have support for her son. She connected with the Hiring Our Heroes program manager in the region where she wanted to apply and was selected for a program.
Even though she was still on active duty, she had managed to save up enough leave to take the extended time off to relocate temporarily to Kansas where her parents are located. She completed her 12-week internship virtually with Catalyzer, Inc, a veteran-owned, leadership consulting company. Lenora has since been offered a contracting role to project manage various projects with Catalyzer, and the company leadership is in full support of her continuing to seek permanent, full-time work as she transitions to be with her husband in California.
Lenora said that the networking opportunities provided through Hiring Our Heroes has been one of the best things for her.
