Along with the many programs and organizations that are dedicated to serving veterans and their families, there are also several federal agencies that are instrumental in ensuring that veterans successfully reintegrate back into their communities. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is the first agency that everyone thinks about, but there is also the Department of Labor, Department of Agriculture, and Housing and Urban Development, just to name a few. The Department of Defense (DOD) is often overlooked since it is considered to function only to currently serving military members, and then the focus usually goes to VA when it is a matter related to veterans. The future success of veterans and their families actually starts when they are still serving, that is the reason why this success is rooted in the DOD, with its various personnel programs, including education, training, and health care.

Matthew P. Donovan, the 9^th Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, joins the Service to Self podcast to share his thoughts on the importance of a vibrant, responsive military talent management system to the readiness of the armed forces and how this system also ensures successful transitions into the civilian workforce once military service is over. Mr. Donovan’s office, Personnel and Readiness, is the agency within the Pentagon responsible for setting the foundation for the transition between DOD and the VA for service members as they reintegrate into their civilian communities. He provides updates on recent initiatives within the Pentagon to ensure that DoD remains responsive to the evolving needs of service members, veterans, and military families.

Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services harnesses the power of federal agencies, like DoD and the VA, in developing public-private partnerships that provide solutions to barriers that veterans face during the journey of transition and reintegration. Creating partnerships that include government partners, the private sector, labor, other non-profits, and academia is an example of our work through Operation Service to Employment. Dixon Center’s Workforce Solutions educational program is designed to aid hiring managers across companies recruit, train, integrate, and retain veterans and military family members, we identify and shape relationships with other agencies and organizations to make your existing private sector programs more impactful.

Service Before Self introduces you to people and programs that are having an impact today; their successes and lessons learned in creating effective programs in which veterans reach their full potential. This is Dixon Center’s goal, collaborating with agencies like the DoD, VA, Department of Labor, Housing and Urban Development and others, to ensure that veterans and their families thrive after their military service ends. To learn more about Dixon Center’s efforts in assisting veterans in reaching their post-military goals, see the Dixon Center Bugler: Operation Service to Employment and contact Colonel (Ret.) Sam Whitehurst, VP of Programs & Services, at swhitehurst@dixoncenter.org.

Subscribe To/Follow Service Before Self Podcast

Whether you are an avid podcast fan or new to the medium, we invite you to give Service Before Self a listen. We invite you to listen and subscribe to the podcast. We welcome your feedback and will be reading your reviews and comments on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or one of the many other distributors.