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NOV/DEC
2012
The Essential Military-to-Civilian Transition Resource
The Top 40 Under 40 Military Class of 2012 E
sprit de corps, combined with a determination to assume roles of leadership and compassionate service, centrally define the CivilianJobs.com Top 40 Under 40 Military honorees in 2012. Each year, CivilianJobs.com gives a nod to military service members that are set apart from the rest. Again this year, the slate of nominees didn’t disappoint. Here are some highlights: NASA astronaut candidate and Navy LT Kyle Kobold “decided to serve in the U.S. military in order to seek adventure and to be a part of something larger than myself,” he says. Kobold is Strategic Weapons Officer on the USS Henry M. Jackson submarine. His most significant achievements include completing nuclear power school, earning submarine dolphins, being placed in charge of a nuclear submarine as the Officer of the Deck, completing Navy SCUBA school and working with Navy SEALs for 2 1/2 years. He’s a “bedrock leader,” says his former Commanding Officer, CPT Scott C. Swehla. “I had complete confidence in Kyle’s abilities to lead his division and
direct the ship through complicated nuclear evolutions or the most demanding secret mission. He never let me down and continues his drive for excellence in his pursuit as a Naval Astronaut,” Swehla says. Whether service members take the skills that they learned in the military and pursue travels among the stars, as Kyle has, or transition to roles on terra firma within corporate America, there is no question that military leadership can translate into civilian success. Perhaps even in a CEO role. And it seems militaryexperienced CEOs will be in demand more than ever before. According to a paper written by former Harvard Professor of Economics Efraim Benmelech (now Associate Professor of Finance at the Kellogg School of Management) and MIT Associate Professor Carola Frydman, the number of militaryexperienced CEOs of publicly-held companies has dropped from 59 percent to just 8 percent since 1980. But their impact on private industry can be significant: “CEOs who have served in the military tend to have lower investments; their firms are less likely to be involved in fraud; and they seem to perform better in
times of industry distress.” Some of the Top 40 Under 40 Military take their skills into the public sector rather than in private enterprise. Army 1st LT Carrie Papproth is a public health nurse at the Defense Information Systems Agency in Fort Meade, MD, and active drilling Reservist. Her focus is suicide prevention, PTSD and military sexual trauma, and she is working on a dissertation project involving PTSD. “In my civilian career as an occupational health nurse manager for a federal government agency, I have been privileged to be on hand for employees when they’ve needed me most, in life threatening emergencies.” Papproth says. And then, sometimes it’s what is not said that says everything about the “Top 40 Under 40” winners. Special Forces Army SSG Christopher Ellis is reluctant to discuss the details of his achievements in covert missions and three deployments to Afghanistan. But his colleague Nick B. Tran, who served alongside him, says, “There are times in combat that a man is overcome with fear, and the defining factor that separates true
men from those lesser is the ability to push through and forward, despite that fear. That is the definition of courage and Chris has proven that on more than one occasion,” Tran says. The Top 40 Under 40 Military issue would not be possible without the hard work of an extended team at Civilian Job News, not the least of which includes the panel of distinguished judges:
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• William W. Basnett, Brigadier General (Retired), USAFR, past Commander of the 94th Tactical Airlift Wing (TAW), Past President and Membership Director for the Reserve Officers Association (ROA) • Steve Clarke, Captain (Retired), USN, President of Strategic Performance Group, Inc. • Kenneth A. Konstanzer, Lieutenant Colonel (Retired), USAR, Aviation. Chairman,, U.S. Service Academy Selection
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Board for the Office of U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss and Congressman Tom Graves, past Commander, U.S. Military Academy Admissions Field Force, State of Georgia. • David M. Thompson Colonel, USMC (RET) Logistics Colonel, currently Project Manager for AC FIRST in Afghanistan, former USMC Battalion Commander in Iraq and Deputy Logistics Director in Afghanistan and Iraq, civilian experience with Frito Lay and General Mills. Please turn to this issue’s center spread to review bios for each of 2012’s Top 40 Under 40 Military.
Southern Company’s Pledge to Veterans “S
outhern Company has a demonstrated record of hiring veterans, guardsmen and reservists,” says Susan Story, Southern Company executive vice president and Southern Company Services president and CEO. “This
year 15 percent of our new hires have military experience, and for our new, innovative nuclear units, it’s around 38 percent. We’re actively recruiting from military for the new units and our fleet of operating nuclear facilities in Alabama and Georgia. To that end, we’re a partner in the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, are a
founding partner of Troops to Energy Jobs and support Joining Forces, a White House initiative. Hiring veterans is the right thing to do – for veterans and the company!” Troops to Energy Jobs As a leading U.S. producer of electricity, Southern Company is leading the way in providing military veterans employment in the energy sector. In July
of 2011, Southern Company became a founding partner of Troops to Energy Jobs, a program that provides veterans a link to civilian jobs in the energy sector. The company owns electric utilities in four states and a growing competitive generation company, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company values diversity as a true asset and seeks to cultivate a culture of innovation.
Veterans bring new perspectives and a can-do attitude that add to diversity and foster creativity. While on active duty, veterans made a commitment to serve, protect and defend the nation. That dedication fits well with the company’s “Southern Style,” which embodies unquestionable trust, superior performance and total commitment. The company Continued on page 5
INSIDE THIS MONTH’S ISSUE Ask the Recruiter: Answering the tough questions ......................page 3
Spouse Series:
The Command Team ................ page 4
Playing to Win
....... page 6
Career Coaches' Corner
Standing Out at Job Fairs.....page 11
Job Fairs
Mark Your Calendars .........page 12