Monday, August 17th 2:00-3:00 PM
The Value of Veteran Hiring/The Veteran Transition Process
Moderated by: JD Lawless
Panelists: Sean Sweeden, David Whitley, & Lakeitrai Luter
Join us for a panel discussion with veteran leaders in the community that promote veteran hiring their organizations or that assist veterans in transition with key skills to include resumes, networking, and interviews, followed by a short Q&A session.
Lakeitrai Luter
Sr. Manager of Strategic Sourcing
Service King Collision Repair Centers
Lakeitria Luter is currently the Sr. Manager of Strategic Sourcing of Service King, a $1.3B Blackstone Portfolio Company with over 340 locations across the United States. She has over 18 years of talent acquisition, business management, and operations experience with a focus on Strategic Initiatives for Service King. This includes supporting their Military and Technical School programs to build future pipelines of talent within the organization. Prior to joining Service King in 2015, she served as the Recruiting Manager of Diversity & Emerging Talent for J.C. Penney Corporate where she lead a team to build a dynamic college recruiting program nationwide and sat on various University Advisory Boards. Previously, she spent 9 years at Target Corporation in progressive leadership roles while leading the charge for their Diversity Initiatives. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Oklahoma and continues to support her school as active alumni. Lakeitria is also actively engaged in the community and educational system. In February 2017, she was appointed as a board member for North Central Texas Workforce Solutions where she contributes to the advancement of business driven talent development strategies that promote economic growth, opportunity, and a quality workforce. She also serves on the Career Advisory Board for the University of North Texas where she assist in building better connections for student and employers on campus.
David Whitley
Chief Operating Officer
Allies in Service
David L. Whitley is a retired Air Force Master Sergeant. He joined the team in 2012 and currently serves as Chief Operating Officer for Allies in Service. David uses his military background and leadership ability to provide oversight and ensure all veteran support programs maintain an individualized approach. During his 20 years of active duty service, he held three military career field specialties as well as a Top Secret security clearance. His last assignment was as Senior Non-Commissioned Officer In Charge of Training Management for the 5th Medical Group at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. David was responsible for the medical training for 308 active duty and civilian medical personnel in support of Minot’s Personnel Reliability Program, the largest program in the Department of Defense for America’s only dual-wing nuclear-capable installation. David's genuine passion is for helping others during times of need. He has over 7,000 volunteer hours working with non-profit organizations and has received multiple Volunteer of the Year awards. He served on the Board of Directors for the Dallas affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. He now serves as volunteer Senior Advisor for Stop One Suicide and volunteers with the American Foundation on Suicide Prevention. David is a certified suicide prevention instructor. He earned three Associate of Science degrees in Human Resource Management, Information Systems Technology and Education and Training Management. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Counseling from Liberty University. David has a Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling degree and a Master of Arts in Executive Leadership from Liberty University. He recently completed a Master of Arts in Diversity, Education and Human Resources from the University of Illinois.
Sean Sweeden
Career Coach
Collin College
Sean was recently appointed to a Career Coach (Workforce) position at the new Collin College Technical Campus in Allen, TX. Sean started his career with Collin College FEB 2018 and assists students with information to complete applications for veteran’s educational benefits also helping them understand the process of obtaining and maintaining benefits and troubleshooting issues. While assisting veteran students/dependents with financial aid and exemptions and available internal/external resources. Previous employment includes five years with The Texas Veterans Commission as a Veterans Career Advisor in Garland, and as a Veterans Employer Liaison with TVC. Sean’s primary responsibility is to contact businesses, contractors (including federal contractors), employer associations, chambers of commerce, local economic development partners and other entities to encourage hiring qualified Veterans. Sean served as a Non-Commissioned Officer in The United States Marine Corps for five years completing his obligation with an Honorable Discharge and meritorious promotion and commendation. He has an Associate’s Degree (A.S.) in Correctional Counseling from Eastern Oklahoma State College and a Bachelor’s Degree (B.A.) in Criminal Justice Administration from East Central University. Sean relocated to Garland, Texas in August 2005 from Taylor, Texas.
Monday, August 17th 3:00-4:00 PM
Using Federal Resources to Recruit, Retain and Diversify your Workforce
Presented by: Roxann Griffith
In this age of diversity and inclusion, employers are unsure of where to look for talent or how to build a pipeline to sustain the constant demands of their growing business. Once they find that talent, they wonder why it’s so hard to retain them. On average, the highest cost in the people department comes from the high attrition rates they face. At the US DOL, we have several programs that can help employers better recruit, retain and ultimately diversify their workforce. These programs and services are at NO COST to them and they are available nationwide. Roxann Griffith will discuss programs and services that may be of interest to the employers, discuss the unique attributes veterans bring to the table and the demographics that may matter to employers to help them better determine where to focus their efforts and spend their recruiting and training budget.
Roxann Griffith
Regional Veterans’ Employment Coordinator
United States Department of Labor
Roxann Griffith began serving as the Regional Veterans’ Employment Coordinator (Dallas Region) for the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) on June 29, 2015. Roxann provides employment resources and expertise through outreach to businesses, employer groups, veterans’ organizations, state workforce partners, and government agencies. Since taking this role, she has worked with companies like Amazon, Google, Fujitsu, Marriott, Mercuria, GM, Toyota, VISA, Sunbelt Rentals, FastPort, Service King, Southwest Airlines, Kohl’s, La Quinta, HMS, DART, Aramark, UPS, and FedEx. She has presented to the executive management of these organizations as well as their Human Resources staff in an effort to aid them in making more informed decisions when updating or changing their programs or rewriting their job descriptions to better target the veteran population. Roxann brings over 20 years of professional service as both a US Air Force veteran and the Assistant Regional Manager for the Texas Veterans Commission. Roxann began her USAF career as an Electrical Engineer but with career progression worked as a Supervisor, Personnel Reliability Program Certifier and Security Manager, and upon retirement in 2012, she was serving in the Operations Manager role for the largest Aircraft Maintenance Unit in the Air Force. Throughout her Air Force career, she supported both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. She received several decorations to include a Commendation Award from the Inspector General of the Department of Defense.