Veterans Job Fair and Employer Success Summit

(The Event will be two parts. )

Veteran Job Fair

9:00-11:00 AM

The morning will begin be a Virtual Veteran Job Fair focus on Veterans.

Veterans would you like to connect with Employers in West Michigan for potential employment opportunities? Are you currently underemployed and looking for a career change? Register for the Virtual Veterans Job Fair that will be held from 9:00AM – 11:00AM online with over 20 employers that are currently seeking to fill open positions. Veterans will have an opportunity to meet privately with employers to discuss employment opportunities.”

Employer Summit

The afternoon session will focus on education for Employers about Veterans and how they can can increase successful employment for Veterans and transitioning military.

SHRM Professional Development

There will be four sessions during this event. Each session is worth one Professional Development Credit (PDC).

4 PDC for the event.

Agenda

12:00 pm – 12:05 pm Welcome

12:05 pm – 12:50 pm Veteran Employee Association Panel

The Veteran Employee Associations assist employers in creating a positive environment to better understand the military mind-set and help Veteran’s transitioning into the civilian workplace better understand their work environment. The panel will allow employers to establish collaboration between employers and Veteran employees.

Panelist – Brandi McBride, Talent Acquisition Consultant, SpartanNash

Brandi McBride is a Talent Acquisition Consultant for SpartanNash in Byron Center, recruiting for military distribution roles in a few different states. She also leads the company’s military outreach and hiring efforts and Chairs the company associate resource group for veterans. She has a diverse background in veteran employment initiatives, talent acquisition, food service, executive support, and event planning. Prior to her corporate role at SpartanNash, Brandi hired a manufacturing team and created an HR department for a start-up business in Grand Rapids, MOVE Systems. Brandi is also familiar with the non-profit world, as the Veteran Employment Manager at Goodwill Industries of Greater Grand Rapids and the Veteran Employment Project Manager at TALENT 2025 before that. Brandi is also a decorated combat veteran, winning Officer of the Year five times during her 8 years in the Air Force in North Carolina, Virginia, and Germany. She completed an overseas tour in the United Arab Emirates in 2004 and a combat tour as a Combat Support and Mortuary Commander in Iraq in 2005. She is originally from Texas and earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Baylor University where she was a Distinguished Graduate from the ROTC program. Brandi founded the Grand Rapids Chapter for Team Red, White and Blue (RWB) in 2014, where she was the Team Captain for 2 years. She was appointed by the Governor of Michigan and served on the Michigan Veteran Emergency Trust Fund Board from 2016-2018 and has served on the Armed Forces Thanksgiving Committee since its first year in 2016. Brandi has been involved with the West Michigan Veteran’s Coalition since 2012 and took over as Chairperson in 2019

Panelist – Jason Bos, Davenport University Representative

Jason Bos, speaking on behalf of our Veteran graduates entering into the workplace. Specifically, the challenges Veterans face (from a recent graduate perspective) when entering into the workforce.

Jason Bos served in the U.S. Army as a Military Police Officer and Canine Handler for more than 8 years. He served overseas for 3 years in both hostile and combat related countries. After retiring from the U.S. Army as a Staff Sergeant (E-6) due to a service related injury, he attended Davenport University and earned a BBA in Management. Jason is currently finishing a Master’s Degree in Management.

As a Partnership Manager of Military & College of Business at Davenport University, Jason supports all DU campuses to increase enrollment. In his role, Jason works with all military students and he assists with educational benefits and military service transcripts.

Other Presenters TBD

1:00 pm – 1:50 pm Understanding Culture to Promote Inclusion (including Veterans)

To get workplace diversity and inclusion right, you need to build a culture where everyone feels valued and heard. How can you make diversity and inclusion a personal priority? Being able to identify our differences and look for what unites us, equips individuals and leaders for more rich and dynamic interactions. When it comes to fostering diversity & inclusion (D&I) in the workplace, campaigns for hiring veterans are an absolute must-have. When employees who are different from their colleagues flourish, the company benefits from their ideas, skills and engagement. Learn to demonstrate a deeper curiosity for the culture around you.

Facilitator, Kinita Schripsema, CEO of Seema Global Consulting, LLC

Kinita is an experienced facilitator and coach with expertise in leadership development, cultural education, and transformational coaching both in the USA and overseas. Kinita’s desire to promote inclusion and encourage, equip, and empower individuals to grow and build diverse communities allows her to passionately teach and coach others. Kinita is Founder and CEO of Seema Global Consulting, LLC. In addition, she is a motivational speaker, cultural consultant, published author, and a Professional Facilitator for Davenport University Institute of Professional Excellence.

2:00 pm – 2:50 pm Supporting Veterans with Emotional Intelligence

Veterans’ transitions from the military to the civilian workforce is not always seamless. Learn more about Emotional intelligence (EQ) and why EQ is an important professional survival tool for a veteran to develop to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges, and defuse conflict. Empower your veteran employees to make stable decisions and get results through effective communication by managing emotions.

Facilitator: Kevin Jurek, Owner, Organizational Improvement Solutions

Kevin Jurek is the owner of Organizational Improvement Solutions in Rockford, MI. He has been in the training/development field for more than 15 years. During that time, he has led large-scale projects to develop leadership competency models and the curriculum and programs to support them. His programs have been delivered throughout the U.S. and Canada. Kevin’s training specialties include communication skills, problem solving skills, change management, servant leadership, organizational culture identification/development, and team dynamics. Kevin is a nationally certified facilitator for many of the major training organizations in America.

3:00 pm – 3:50 pm Military Culture Awareness and Suicide Prevention

Veterans do not live, work, and serve in isolation. The issue of suicide in the U.S. also affects the Veteran population. Many Veterans don’t show any signs. In honoring the men and women who are America’s Veterans, we need to understand the military culture and learn more about potential experiences with suicidal thoughts and behaviors, treatment options, self-help tools, and resources to help Veterans reconnect and find hope.

Facilitators: Lindsey Cord, Suicide Prevention Coordinator, Battle Creek VA Medical Center & Leslie Elliott, Senior HR Business Partner, Davenport University

Lindsey Cord, LMSW, BCD

Lindsey Cord is Board Certified Clinical Social Worker and currently employed as a Suicide Prevention Coordinator with the Battle Creek VA Medical Center. She graduated with her Master’s in Social Work from Western Michigan University in 2008. She has a multitude of experience with providing clinical assessment, evidenced based mental health treatment and performing crisis interventions with individuals of all ages. She also has significant experience with providing clinical consultation and training for multi-disciplinary staff. Since 2015, Lindsey has been a part of the Suicide Prevention Team with the Battle Creek VA and works directly with Veterans who have been identified to be at an elevated risk for suicide. A large part of her role is to provide Suicide Prevention Gate Keeper training, while building and maintaining partnerships in the community. Lindsey also serves in the Michigan Army National Guard as a Behavioral Health Officer within the 177th Military Police Brigade in Taylor, Michigan.

Leslie Elliott, Sr. HR Business Partner – Davenport University

Leslie is a dynamic leader offering 20 years of extensive Human Resources leadership in logistics, manufacturing, service, automotive, electronics, and sales. She is an expert communicator and negotiator with strong conflict resolution and time management skills. Her skills in recruitment, retention, employee relations, labor relations, compensation, benefits, performance management, and leadership development bring expertise and compassion to all the team members she supports.

3:50 pm – 4:10 pm Closing Remarks