Transition Connection Brings Together Job Seekers, Industry
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WEDNESDAY Transition Connection Brings Together Job Seekers, Industry BY VICKY UHLAND, CORRESPONDENT In the three years that Navy Lt. j.g. Sarena Padilla and Eric Padilla have been married, they’ve lived in four different states. Sarena Navy Lt. j.g. has changed her career from a nuclear officer Sarena Padilla to a meteorology and oceanography research and Eric Padilla officer, which necessitated the moves. But participate in now that she’s ensconced at the U.S. National Transition Con- Ice Center in Suitland, Maryland, the couple is nection, a first- looking to settle down. And that means a more time hiring event permanent job for Eric. held on Aug. 3. CREDIT: Solares Eric, who has a physics and engineering back- Photography ground, took advantage of Sea-Air-Space’s inaugural Transition Connection hiring event on Tuesday. Military members, spouses and civilians had the opportunity to interact with more than a dozen companies, and were also able to upload their resumes and chat with potential employers at Transition Connection. “I’ve had contract jobs during our marriage, ther my career,” said Eric, who’s interested in Lamanna estimated that about 75% of the peo- but it’s been hard to find opportunities to fur- space-oriented work. “It’s been great to be able ple who sent her resumes are either planning to talk to potential employers about my career or thinking about transitioning out of the intentions.” military to civilian life. AUG. 4, 2021 Employers said there has been plenty of inter- Navy Lt. Cmdr. Collin Fox is one of those est in their companies. Gianna Lamanna of potential transitioners. Fox, who has served 2 Diversity and Inclusion Manassas, Virginia-based Hepburn and Sons for 17 years, most recently in the Navy Foreign said her company, which does advisory work Area, comes from a military family. Both his 3 Congressional Panel for the maritime industry, received about 150 father and grandfather served, and Fox is cer- tainly open to continuing his career after he 10 Command Booth Presentations resumes through the Transition Connection portal prior to the hiring event. She and her hits the 20-year mark. But Transition Connec- 12-16 Exhibit Hall Bill Lewis colleague conducted back-to-back tion gave him opportunity to evaluate civilian job interviews throughout the day. career options as well. 22 EOD Mission Expands “I do a lot of writing, so I’m interested in jobs “We really appreciate the opportunity to meet that involve analysis and concept develop- with so many people,” Lamanna said. “To have ment,” he said. a [show like Sea-Air-Space] with a connected hiring event is unique.” »» TRANSITION, Page 2 Diversity Helps Foster Warfighting Readiness, Panelists Say BY VICKY UHLAND, CORRESPONDENT Less than 30% of youth today are available for military service, said Michelle Godfrey, senior advisor for diversity and inclusion, U.S. Coast Guard. As the nation becomes more diverse, one of the keys to attracting and retaining that scarce talent is to foster equity and inclusion efforts, said Godfrey and other panelists during the Aug. 3 session on Inclusion and Diversity as a Force Multiplier. “The data backs it up — the more diverse team you have, the higher your performance,” God- frey said. In the Navy, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts help foster warfighting readiness, said Vice Adm. John Nowell Jr., deputy chief of naval operations for manpower, personnel, training and education and chief of naval per- sonnel. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. A.T. Williamson, right, says the service is modernizing how it manages and recruits talent. NAVY LEAGUE / Lisa Nipp “If you want to outfight the enemy, you have to outthink them, and the way you do that is by leveraging diverse and inclusive leadership,” The Coast Guard has a DEI action plan with 36 “We’re fighting to attract talent,” Smith said. he said. distinct actions, Godfrey said. The organiza- “We’re spending money in places we haven’t tion has completed a women’s retention study before.” Nowell said the Navy is currently implement- and expects a study to be published this month ing 56 recommendations from a DEI task force. on recruitment and retention of underrepre- In terms of equity, only some companies can For instance, recruiters now look at applicants’ sented minorities. In April, the Coast Guard perform jobs like shipbuilding, Smith pointed whole personality rather than just quantifi- deployed a virtual mentoring program that out. But the Department of the Navy is commit- able measures like SATs. Navy leader trainer helps foster DEI efforts. Close to 1,000 people ted to doing a better job of enforcing how those development is taking DEI into account and have signed up for the program’s mentoring companies are distributing funding to their is looking at bias in terms of decision science. app, she said. subcontractors. Navy classrooms are also using a bias mitiga- tion tool. The key, Nowell said, is to use data The Coast Guard also offers tools on how to “We need to change our bias from always going analytics while still being able to rely on intu- have DEI conversations, Godfrey said. It’s to certain places to get certain things done,” he ition as well. trained more than 100 diversity and inclusion said. “We need to create more competition. At change agents, who offer coaching for various the end of the day, it’s all about fairness.” The Marine Corps is modernizing its manpow- DEI situations. Performance appraisals also All of the speakers emphasized that DEI efforts er system, including talent management, said include diversity and inclusion competency. Brig. Gen. A.T. Williamson, director, Manpow- encompass more than just race, religion, age er Plans & Policy Division, U.S. Marine Corps. The Department of the Navy has exceeded its and sexuality. They also include factors like Along with ethnic inclusivity, diversity of social and economic DEI goals for the past six inclusivity of education and viewpoints, and thought, experience and background also helps years, said Jimmy Smith, director, Office of diversity of thought and problem-solving. build a cohort of inclusive teams, he said. Small Business Programs, Department of the Smith believes DEI initiatives should be deeply Navy. During the last fiscal year, it spent $17.3 The Marine Corps is currently working on and personal as well. “Being a father of three girls, billion on small businesses that were in diverse there are things women in our workforce go vetting a DEI framework, Williamson said. It’s socioeconomic categories, he said. It’s also also conducting a survey to see if there’s bias through today that I never want to see my girls working with historically black colleges and ever have to go through,” he said. within the personnel evaluation system, and universities on recruitment efforts. asking questions about inclusion during exit surveys. be,” she said. “I had someone tell me today shi, who works in marine engineering, moved Transition how anxious they are.” to the United States from India four months »» Page 1 ago. He found the Transition Connection Amazon is committed to hiring 100,000 mili- event on LinkedIn and decided to attend with At the Amazon booth, one of the recruiters tary veterans and spouses by 2024, Caballero his wife, Afroz Indorewla, a health informa- had firsthand experience in moving from said. The company currently employs more tion management student at Northern Virgin- military to civilian life. Madeleine Caballero than 43,000 veterans and spouses in areas such ia Community College. served in the Army for two and a half years as operations, human resources, safety, onsite before retiring for medical reasons. medical facilities and Amazon Web Services. “This is the first job fair I’ve been to since I moved to the U.S.,” Munshi said. “I’ve found “I understand how hard the transition can Not all of the job seekers at Transition Con- many opportunities in my industry.” nection were military, however. Faisal Mun- PAGE 2 SEAPOWER AT SEA-AIR-SPACE | A publication of Navy League of the United States AUG. 4, 2021 FOR NEXT-GEN THREATS, A NEXT-GEN DESTROYER. Photo illustration of U.S. Navy photo. The new Flight III Arleigh Burke-class DDG is precisely what our nation needs. Its AN/SPY-6 Air and Missile Defense Radar, or AMDR, is a true game-changer that can protect against a variety of threats, including ballistic missiles. It has an advanced power generation suite designed to accommodate the demands of the latest weapons systems, including lasers. And at a time when combatant commanders need all the extra firepower they can get, the Flight III DDG is the only way to get more missile tubes on-scene quickly and affordably. All in a reliable hull design tested and proven over the last 30 years. COME LEARN MORE AT BOOTH #1323 HUNTINGTONINGALLS.COM Congressional Panel: CR Looking Imminent Through Spring BY OTTO KREISHER, CORRESPONDENT As Congress struggles over whether to in- crease the defense budget top line above the administration’s basically flat request, a panel Rear Admiral of experts Aug. 3 voiced fears that a congres- John sional stalemate will result in an extended Gumbleton continuing resolution with its massive impact answers on proposed new or increased procurement questions from the and the consequences of failing to meet rising moderator operations and maintenance costs. during the “There is no good news with a CR [continuing Congressional Breakfast. resolution],” said Rear Adm. John Gumbleton, (CREDIT: deputy assistant Navy Secretary for Budget. Solares He highlighted the inability to enact planned Photography) new production or increases over existing lev- els and said the “worst part” was that it would block necessary increases in operations and maintenance costs, which would require cuts in Sailors and Marines.