VETERAN WELCOME PACKET Welcome
WWE is proud to join NBCUniversal in hosting this year’s Veteran Career Panel and Networking Event in support of Hire Heroes USA as part of SummerSlam week in the community.
In addition to attending the Veteran Career Panel, veterans and military spouses will have the opportunity to network with executives from Tri-State Area companies and participate in career coaching workshops with Hire Heroes USA, WWE and LinkedIn. Our goal is to provide veterans with the resources and tools to successfully leverage their military service and job experience to effectively transition into or advance their civilian careers.
In addition to supporting organizations such as Hire Heroes USA, WWE’s support for the military and their families includes free tickets to live events for active-duty military, WWE Superstar visits to military bases and hospitals both at home and abroad, and our annual Tribute to the Troops celebration, now in its 14th year.
On behalf of WWE and our partners, thank you for volunteering your time to participate in what will surely be a terrific and impactful event. Event Schedule – Friday, August 19, 2016
Event Location: NBCUniversal, 30 Rockefeller Center, New York, New York – 11th Floor
8:00 AM: Veterans and Military Spouses Arrive Best entrance to enter 30 Rock is via the 49th Street entrance All event attendees are required to register with building security at Visitor Registration in the main lobby 30 Rock staff will be stationed in the lobby; feel free to ask them to direct you Once arriving at Visitor Registration, you will be required to show a valid ID and given a name tag From there, NBCU or Hire Heroes USA Staff will escort you to the 11th floor event space
9:00 AM: Panel Session Begins Val Nicholas, Vice President Multicultural Initiatives, NBC News Ryan Penagos, VP Social Media, Marvel Roger Sakowich, Deputy Assistant Chief, FDNY John Scheler, Vice President, Operations, WWE Nathan Smith, Chief Operations Officer, Hire Heroes USA Joyce Jelks, VP, HR New Jersey Devils & Prudential Center Byron Saxton, WWE Announcer (Moderator)
10:40 AM: Panel Session Ends
10:45 AM: Career Coaching Stations Begin Networking, Presented by HHUSA & WWE Interviewing, Presented by WWE Rock Your Profile, Presented by LinkedIn
12:30 PM Career Coaching Stations End
12:30 PM: Networking Opportunity, Lunch is served
1:30 PM: Event Concludes Panelist Bios Ryan Penagos, VP, Social Media, Marvel With a background in entertainment journalism, Ryan joined Marvel Entertainment in 2006 to help lead the company’s nascent efforts in digital content. Over the last decade, he’s been on the front lines of Marvel’s rise to pop culture dominance—launching and leading all of Marvel’s efforts on social media, launching successful podcasts, video series and more. As Vice President & Executive Editor for Marvel’s Digital Media Group, he’s dedicated to continuing Marvel’s 75-plus year legacy of amazing characters and incredible storytelling in new and exciting ways. He likes tacos, cute animals, and wrestling.
Val Nicholas, Vice President of Multicultural Initiatives, NBC News Val Nicholas is Vice President of Multicultural Initiatives at NBC News. Val is on the forefront of guiding on- air content and digital deliverables aimed at diverse audiences in both traditional and emerging formats. He is one of the founders of the NBCU Veterans Network and continues as its National Leader. Building consensus among entertainment industry and government groups, he is also a founding member of the Hiring Our Heroes and Got Your 6 veterans support initiatives, theGrio.com (an African American news site), NBCBLK.com and NBCOut.com. Val’s career in Television spans both Broadcast and Cable. Within NBC, Val is credited with invigorating creative staff and developing an acclaimed approach to innovation. Val has been with NBC since 1998 with a brief break in 2000 to work with ABC’s Creative Department. The recipient of 24 Emmy nominations and winner of seven, he was the developer and producer of Snap.com (commercial spot), which also won the prestigious international Best Commercial in the World award and AdWeek’s Best Commercial of the Year. Val graduated with a BA with Distinction from California State University and served in the US Army Signal Corps of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment.
John Scheler, Vice President of Operations, WWE John is the Vice President of Operations for the Talent, Live Events and Creative department at the WWE. In this role, he helps manage a global live events business conducting over 500 shows a year, as well as, both main and developmental rosters consisting of over 180 talent. Prior to the WWE, John was a Vice President at JPMorgan Chase working in the New York, Chicago and Hong Kong offices in a variety of banking, strategy and product roles. Before entering the private sector, John was a Captain in the United States Marine Corps. John received his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and his BA from Northwestern University. Panelist Bios Roger Sakowich, Deputy Assistant Chief, FDNY Sakowich is a 32-year veteran of the Department. He began his career at Engine 44 in Manhattan in 1984 and has risen through the ranks serving as a Lieutenant, Captain and Chief in Manhattan and Staten Island. He is September 11th first responder and currently oversees the daily fire operations in the borough of Manhattan.
Nate Smith, Chief Operations Officer, Hire Heroes USA Nathan Smith graduated with distinction from the Virginia Military Institute in 2003 with a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies and Political Science. Following his commissioning as a Second Lieutenant in the US Marine Corps, he served as an Infantry Officer in rifle and weapons platoon commander billets during two deployments in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM from 2005 to 2007, where he was twice decorated for exceptional performance in combat. After deployment, Mr. Smith assumed duties as a strategic weapons guard platoon commander and a Recapture Tactics Team commander at Marine Corps Security Force Battalion, Bangor, Washington.
Mr. Smith completed seven years of service in the Marine Corps in May 2010 and immediately assumed the position of Deputy Director at Hire Heroes USA; he was promoted to Executive Director in 2011 and to Chief Operations Officer in 2012.
Joyce Jelks, Vice President, Human Resources, Prudential Center and New Jersey Devils. Since joining the organization in March 2016, she has driven the continued growth of the organization’s dynamic culture. In a short amount of time, Jelks has worked alongside senior leadership, to increase and develop employee engagement, with a focus on the company’s priorities to attract, recruit and retain top talent.
She spent over three years at Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment (Barclays Center, Brooklyn Nets and New York Islanders) and was promoted to Vice President of Human Resources. Prior to joining the Nets, Jelks served as a Reservist on active duty tour(s) in United States Army Reserves. Upon completing the Army ROTC program at the University of Toledo, she joined the Officer Corps at the rank of Second Lieutenant serving on active duty in the Adjutant General branch. Jelks went on to serve at United States Southern Command in multiple positions and continues to specialize in Army Human Resources. Networking Employers
The last portion of the day’s event will be the networking opportunity, where employers from the following organizations will be available to speak with you about current positions and career opportunities: