In a time where literally every CEO we talk to tells us that major global events challenge their business strategy more so than ever, the ability to attract and retain veterans and military spouses, and build a system for doing so, is a true strategic advantage for any organization. It is so important to honor our veterans, but it is also imperative to hire, support, and train.
Thayer co-hosts this annual event at Nasdaq Marketsite on Veteran’s Day to recognize the value of veterans and share best practices for how organizations can support the military, veterans, and their families. Using the 13 categories of support identified by Thayer Leadership in 2016, each year’s event tackles a different category as the theme to guide the event agenda.
This highly anticipated event brings together military and corporate leaders to share, network, and inspire each other on how to best support veterans and military families. Ringing the Opening or Closing Bell at Nasdaq is a memorable part of this event.
Succession Planning – FROM THE MILITARY PLAYBOOK
In 2024, we hosted our 12th Annual Veterans Day event at the crossroads of America in Times Square, New York City, at the Nasdaq Marketsite. The Nasdaq Opening Bell Ceremony spotlighted the 2024 Patriots in Business Award honorees – Werner, USAA, First Command, RecruitMilitary, and Scrum Inc. – and celebrated the importance of Veterans Day. A robust panel discussion moderated by Dan Bigman, Editor and Chief Content Officer at Chief Executive Group, touched on each honoree’s experiences and best practices for leadership succession planning by tapping into the military talent in their organizations. The event concluded with an inspiring keynote speech by BG (Ret.) Maureen LeBoeuf, Ed.D. about her family’s extensive connection to the military and how veterans are well suited to step into any leadership role upon transition or retirement from the military.
CSX and Salute Mission Critical were honored with the 2023 Patriots in Business Award by Chief Executive Group and Thayer Leadership. This set the stage for a rich panel discussion about how to capitalize on military talent within your organization with Bryan Tucker, VP of Corporate Communications at CSX, Erich Sanchack, CEO of Salute Mission Critical, Bret Lowry, Managing Director at Academy Securities, and James Hendon, Commissioner of NYC Department of Veterans’ Services.
Marshall Cooper, CEO of Chief Executive Group, presented the 2022 Patriots in Business Award to Johnson & Johnson and GuidePoint Security as the Large Enterprise and Medium-Sized Business honorees. Thayer Co-President Dan Rice and COL (Ret.) Lee Van Arsdale joined in a rich dialogue about leadership lessons from Ukraine. The conversation touched upon powerful and engaging takeaways of leadership from the front lines of the War in Ukraine, since Dan Rice was a Special Advisor to the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The day ended with the Nasdaq Closing Bell Ceremony where Thayer Leadership rang the bell in partnership with AmeriVet Securities.
Thayer Co-President, Dan Rice, and Children of Fallen Patriots Founder, David Kim, shared how organizations can better support Gold Star Children, whose parent made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. LTG Darryl A. Williams, 60th Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, gave an inspiring message about how West Point and the Army identify, build, and test leaders who excel and the next generation of leaders. His message set the tone for a robust panel discussion with Ben Biles, CEO of American Veterans Group, Chris Cortez, Vice President Military Affairs at Microsoft, and Dan Goldenberg, VP Corporate Social Responsibility at Activision Blizzard, who shared tangible ways organizations can capitalize on military talent. USAA, Bristol Myers Squibb, Greencastle, and Principle Services, were recognized for their veteran and military initiatives as the 2021 Patriots in Business Award Honorees, presented in partnership with Chief Executive Group. 33rd Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army and Thayer Faculty, GEN (Ret.) Dennis Reimer, concluded the event with an impactful keynote speech, sharing how leaders can find their purpose and leave a legacy.
Mike Krzyzewski (aka: Coach K), Former Men’s Basketball Head Coach for Duke University, shared how to lead and motivate teams through challenges using his military training at West Point and time as Head Coach of USA Men’s Basketball Team and at Duke University. MG (Ret.) Linda Singh, Ph.D., CEO of Kaleidoscope Affect LLC and Leader-in-Residence at Towson University, Ken Lamneck, President and CEO of Insight, and Dan Streetman, CEO of TIBCO Software, Inc., joined for a panel discussion centered around Veteran Support Initiatives. The event concluded with a fireside chat between Thayer Co-President, Dan Rice, and Thayer faculty, BG (Ret.) Bernie Banks, Ph.D., focused on diversity from the military to the boardroom.
One of Thayer’s Co-Founder, Bill Murdy, moderated a panel with U.S. Military Academy Superintendent, LTG Darryl Williams, and United States Naval Academy Superintendent VADM Sean Buck. The trio discussed the challenges and opportunities at our military academies, their personal leadership advice, and how corporations can develop future leaders by bridging the gap between the military and civilian sectors. The panel concluded with a fun fast-round of questions about the upcoming Army-Navy football game. U.S. Secretary of Defense, Mark Esper, rang the Nasdaq Closing Bell, while both Superintendents joined him at the podium and presented him with a signed Army-Navy football.
The Nasdaq Opening Bell was rung by LTG Darryl Williams, 60th Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Following the Bell ceremony, Chief Executive Group’s Editor in Chief, Dan Bigman, led a leadership roundtable discussion about how today’s executives can develop the next generation of America’s business leaders. View the video recap here.
Doug Harward, CEO of Training Industry, and Dan Rice, Co-President of Thayer Leadership, partnered for a ‘Behind the Bell’ interview with Nasdaq to reflect on the importance of hiring and training service members and their families. A roundtable discussion on veterans hiring was then led by Hiring Our Heroes President, Eric Eversole, with a robust discussion about the state of the veterans hiring environment and unique challenges facing veterans’ families. The Nasdaq Closing Bell was rung with 50 Chairmen, CEOs, and Presidents who raised their hands pledging to hire more veterans for their companies during the next year.
Thayer Leadership CEO, Rick Minicozzi, was invited for a ‘Behind the Bell’ interview with Nasdaq to discuss the importance of Veterans Day. During the Veterans Day event, Thayer shared 13 categories of support companies can provide to veterans and their families and encouraged all CEOs as part of the Veterans Day event to adopt or enhance their Veteran Initiatives and share publicly using #vetsdayceochallenge. In partnership with the Association for Talent Development, we published a special supplement of TD Magazine, sharing best practices from organizations that are trailblazers in recruiting, developing, and supporting veterans and active duty military.