Besa PinchottiChief Executive Officer, National Military Family AssociationBesa Pinchotti is Chief Executive Officer of the National Military Family Association (NMFA), which works with families to identify and solve the unique challenges of military life. Besa was drawn to NMFA’s mission to support the families who serve alongside those in uniform and has held leadership positions at the Association since 2013.Besa is an award-winning journalist and marketer whose passion for our military began during her time as a reporter and television news anchor. From Jacksonville, North Carolina, to Austin, Texas, and Eastern Europe, her assignments opened her eyes to the military experience of service members and their families. She covered post-9/11 deployments, war casualties, and highly contentious Congressional hearings about the unanticipated impacts of military life, including the lasting effects of toxic exposure on our military bases.A nationally recognized expert on military families, Besa speaks at events and to the press around the country and internationally about the military family experience. She has been featured on CNN, CBS News, NBC News, Military Times, Military.com, NPR and more. She was named a Military Spouse Influencer to Watch by Military Spouse Magazine in 2021. In 2022, she spoke at the First Lady’s Luncheon and launched a partnership with the Congressional Club to support military spouses pursuing careers in public affairs and government. She has co-chaired The Military Coalition’s Communication Committee, representing 35 organizations advocating for service members, veterans, and their families. During her tenure at NMFA, the Association expanded programming for military kids, incorporated Bloom: Empowering the Military Teen into NMFA’s portfolio, and she gave feedback to the Quality of Life Panel of the House Armed Services Committee.To amplify NMFA’s work for military families, Besa works with leaders around the world to recognize the service and support of America’s military families. Most recently, she met with the Prime Minister of Kosovo, who wanted to publicly thank America’s military families for their sacrifices in ensuring his country’s freedom and independence. While in Eastern Europe, Besa was also honored with the Elena Gjika award for her philanthropic work and the Madeline Albright award for her support of military families in the United States and freedom abroad.During the five years Besa spent reporting on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, she met her husband, a now medically retired Marine Corps veteran, and started her own military family.Besa graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Journalism and a Business minor. She also received a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, where she focused her degree on the social, scientific, and humanistic dimensions of today’s world.

Company Website: https://www.militaryfamily.org/

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/besapinchotti/

Mary Lamparter

Community Volunteer, Entrepreneur, and Investor

Founder, Defense Corridor Center for Collaboration and Synergy (DC3S) (Michigan)

Mary Lamparter is a dedicated community volunteer with a lifelong commitment to supporting military service members and their families. Throughout her career, she has held a variety of impactful roles, including serving as Vice President of Family Programs for the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), Arsenal of Democracy Chapter.

Mary has actively contributed to organizations such as the Fallen and Wounded Soldiers Fund and Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, raising critical funds to support military families across Michigan. Her volunteer work extends to several other military-focused initiatives that assist returning service members in securing employment, building careers, and supporting their families as they transition to civilian life.

In addition to her volunteer work, Mary is the Co-Founder of the Defense Corridor Center for Collaboration and Synergy (DC3S), a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening Michigan’s defense industry by fostering collaboration and expanding opportunities for local businesses in the defense sector.

Website: https://www.dc3s.com/contact/

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-lamparter-17504243/

David HunnPresident and CEO The SkillSource Group

David Hunn is a focused and seasoned executive who is intent on delivering local public services in an efficient and cost effective manner. He is an optimistic, dedicated, persistent, entrepreneurial and value getting things done.

David concurrently serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the SkillSource Group, Inc. a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, located in Vienna, Virginia. He started this organization and grew it to the current size of twenty one staff with an annual FY 2024 budget exceeding $12 million, and fully support an additional 31 affiliated staff and contractors associated with their certified American Jobs Centers. With their combined programs, they have over 150 people on their biweekly payroll.

David offers four decades as a senior non-profit executive, as well as very responsible positions in nonprofit, county and federal government service. Having recognized expertise in workforce development, education, and human services, he brings substantial experiences with program implementation, resource and funds development, budgeting, and financial management, along with serving and reporting to a nonprofit Board of Directors. He takes great pride in building, managing, and sustaining a professional staff that functions at a high level in delivering valued services to the community.Beyond his current role as President and CEO, he serves as a bridge builder among multiple partner organizations and stakeholders, which include private employers, universities, unions, community-based organizations, and public agencies.

His program success, best measured through partner collaboration and the organizational growth of SkillSource, is reflective of his collaborative philosophy. SkillSource and the Virginia Career Works Northern Region are complex organizations with multiple funding streams, Federal and State regulatory authorities and oversight responsibilities. He is directly responsible for building and monitoring strategic partnerships among an array of organizations to assure effective delivery of services while also sustaining strong relationships with Federal, State, local, corporate, and philanthropic funding organizations. For example, the SkillSource Group, Inc. has earned a 2024 Platinum designation from Candid and GuideStar, the nonprofit organization directory, for their commitment to transparency in addition to a 4-Star rating from Charity Navigator for 2023.LinkedIn Profile: ⁠

https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidhunn/⁠

SkillSource Website: https://www.skillsource.org/​

Michael MacDonald

Former Senator Michigan State Senate (Michigan)

Michael MacDonald served as a member of the Michigan Senate, representing the 10th district from January 1, 2019, to January 1, 2023. While in the Michigan Senate, he served on several committees including Appropriations, Health Policy and Human Services, Appropriations Subcommittee on Community Health/Human Services, Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government, Economic and Small Business Development, Appropriations Subcommittee on Licensing and Regulatory Affairs/Insurance and Financial Services, Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Appropriations Subcommittee on Universities and Community Colleges.

Before being elected to the state senate, Dr. MacDonald worked in the health care field as an exercise physiologist and personal trainer for nearly 10 years before obtaining a Doctoral Degree in Health Care Administration in 2015. Michael MacDonald serves as vice president of the Michigan Air Force Association, as a board member of the Friends of Macomb Township Foundation, and as a Clinton Township Kiwanis Club member. Today, Michael continues to focus on serving the State of Michigan through several innovative projects to create jobs, educate and train workers, and spur economic development.

Mike has the unique distinction of being the Co-founder of Michigan's first-ever bi-partisan aerospace and defense caucus as well as being the host of the MI Senate Memorial Ceremony in all his years as a Senator.

LinkedIn Profile: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-michael-d-macdonald-mba-dha-23b26259/⁠

Johnny Taylor - Vice President of Job Corps Operations Serrato Corporation (Kansas)

Johnny is a team player with the ability to motivate others and build strong teams that collaborate to achieve desired outcomes. With nearly 30 years of experience in Job Corps, he is an established leader who spent his career helping and coaching young people. He began his career in teaching before making the transition to Job Corps.

Johnny discusses how if grew up in a single-parent home following the death of his father with 7 kids. His journey of survival and success culminates in an interesting conversation about his personal and professional growth.

During this interview, Johnny also explains his accidental entrance into working with Job Corps programs. Early on, he pioneered new programs to advance initiatives in youth programs that helped to elevate student outcomes.

Through the conversation, Johnny provides an insightful overview of the U.S. Job Corps program and how Job Corps is impacting young people and workforce development around the country. Job Corps is the nation’s largest free, residential career training and education program for low-income young adults ages 16 through 24. With 10 industries to pick from and countless careers to explore, Job Corps has an opportunity for anyone ready to work hard and grow. For over 60 years, Job Corps has helped thousands of students pave their path to success.

Johnny’s success in developing effective workforce programs across the country is paving a path for helping young people achieve their career goals.

Company Website: https://serratocorp.com/

U.S. Job Corps Website: https://www.jobcorps.gov

Ron Lamparter, Entrepreneur, Inventor, and Investor Founder, Defense Corridor Center for Collaboration and Synergy (DC3S) (Michigan)

Ron Lamparter is a Native Detroiter born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. He attended Detroit Public Schools before graduating from Wayne University with a degree in Engineering.

Ron is a Serial Entrepreneur having Founded and served as Chairman and CEO for over 20 different companies. He has also been awarded over 100 patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Many of the companies built were technology-based industrial-type operations. He credits his business success to the effective “collaboration and synergy” created with other people and companies. He retired at the age of 49 but continued to remain active within the community and investments.

From his early roots in Michigan and his strong sense of patriotism, Ron views the State of Michigan as a global leader and as a “center of excellence” for many different technologies.

One of his most recent projects was the conversion of 135,000 square feet of space at his 10-acre headquarters into a state-of-the-art R&D, testing, and technology complex, now home to more than 35 companies. He created a nonprofit named the Defense Corridor Center for Collaboration and Synergy (DC3S), with the goal of drawing and enhancing defense opportunities for Michigan-based firms.

The facility is complete with a virtual simulation lab, a 48-seat amphitheater, an exhibit and work space for large military vehicles, multipurpose rooms, a fully equipped kitchen, and numerous other amenities. Throughout the complex, large framed posters adorn nearly every hallway. Each one touts Michigan’s military manufacturing prowess.

The facility serves as a bridge connecting the region’s military accomplishments — from the Ford Rouge Plant in Dearborn, which manufactured Eagle boats for use during World War I, to the Ford Willow Run factory, which produced B-24 Liberator bombers at the rate of one aircraft per hour during World War II — to a future marked by opportunity and uncertainty. DC3S provides small- and medium-sized companies access to technologies they could never afford in the marketplace.

As a pioneer, inventor, entrepreneur, investor, and community leader, Ron continues to have a huge impact on Detroit and the State of Michigan. His lifetime of innovation and legacy will continue to shape the future of the state for many generations.

Website: https://www.dc3s.com/contact/

Robert M. Dyer, Mayor, Virginia Beach (Virginia)

Mayor Bobby Dyer was sworn in on Nov. 20, 2018, and is the first veteran to be directly elected as mayor in Virginia Beach history. Prior to that, he represented the Centerville District on the City Council for 14 years.

Dyer is a physical therapist. Positions he's held in the past include healthcare executive, business consultant, and assistant professor in the School of Government at Regent University.

Dyer served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1968 to 1972. In 1976, he earned a bachelor's degree in physical therapy from Saint Louis University and in 1982, a master's in public administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He earned his Ph.D. in organizational leadership from Regent University in 2001.

He currently serves as the City Council liaison to the Bikeways and Trails Advisory Committee, the Clean Community commission, the Community Services Board, the Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance, the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, the Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Commission, the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization, the Human Rights Commission, the Open Space Advisory Committee, and the Process Improvement Steering Committee, which he initiated.

Dyer and his wife, Trish, live in the Lake Christopher section of the Centerville District and have two children and four grandchildren.

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayor-bobby-dyer-a570361a3/

Website: https://virginiabeach.gov/city-hall/mayors-office

Dr. Francis Cole, Former Regional Director, Office of Job Corps, U.S. Department of Labor (Washington DC)Dr. Francis Cole is an Executive Chef by training who learned about the U.S. Job Corps program through his employer. He volunteered through his company to help build a Culinary Arts program at Job Corps and was hooked on the idea of assisting young people to learn the culinary industry at a high level.

Throughout his career, Dr. Cole refined his expertise in Business Leadership and Management. When he decided to shift from the private industry to working at Job Corps and the U.S. Department of Labor, his career journey led to him reaching a leadership role in the nation’s largest free, residential career training and education program for low-income young adults ages 16 through 24. With 10 industries to pick from and countless careers to explore, Job Corps has an opportunity for anyone ready to work hard and grow. For over 60 years, Job Corps has helped thousands of students pave their path to success.

Dr. Cole has operated at the forefront of thought and innovation as our nation continues working to figure out improvements in workforce development. In this interview, Dr. Cole explores his business and career philosophies that help organizations build a better program.

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francis-s-cole-ph-d-b7498b13/

Robin Lovewell, Workforce Administrator, City of Colorado Springs (Colorado)

Robin Lovewell is a Certified Workforce Development Professional (CWDP) with 15+ years of experience in workforce development (businesses and job seekers), human resources, and military relations.

She is known and trusted by the business, human resources, and military communities in the Pikes Peak region and beyond and currently serves as the Mayor of Colorado Springs’ representative for all workforce development initiatives including K - 12, business retention and expansion, and military/veterans/military spouses.

She previously served as the Human Resources Supervisor for the American Team at the U.S. Embassy, Abu Dhabi, was a business/military relations specialist at the Pikes Peak Workforce Center (an American Job Center) for 5+ years, and worked in the U.S. Department of Labor Transition Assistance Program for 7+ years, helping active duty military and their spouses transition to the civilian workforce. She is a proud military spouse of 25 years and, after living in various locations around the globe, she is extremely grateful to call the City of Colorado Springs and the beautiful Pikes Peak region home!

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinlovewell/

Website: https://coloradosprings.gov/

William Houston, Vice President of Job Corps Operations Serrato Corporation (Ohio)

William is an expert professional and business leader with several decades of management experience. He is a former high school football standout who also played football at The Ohio State University football team. He began his career as an educator and has committed his professional career to helping young adults become better prepared through workforce development and training initiatives.

During this interview, William connects the dots between his disciplined training as a high level athlete to his workforce coaching and student advocacy. Through the conversation, William provides an insightful overview of the U.S. Job Corps program and how Job Corps is impacting young people and workforce development around the country. Job Corps is the nation’s largest free, residential career training and education program for low-income young adults ages 16 through 24. With 10 industries to pick from and countless careers to explore, Job Corps has an opportunity for anyone ready to work hard and grow. For over 60 years, Job Corps has helped thousands of students pave their path to success.

William’s success in developing effective workforce programs across the country is paving a path for helping young people achieve their career goals.

Company Website: https://serratocorp.com/

U.S. Job Corps Website: https://www.jobcorps.gov/