Halfaker & Associates

News

February 2010

Halfaker and Associates’ CEO Speaks at the First National Capital Region Wounded Warrior Hiring and Support Conference

Arlington, VA- On February 3rd, 2010, Halfaker and Associates’ CEO, Dawn Halfaker, spoke on behalf of the Wounded Warrior Project at the Department of the Navy Wounded Warrior Hiring and Support Conference in Arlington, VA. Dawn was invited to speak by Vice Admiral McCoy and the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Juan Garcia to share her experiences in an effort to help the 600 participants from the military services and federal agencies better understand the barriers wounded warriors face in seeking post-injury employment and examine how to create more employment opportunities for them.

Dawn is a retired Iraq veteran, wounded warrior and Vice President of the Wounded Warrior Project Board of Directors. The Wounded Warrior Project has a simple, yet vital mission: to honor and empower wounded warriors. The Wounded Warrior Project accomplishes its mission by raising awareness and enlisting the public’s aid for the needs of severely injured service men and women; helping severely injured service members aid and assist each other; and providing unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs.

Alarmingly, there have been over 36,000 WIA in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001, and more than three-quarters of wounded warriors are younger than 30 years old. Like many of today’s wounded warriors, Dawn’s injury and medical retirement stole her sense of purpose and identity and she initially struggled through her transition into a civilian career.

While speaking before the 600 participants, Dawn described the best practices that employers can take to assist wounded warriors during their challenging transition period. In order to locate and attract wounded warriors, Dawn advised that employers must actively search for wounded warriors through the various wounded warrior placement agencies. After locating the prospective wounded warrior employees, employers should bring the wounded warriors into their organization and explain the job at hand in military friendly terms. This is of great assistance to the wounded warrior, since many wounded warriors struggle with the challenge of translating military skills into civilian terms, networking and salary negotiation. Furthermore, Dawn truly believes that training and mentorship are vital in retaining wounded warriors. Dawn stated, “There are several organizations that can help with this. Wounded Warrior Project's Warriors to Work program helps individuals recovering from severe injuries received in the line of duty connect with the support and resources they need to build a career in the civilian workforce. It can be tough to transition into civilian life. It's even tougher to adjust to life after a serious injury.”

Dawn was extremely honored to be invited to speak at the conference and was wholeheartedly inspired by the commitment and enthusiasm displayed for hiring wounded warriors. “It is great to see so much support and dedication to hiring wounded warriors. When I was injured and looking for a job, conferences like this weren’t available and support and resources for transitioning warriors were scare. This is the first step toward raising awareness and addressing policies that will enable one of our nation’s most precious resources: the dedicated, passionate, highly-trained, loyal and selfless servants who fought and sacrificed for our Country.” Dawn hopes that her shared experiences will assist fellow wounded warriors in finding inspirational work that allows them to gain a renewed sense of purpose.

For more information please visit the conference website at: http://www.navsea.navy.mil/Organization/NCRWWHSC/NCRWWHSC.aspx