January - COMMIT Welcomes Matt Eversmann (1SG Ret.) to be Co-Executive Director

A career infantryman, Matt retired from the Army in 2008 as a company First Sergeant after deployments to both Somalia and Iraq. He served in both conventional and special operations units during his 20 years of active duty. In his role as Co-Executive Director, Matt will assist with strategy, execution, and implementation of programs to support transitioning veterans. He will also focus on fundraising. When asked about his new mission, Matt shared, “I am so pleased to have been considered for a role at COMMIT. The space between the end of service and beginning of employment has been terribly unfulfilled. This opportunity to support the warfighter in their next mission is so important and I look forward to helping COMMIT take their operations to the next level.”

March - Star Line-up Headlines 1st Annual COMMIT Gala

After being introduced by Army Chief of Staff General Ray Odierno, Coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens gave an entertaining speech about their visits to deployed troops in front of a capacity crowd. CBS reporter Jessica Kartalija emceed the gala, which drew 300 guests from across the nation to support COMMIT’s cause of assisting veterans in transition from the battlefield to their next mission. The event kicked off with a video produced by 3Penny Films that featured COMMIT’s Co-Executive Directors, as well as Brad Snyder, one of the first veterans served by COMMIT. Snyder was given the first annual “Changing the Narrative” Award for his successful move from active duty to civilian life. The Navy Veteran and 2012 London Paralympic gold medalist credited COMMIT co-founders Anne Meree Craig and Guy Filippelli as instrumental in his transition from an EOD officer to a civilian. Los Angeles Comedian Sebastian Maniscalco performed a hilarious stand up routine and those present enjoyed an hour of laughter to finish the evening. COMMIT was honored to have so many leaders and Patriots gathered for the event. Special thanks were given to GDC4S and Robert Half for being platinum and gold sponsors. There were more than 20 local companies and individuals that came in as bronze sponsors for the night’s events. A big thanks was also given to Bill Kraus of Mission BBQ for his generous auction purchase of “The Operators” package. Bill and nine friends will have the opportunity to go on a mock mission with Navy SEALs this summer. We look forward to reporting back to you on their experience.

April - Tradecraft Scholarships

Thanks to a handful of generous Patriots from Silicon Valley, COMMIT is awarding select veterans with scholarships to Tradecraft. The 12 week, full time, in-person immersive training program has participants working with a large group of world-class mentors and a small group of inspiring peers to learn new skills while doing real work for real companies. The first veteran awarded with a scholarship is Air Force Officer Jeff Gilmore. Jeff previously attended COMMIT’s Veterans in the Valley Mentoring Workshop at Andreessen Horowitz last fall. When asked about the Tradecraft session he is currently in Jeff shared, “Transitioning from active duty to the tech world is challenging. It’s a completely new network with new terms, new buzzwords and skills required. My time at Tradecraft has been beneficial. It is refining the leadership skills I have and giving me the tools and skills necessary to make an impact at a high traction startup.” COMMIT thanks our benevolent friends in the Valley who enable us to provide tremendous opportunities for the Nation’s finest!

May - Special Operations Forces (SOF) Mentoring Workshop

GDC4S sponsored COMMIT’s SOF Mentoring Workshop in Baltimore. 13 extremely talented, high-valued veterans from the Special Operations community were selected to engage with 13 executives from the private sector. Mentors included the CEO of Mercedes Benz North America, the former CEO of FAO Schwarz and executives from Baltimore’s Under Armour and Mission BBQ to name a few! At their mentoring workshops, COMMIT works to present authentic experiences that inform, empower, and challenge veterans along their journey out of the service. The workshop exposes the veterans to world-class leaders in the private sector in order to gain insight into a world that desperately needs the veterans’ values and experiences. Following the event, a veteran wrote, “Thank you for such a personally and professionally rewarding experience. You have done nothing less than set a 180 degree course change in my transition, and in doing so increased my confidence and optimism as well. ‘Creating serendipity’ is a lofty goal, but you now have a roomful of vets including myself who can attest that is exactly what you deliver. Thank you!”

What’s next?

COMMIT is honored to partner with Stanford Graduate School of Business for the first Post 9-11 Veterans Stanford Ignite Program. 28 COMMIT Veterans have been selected to attend the four week program in Summer 2014 on the Stanford campus in Silicon Valley. This certificate program teaches innovators to formulate, develop, and commercialize their ideas. Veterans will be exposed to both the fundamentals of business and the practical aspects of identifying and evaluating business ideas and moving them forward.

COMMIT is honored to be partnering with Guggenheim Partners for its next veteran mentoring workshop which will take place in Fall 2014 in Manhattan.

Stay tuned to our website for upcoming news and events!

Our gratitude...

COMMIT is blessed to operate thanks to the generous gifts of Patriots. We are thankful to our partners The Station Foundation, Service to School, JetBlue, GDC4S, Hero Miles, Tradecraft, Guggenheim Partners, Stanford University, USSCOM Care Coalition, Mission BBQ and all of the many others who enable us to make fundamental changes and create serendipity in the lives of our Nation’s finest.

Our ask...

If you are looking to make a fundamental difference in the life of a veteran, please reach out to us. We focus on quality over quantity to ensure your time and resources are leveraged the most efficient and effective way possible. Learn more at www.commitfoundation.org.