News

Sep 11, 2015

COMMIT partners with Whitefish Veteran’s Support Team

The COMMIT Foundation was honored to partner with the Whitefish Veteran’s Support Team(WVST) from September 9-14, 2015, ...

The COMMIT Foundation was honored to partner with the Whitefish Veteran’s Support Team(WVST) from September 9-14, 2015, for their biannual program. WVST has hosted ill and injured Veterans in Whitefish for the past 9 years and partnered with COMMIT to enable an even greater impact in the lives of these warriors participating in their program. “We were thrilled to get the phone call from WVST leadership with a request for our services,” said Anne Meree Craig, COMMIT’s Executive Director. COMMIT began working with the Veterans and their spouses two months before the September program and will continue working with them for months to follow by providing them highly individualized service and attention. We work with the Veterans to identify their strengths and skills and focus their career choices and next steps. COMMIT services to the veterans include one-on-one transition assistance and a professional survey for service member and their spouse, which not only identifies strengths but also helps with communication. Finally, each Veteran will receive 8 executive coaching sessions with a certified executive coach. “COMMIT believes that it is critical for veteran service organizations to partner with one another and to focus on what they do best. We are excited to find such a terrific partner in WVST, where we can add our transitioning services to their tremendous program to create an even more meaningful outcome.” Read more about our workshop here

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  • Sep 7, 2015

    Applications are now closed for the Women Veterans Mentoring Workshop in Chicago, IL

    Thanks to all who applied for this tremendous workshop opportunity sponsored by Guggenheim Partners: November 5-7, 2015 in Chicago, IL. We have selected 6 amazing women Veterans who will participate in a unique mentoring workshop to connect with successful leaders in the private sector. All Veterans were notified whether or not they were selected on September 7, 2015.

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  • Jul 6, 2015

    Julie Kaufman joins COMMIT as Director of Foundation and Corporate Relations

    The COMMIT Foundation is excited to announce that Julie Kaufman has joined the team as the Director of Foundation and Corporate Relations. Julie comes to COMMIT with over 15 years of experience in the nonprofit and public sectors. She has served as the Director of Development for a Charter School, Grant Specialist for the Children’s Museum of Denver, Development Director for a local Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Deputy Director for Policy Analysis for the City of New York. Julie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Lehigh University and Masters in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management from New York University. “After three years of building our programs and services, it is critical that our organization consistently provide the resources our Veterans are requesting. We are thrilled to have Julie on the team and look forward to growing our foundation together,” said Anne Meree Craig, Executive Director of COMMIT. Julie and her husband Erik live in Colorado with their two daughters, where they enjoy time in the outdoors and spend lots of weekends watching youth soccer games.

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  • Jun 30, 2015

    COMMIT Executive Director named Hearts on Fire Visionary

    Congratulations to Anne Meree Craig for being named a Hearts on Fire Visionary! See the full story at www.heartsonfire.org

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  • Jun 17, 2015

    COMMIT Foundation awarded grant from Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund

    The COMMIT Foundation is pleased to announce the Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund (JMSF) is rewarding COMMIT for its hard work to advance the education of our Nation’s service members. The Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund is an organization inspired by Colonel John McHugh who was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2010 after 24 years of service in the US Army. The loss of a soldier, husband, father and friend inspired a group of patriotic West Point classmates to honor John by supporting veterans, their spouses and children who are in need of financial support to further education. COMMIT will use the grant to create Johnny Mac Fellow Scholarships for veterans selected to participate in the Stanford Ignite post-9/11 program in need of financial assistance. In 2014, the COMMIT Foundation partnered with Stanford Graduate School of Business to launch a Stanford Ignite program exclusively for post-9/11 veterans. Over two-dozen veterans from all military branches joined Stanford professors and corporate executives for a 4-week general management certification program in innovation and entrepreneurship. Because of the program’s success, COMMIT and Stanford are partnering for the next five summers to provide this to more veterans. This weekend, over 30 veterans will arrive on the Stanford campus for the second running of Ignite for post-9/11 veterans. “It is an honor to have the opportunity to carry on the spirit of Colonel McHugh,” says Anne Meree Craig, Executive Director of COMMIT. “The Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund’s gift to COMMIT enables the sustainability of this initiative. It’s an incredible feeling when wonderful people believe in the programs we are building to support our Veterans!” In addition to course instruction, COMMIT’s Johnny Mac Fellows will all receive career advising, visits to local Bay Area companies, and sessions with hiring managers.

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  • Jun 12, 2015

    Charles Spearman joins COMMIT Foundation Board of Directors

    The COMMIT Foundation is honored to announce that Mr. Charles Spearman has joined its Board of Directors. Charles is a Senior Managing Director and Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Guggenheim Partners. He specializes in organizational and executive leadership and is responsible for the development and implementation of Firm-wide Diversity and Inclusion strategies and Equal Employment Opportunity compliance. Charles serves on Guggenheim’s - Steering Committee of the Women’s Innovation and Inclusion Network; the Veterans Initiative Advisory Committee; and the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee. Prior to joining Guggenheim Partners, he was the founder and principal of Tucker Spearman and Associates, Inc., an EEO and Inclusion management company. A frequent speaker before industry leaders on compliance and inclusion trends, Charles has been quoted by Time magazine and has presented at the Society for Human Resources Management SHRM and EEOC TAPS programs for public and private sector officials in designing EEO compliance programs. Charles has provided expert witness testimony on the integrity of harassment prevention systems and investigations in employment harassment litigation and has authored papers on these topics. His clients have included corporations, universities, government institutions and associations such as Guggenheim Partners, Footlocker, Mitsubishi, Volkswagen Group of America, the Mid-Atlantic Coca Cola Bottling Group, American University, DOJ, HUD, U.S.P.S., the Urban Land Institute, and the National Association of Attorneys General. Charles is a founding member and trustee of the Alliance of Securities and Financial Educators (ASAFE), an alliance of volunteers that facilitates and provides design and delivery of securities and finance curriculum to diverse student and faculty audiences. Charles served on the faculty at Georgetown University’s Master of Professional Studies in Human Resources Management. He has taught courses at Cornell University’s Industrial and Labor Relations School. He is also a former President and Board Member of SCAN, Stop Child Abuse Now of Northern Virginia. Charles served as a senior advisor to a Commissioner at the EEOC and to leaders at the Texas Department of Commerce and the US Department of Commerce.

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  • May 22, 2015

    The application period for Veterans interested in Energy, Oil, and Gas is now closed!

    The COMMIT Foundation is honored to team with Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. to provide 12 select military veterans the opportunity to participate in a unique mentoring workshop and connect with successful leaders in the energy, oil and gas sectors. Participating veterans will learn about these fields and work with mentors to establish clear career goals and strategies for a successful transition. All applications were due on July 3, 2015. Thank you to those who applied.

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  • May 21, 2015

    2nd Annual Gala is a huge success!

    On May 21, 2015, The COMMIT Foundation hosted its 2nd Annual Gala in Honor of Transitioning Veterans. Friends of COMMIT gathered at the Oregon Ridge Lodge and enjoyed incredible BBQ served with smiles and excellent service from the team at Mission BBQ. All tapped their toes to the entertaining bluegrass band The Boxcars. The formal program of the night included comments by LTG Michael T. Flynn USA (Ret.). He shared with the crowd his thoughts on the definition of a veteran and our freedom. COMMIT presented the Bradley W. Snyder Changing the Narrative Award to Khalil Tawil, an Army Veteran from a Lebanese family, who in high school decided to attend West Point because he knew that people would view him differently after the 9-11 attacks. Khalil has participated in COMMIT mentoring programs and is currently working on a joint JD/ MBA from Yale and Harvard. The evening closed on a hilarious note as Sebastian Maniscalco once again returned to entertain the crowd with his hilarious comedy show. COMMIT is blessed to have the support of many partners resulting in the ability to execute our initiatives. We are now focused on our upcoming veteran programs which will take place in Palo Alto, CA; Whitefish, MT; Houston, TX, and Chicago, IL. A special thanks to our amazing 2015 sponsors!

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  • Apr 1, 2015

    Kristen Rudella joins COMMIT as the Director of Veteran Outreach

    The COMMIT Foundation is proud to announce that Kristen Rudella has joined the COMMIT team as Director of Veteran Outreach. Kristen is the wife of a US Navy veteran. Over the course of 21 years of active duty military life, she gained great respect for the leadership skills and dedication of our nation’s veterans. After her husband’s retirement from the Navy, she decided that her commitment to serving and supporting our veterans would continue to be a top priority. After seeing first hand the difference the COMMIT Foundation’s mentoring and guidance made in her husband’s transition from active duty to the private sector, she is proud to be a part of the dedicated team at COMMIT. Kristen hopes that her experience will help support and guide veterans and their families in successful transitions to civilian life. Kristen holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from UC Riverside and a Masters in Public Administration from San Diego State. She spent time at the Helix Water District and San Diego Municipal Court before becoming an analyst for the City of San Diego, Risk Management department. After living in Coronado, Virginia Beach, and Alexandria, Kristen and her family have settled in Menlo Park, California where she enjoys volunteering for various charities, hiking, and watching her boys play lacrosse and basketball.

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  • Mar 19, 2015

    COMMIT presents at the NSF Professional Development Symposium

    The COMMIT Foundation was honored to participate in the Navy SEAL Foundation’s first Professional Development Symposium at the Heritage Center at Little Creek on March 19, 2015. NSW Personnel along with their spouses gathered to hear about transition services that the Navy SEAL Foundation is currently supporting. “We are thrilled to be teaming with the Foundation,” said COMMIT’s Executive Director Anne Meree Craig. “Having the opportunity to play a role in the transition of this exceptional community is an honor and a line of operations that COMMIT takes very seriously.” COMMIT is currently working with a number of NSW members through both its one-on-one transition program and mentoring workshops. COMMIT will also be actively working on the West Coast this year to fully support SEAL teams nation-wide.

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