Connect Veterans

 

Connect Veterans' mission is to bolster the military community's ongoing efforts to support the transition of veterans to civilian life, thereby providing an opportunity for YPFP members to connect with servicemen and women. These relationships will foster greater understanding about the issues facing veterans in the 21st century.

 

With military operations worldwide and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the needs of today's military community are tremendously complex. Notably, veterans are returning home only to be confronted by a new set of challenges as they pursue professional and educational opportunities in the civilian sector.  Their average age is 26. YPFP believes that we, as a community, hold a special responsibility to assist those among our peers who take the greatest risks and bear the greatest burdens on behalf of their country.  For more information, please email veterans@ypfp.org or apply to volunteer.

 

 

  

 

In November 2009, YPFP partnered with Business Executives for National Security (BENS) to collaborate on the Warrior Gateway, a one-of-a-kind initiative leveraging the public, private and nonprofit sectors to better meet the needs of the military community. Under BENS's leadership, a diverse coalition of partners is building an online portal to provide an easy-to-use tool for veterans to connect with service providers, jobs, and one another.

 

 

In April 2010, Connect Veterans provided volunteers to help with the GI Film Festival.  The GI Film Festival (GIFF) is a non-profit organization and the first film festival in the nation to exclusively celebrate the successes and sacrifices of the American military through the medium of film.  The festival is held annually ever spring in Washington, D.C. and they also hold additional smaller film screenings and events throughout the year.  Connect Veterans was proud to help staff and support the festival, and looks forward to contributing in future years.

 

 

 

 

 

Laura Eise is the Director of Connect Veterans. She holds a BA from Claremont McKenna College in International Relations and Psychology with an emphasis in Middle Eastern policy and has over 18 months cumulative experience working abroad. Laura is currently a research fellow with BENS and research associate with the Minorities at Risk Project. Previous experience includes a development grant from the Keck Center for International and Strategic Studies in Cairo, Egypt, a State Department's Critical Language Scholarship for Arabic in Tangier, Morocco, a Global Instep Internship with the Diversity Office of Infosys Technologies Limited in Bangalore, India, and an internship with the National Conference of State Legislatures' International Programs Department. She can be reached at laura.eise@ypfp.org.

 

Walker Hardy is the Associate Director of Connect Veterans. He holds a BA from the College of William and Mary in International Relations and a Masters in Education from Troy University. After completing his undergraduate degree, he served five years in the US Army as a Signal Officer. He served in multiple units, including his last position at the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade, before being honorably discharged. He currently works as a Research Associate/Project Manager at the Center for Technology and National Security Policy within the National Defense University. He can be reached at walker.hardy@ypfp.org.