Agenda: Richmond/Tidewater Webinar Presentation

 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM, Friday, June 12, 2020

Virtual Meeting

 10:00AM – 10:05AM:  Welcome/Opening Remarks

10:05 AM – 11:45AM:  Recruitment in Healthcare: Partnering with Veterans to Help Our Patients

• Mark Buehlman, V3 Regional Program Manager for Hampton Roads
• Mark Whiting, MMAC Program Manager
• Kerri-Anne Gonzalez, Resource Coordinator – MMAC
• Elizabeth Pelto, Support Services Recruiter and V3 Representative with Riverside Health System

11:45AM - 12:00PM:  Question Forum for Speakers

Topic: Recruitment in Healthcare: Partnering with Veterans to Help Our Patients

Topic Overview:

The speakers will share information about the recruitment of veterans for patient care positions within healthcare and support areas such as supply chain.   Veterans are a valuable resource in the workforce coming to a company with previous experience and teamwork skills.   We will have a general overview about different veteran jobs programs as well as educational opportunities which helps those in the medical field in the military transition to roles in healthcare in the private sector.   Riverside Health System will also share their experience as a partner with veteran recruitment.

Learning Objectives:

Participants will be able to:

• Learn how facilitating veteran hiring reduces healthcare staffing shortages and supports quality patient care.
• Understand how job skills in the military can translate into jobs outside of the military, especially in health care.
• Understand how the veteran jobs programs help employers develop and implement long-term strategies and nationally recognized best practices in recruiting, hiring, and retaining Veterans.
• Learn about the educational program from the State of Virginia focusing on veteran talent acquisition specifically for healthcare. Qualified applicants apply their extensive clinical skills and experience from the military under supervision while they obtain required civilian clinical credentials/education.
• Learn about how participating in these programs has impacted recruitment with Riverside Health System for the better.

Speaker Info:

   Mark Buehlman, V3 Regional Program Manager for Hampton Roads

              Mark is a Retired Army Veteran and Program/Project manager with over 25 years experience in active-duty military, contracting/corporate, higher education, and workforce development environments, at multiple organizational levels and in a variety of locations.   During his active-duty career, he successfully provided leadership and management of technical, operational, and planning programs and teams, as well as diverse organizational staffs at a variety of levels and locations from small response teams, to strategic-level organizations, to the White House staff.

After having a successful transition from active duty to the contracting/corporate environment, Mark was directly involved in Program and Project Management, Business Development and Marketing, as well as all phases of the Human Resources and Recruiting processes.   He also founded and developed a Service-disabled, Veteran and Minority-owned, Small Consulting Business.

Recently, Mark found himself on more of a service path, providing formal career services coaching and instruction as a facilitator for the Department of Labor’s Employment Workshop supporting Department of Defense Transition Assistance Programs and providing career services and employment assistance in both the higher education and workforce development fields. During that time period, and especially while working as a Career Developer and Military Services Representative at Opportunity Inc. he became passionate about helping Veterans.

Mark has a Master’s Degree in Human Resources Development, previously held a Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification, and is a Virginia Certified Workforce Development Professional (CWDP).

Mark Whiting, MMAC Program Manager

With a career spanning the public, private and non-profit sectors, Mark brings a unique perspective to his role as Program Manager for the Virginia Department of Veteran Services (DVS), Military Medics and Corpsmen Program. Mark manages an innovative program that is changing the way healthcare hires veterans in Virginia. As the first and only program of its type in the nation, MMAC is a public-private partnership offering qualified veterans an opportunity to apply their extensive clinical skills and experience while they obtain the required civilian healthcare credentials.

Prior to serving at DVS Mark was Healthcare Industry Sector Coordinator for the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC). At VEC Mark facilitated the hiring of veterans, Transitioning Service Members and their spouses at healthcare employers statewide.

Mark first entered state government as a paid intern with the Virginia Department of Health, Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS) during his senior year at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Mass Communications. There he wrote the nation’s first book on media and public relations for first responder organizations. That internship led to a 10-year career as Public Information Officer for the OEMS.

Mark left OEMS to form River’s Edge Productions, Inc., a video and television production firm serving healthcare, public safety and government clients nationwide. His creative work has been recognized by awards from the International Television Association, the National Association of Government Communicators, International Association of Business Communicators, Public Relations Society of America and Crime Solvers International. He is the recipient of four TELLY ^© Awards.

Mark’s work in the non-profit field included serving nine years with the American Red Cross as Richmond, Virginia Chapter Vice President and Director of the Red Cross Center for Community and Corporate Education, as Regional Director of Communications and then with the National Office of the Red Cross as Senior Program Manager. In that role he was responsible for the management of Certified Nurse Assistant and Allied Health Training Programs in 5 Mid-Atlantic states.

The son of a World War II Army Combat Medic, Mark started in public safety and healthcare as a Paramedic and Firefighter for the City of Lynchburg, Virginia.

Kerri-Anne Gonzalez, Resource Coordinator - MMAC

Kerri-Anne Gonzalez is an Army veteran with a healthcare and HR background. While in the Army, she served initially as a Radiology Technologist. During a large part of her active duty career and at her last duty station Fort Lee, she was the Director of the Radiology Department. Being a recently discharged and medically trained service member, she brings a real-world perspective and experience to the MMAC Program (Military Medics and Corpsmen Program). In her role of MMAC Resource Coordinator, she focuses on facilitating the hiring of veterans, transitioning service members and their spouses with full cycle recruitment, succession planning, and workforce development within healthcare. Kerri-Anne recently completed her Masters’ Degree in Human Services and Counseling.

Elizabeth Pelto, Support Services Recruiter and V3 Representative with Riverside Health System

              Elizabeth is a Navy Veteran with over 14 years’ experience in active-duty military, labor relations, employee relations, recruiting and staffing for the Veterans Administration, Department of Defense and for Riverside Health System. During her active duty career she was deployed for operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom where she served as an Aviation Hydraulics Mechanic supporting the E-2C Hawkeye. Four years into her career she accepted a position as a Navy Recruiter where she operated and led a five man recruiting station. Her tour as a recruiter was the platform that helped segue her into the civilian sector where she completed a degree in HR management and began employment with the department of Veteran Affairs.

              Since her transition from military service, Elizabeth has found success in her roles providing HR support in the government and private sector. While working for the VA administration she was on the Labor and Employee Relations team representing management in all things collective bargaining. She dealt with grievances, arbitration, and merit system protection. Following her time with the VA she went to work for the Department of Defense at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren, in support of Huntington Ingles Supervisory of Ship Building Human Resources Department, committing to an HR generalist role and expanding her knowledge of HR and federal policy and regulation. Currently she is working as a support recruiter for Riverside Health System where she has found her love for recruiting and veterans transitioning have come together. It is here at Riverside that Elizabeth is able to utilize her expertise not only as a transitioned military member herself, but she also sits in the unique position to place highly qualified veterans into careers within Riverside. Virginia Values Veterans has made a significant impact on Elizabeth’s life and is now allowing her to make a difference in the life of a transitioning military member.