2024 Report to Philanthropic Partners
Center Achievements and Updates
The Center for Military and Veterans Affairs empowers active duty, guard and reserve members, veterans, and their spouses through educational support and career development opportunities. Each year, 250,000 service members transition out of the military with a widespread array of talents and abilities. These traits are vital to the economic integrity and sustainability of the financial services profession.
Under the leadership of Phil Easton, CMSgt, USAF (Ret.), the Center significantly enhanced its efforts to expand educational and career opportunities for those in transition. The Center has an active student body of nearly 200 scholars and looks forward to the impact they will make on the communities they serve.
The Center was featured on The College’s Shares podcast when Lacey Langford, AFC®, U.S. Air Force (Vet.), an Air Force veteran, military spouse, speaker, and financial coach, spoke with host Chet Bennetts, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU®, RICP®, CLF®, a U.S. Marine Corps (Vet.) and director of The College’s CFP® Certification Education and ChFC® Programs, about how The College helped shape her career. As a member of The Center’s advisory board and founder of MILMO®, a community dedicated to helping the U.S. military with personal finance, Langford’s unique success led to an engaging conversation about the intersection between military and financial services.
In 2024, Center staff attended Langford’s MilMoneyCon, a national conference for financial professionals united by military service in Denver, Colorado. As an opportunity to bring service members, veterans, and military spouses together through career enhancing opportunities, the event stayed true to The Center’s values and mission. Additionally, staff also attended the Air Force Sergeants Association (AFSA) and the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), to inform those currently serving of the Center’s work and opportunities to become involved once they transition back to civilian life.
The Center would like to thank 2024 Advisory Council members for their ongoing support of programs and initiatives.
Phil Easton, CMSgt, USAF (Ret.), Managing Director, American College Center for Military and Veterans Affairs
Program Highlights
2024 Military Summit
On September 11, 2024, the Center welcomed over 140 financial professionals, service members, veterans, military spouses, and scholars to the 10th Annual Military Summit at Philadelphia’s W Hotel. Formerly known as the Clambake, this reimagined event included a full day of programming, beginning with numerous educational workshops. The longstanding Maury Stewart Lecture Series addressed leadership in financial services, while a Military Resource Group Networking Lounge allowed Center scholars and Consortium members from various companies to network. The Summit culminated with the Scholarship Fund Dinner, where three Center scholars shared personal stories about their service and the impact that scholarships had on their transition to their professional careers. Over $350,000 was raised in support of the scholarship program. The evening also saw the presentation of the Soldier-Citizen Award, which was awarded to its first female recipient, Major General Suzanne Vautrinot, USAF (Ret.). It was an inspiring day that stayed true to the Center’s mission and values, while bringing together the community in celebration of excellence.
Scholarships
Jasmine Davis, U.S. Marine Corps (Vet.) knows that service shaped her into the person she is today. Now, she feels an obligation to give back. As a Center scholarship recipient, Davis is pursuing her CFP® Certification Education Program®, with the goal of giving back to others.
“As a Veteran, the Corps has shaped me into the individual that I am today. It instilled in me a spirit of generosity and a deep commitment to community service.”
—Jasmine Davis, U.S. Marine Corps (Vet.)
Understanding the nuances involved in transitioning from active duty to a career in financial services, Davis wants to give back and help her fellow veterans. Her dream is to become a Personal Financial Counselor and provide comprehensive financial expertise to those in need. Outside of her coursework, Davis has spent over 500 hours volunteering with the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) and the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (NMCRS).
New military scholarships in 2024
Military Resource Group Consortium
In order to address the challenges military members encounter while transitioning into the financial services profession, the Center developed a Military Resource Group Consortium. The consortium allows participants to take advantage of networking opportunities with fellow military affiliated professionals and learn more about The College’s programs and offerings.
As part of their initiatives, the Center hosted 40 attendees in its Networking Lounge at the Military Summit and held two professional development webinars. The first webinar, entitled “From Service to Finance: Transferable Skills for Success in Financial Services”, featured a panel of speakers from a variety of channels within the financial services profession. Panelists discussed their successful transitions from military service to careers in financial services. Their stories highlighted the intricacies of identifying transferable skills honed within the military, along with the unique ways in which military backgrounds contribute to achieving success in the profession.
The second webinar, entitled “Debt in the Military Community” featured guest speaker Natalia Brown, Chief Compliance and Consumer Affairs Officer with National Debt Relief. Brown discussed the state of debt in the military community, along with debt relief options and special considerations for military members. The Center’s relationship with 23 corporate partners fosters a sense of community empowerment and allows scholars to thrive as they achieve career goals.
Military Consumer Financial Education (MCFE)
The Center is proud to partner with First Command Educational Foundation to launch the TAKE COMMAND® Financial Education Program. This program provides online, interactive, financial education programs for high school graduates (or equivalent), active duty, guard, reserves, veterans and their spouses.
Participants have demonstrated an increase in financial literacy, leading to broadened career opportunities.
Thought Leadership Webinar Series
The Thought Leadership webinar series focused on presenting financial services knowledge, relevant to military personnel. The series launched in January 2024, and featured Admiral Michael Mullen, USN (Ret.), a previous recipient of the Soldier-Citizen Award. Admiral Mullen provided insights into his transition from the military to the financial services profession, along with information about how military members, veterans, and spouses communicate their valuable qualifications. His presentation highlighted the benefits of hiring military members, veterans, and spouses to companies within the profession.
The second webinar was hosted in November, in honor of Veterans Day. Soldier-Citizen Award Recipient, Major General Suzanne Vautrinot, USAF (Ret.) discussed personal stories of sacrifice and selflessness, along with leadership skills that members of the military community can leverage as they work to launch a successful career in financial services.
Research
The Center for Military and Veterans Affairs partnered with the Center for Women in Financial Services to distribute a study understanding the career interests and work preferences of Gen Z. By sharing the study with constituents, Military Resource Group Consortium members, and Advisory Council members, the Center was able to better understand how to attract and retain Gen Z talent for careers in financial services.
Upcoming Plans
In partnership with USAA, the Center designed and launched its Mentorship Program in early 2025. The pilot year of this program will provide vital career guidance and networking support to active duty, guard and reserve members, veterans and their spouses as they transition into the financial services industry.
The Center is excited to partner with The College’s Academics Department to launch the Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC®) designation. Set to launch in October 2025, this designation will support the development of members of the military community who are interested in becoming personal financial managers and personal financial counselors on military installations.
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Founded in 1927, The American College of Financial Services is the nation's largest nonprofit educational institution devoted to financial services professionals. Holding the highest level of academic accreditation, The College has educated over 200,000 professionals across the United States through certificate, designation, and graduate degree programs. Its portfolio of applied knowledge also includes just-in-time learning and consumer financial education programs. The College's faculty represents some of the foremost thought leaders in the financial services industry. Discover all the ways you can expand your opportunities with us.
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