VICENZA, Italy -- A can't-miss opportunity for community members will take place on Caserma Ederle July 11 in the form of Vetracon 2017, a veteran transition conference by American Dream U and hosted by the Soldier for Life-Transition Assistance Program.
The conference comes to the Golden Lion from 8 a.m. to noon, and Soldiers, spouses, Department of the Army civilians and retirees are welcome to participate. Six dynamic guest speakers will share "TED-type" talks on a variety of subjects, to include entrepreneurship, goal-setting, networking and leadership.
According to Jess Holland, Director of Business Development at American Dream U, the organization's mission is to help service members and their families thrive in their transition from the military by finding their dream job or starting a business. But this is more than a transition event, said Tamara Elston, chief of Military Personnel Division, Directorate of Human Resources.
"Everyone can take something away from this event," Elston said. "It's not often that we get the opportunity to listen to and participate in something with this caliber of speakers. These are reputable professionals who often receive substantial fees to speak. With American Dream U, they're doing it on their own dime because of American Dream U's commitment to men and women in uniform."
Since their founding in June 2013, the organization has had nearly 15,000 service members, spouses, dependents and veterans attend 47 events worldwide, Holland said. They also reach people online through specific online programs, estimating a reach of about 4,500 people annually.
"The speakers are willing to give their time because they want to share their knowledge and help those who have served them. Intuitively, they understand everything that service members do for them, and this is (often) the first time they've had an opportunity to use their skills as speakers to share with service members. So they jump on that opportunity. It's a way for them to give back in any way they can," she said.
Guest speakers for the Ederle event include Ashleigh Mooney, a business owner who hopes to inspire entrepreneurship and encourage perseverance; Garrett Gunderson, founder and chief wealth architect of Wealth Factory and a best-selling author; Kate Buck, social media manager and CEO of KBJOnline; Jeremy Hendon, who has built several companies, developed apps and co-authored multiple books; Bob Donnell, author, speaker, trainer and more; and Phil Randazzo, writer, consultant and founder of American Dream U.
The agenda for the half-day conference includes not only the speaking engagements, but also some question-and-answer time with the speakers. An agenda will be publicized in future announcements on the USAG Facebook page, www.facebook.com/vmcitaly.
Vetracon 2017 is free, and seating is limited. Learn more about American Dream U at their website, and save your seat by pre-registering for the conference at www.americandreamu.org/events. Find the event labeled for Vicenza, and click on "register."
Anyone with questions about the event or who needs assistance to register should contact the USAG Italy SFL-TAP office at DSN 637-8151, comm. 0444-61-8151; or email usarmy.usag-italy.imcom-europe.mbx.sfl-tap@mail.mil.
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