To our Joining Forces Mentoring Plus® partners and supporters,

We want to thank each of you for your continuing commitment to support and help women veterans, military/veteran spouses, caregivers of wounded warriors and survivors of fallen soliders, as they seek fulfilling and successful careers. Because of your support two and a half years after our launch, Joining Forces Mentoring Plus® continues to grow in both numbers of mentoring relationships, use of on-line resources and national attention.During the last few months we have welcomed several new partners and supporters including  DirectEmployers , JPMorgan Chase, MTCI Management and Training Consultants, Inc., Northrop Grumman and Alexandria Veterans Business Enterprise Center (AVBEC).  This diverse group brings a wide range of resources, new mentors and financial support to the program. We welcome their participation and look forward to an exciting year ahead as we continue our work together supporting these deserving working women.

Joining Forces Mentoring Plus® has received some excellent media coverage including in US Veterans Magazine , USAA Magazine article, an article on the Army website,

We have been very busy promoting and expanding the program and I want to give you a quick update on some of the exciting things that have happened in the first half of this year:

March 2014

  • We hosted a very successful Women’s History Month Event with over 250 guests at the United States Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. celebrating women veterans of all ranks and eras, military/veteran spouses, caregivers of wounded warriors, and survivors of fallen service members. The Honorary Chair was First Lady Michele Obama.  Partners, sponsors, BPW members and champions of BPW Foundation’s (JFMP) shared employment tools and resources to broaden program engagement and provide networking opportunities for JFMP participants. Special JFMP Champion awards were given to Courtney Banks Spaeth, Alliant Credit Union Foundation, Booz Allen Hamilton and BPW/North Carolina.Read more  about this great event and check out the event recap, photos and the graphic recordings here . See all of the photos from the event on Flickr. We also want to thank our special event sponsors: Four Star Sponsors– MTCI, CITI, NBC 4, JP Morgan Chase & Co. and Three Star Sponsors – Northrop Grumman, Ridgewells catering, and Alliant Credit Union.
  • BPW Foundation launches a veteran focused job board: through our new partnership with DirectEmployers , a leading nonprofit HR consortium of global employers, women veterans, military/veteran spouses, wounded warrior caregivers, and survivors of fallen service member who are participants in the BPW Foundation’s Joining Forces Mentoring Plus ®.  Program members can now access a state of the art military-focused job board that targets their unique skills and talents.

April 2014

  • BPW Foundation reported on the progress of Joining Forces Mentoring Plus in a report submitted to Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) America as part of our 2013 CGI America Commitment to Action.

May 2014

  • On May 7, 2014, Joining Forces Mentoring Plus® mentee Dawn Smith testified on behalf of BPW Foundation before the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Small Business. In her testimony, she outlined the benefits of mentoring and how important BPW Foundation’s Joining Forces Mentoring Plus® (JFMP) program was as she sought a meaningful career. As a woman veteran who recently started her own business, she also shared with the committee the transition challenges she faced after leaving the Air Force. Read more about watch Dawn and JFMP’s video from the hearing
  • BPW promoted the Washington, DC screening of Unsung Heroes : The Story of American’s Female Patriots, a film celebrating the courageous heritage of women in the American Military. The film features several of BPW Foundation’s women Joining Forces Advisory Council members including former U.S. Army Nurse Corps First Lieutenant Marsha Four, Dr. Irene Trowell-Harris and Brigadier General Wilma L. Vaught, USAF (Ret.).
  • BPW Foundation is proud to congratulate United States Air Force Colonel (retired) Kimberly D. Olson on her May 2014 induction by Governor Rick Perry into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame. Through her trailblazing military service as an aviation leader, she has reshaped the perception of women serving our country. Today, Col. Olson is CEO/President of Grace After Fire. Watch the YouTube  video about Col. Olson and read the Governor’s press release.
  • BPW honors the service of Women Joining Forces Advisory Council members Marsha Four , Dr. Irene Trowell Harris and Linda Spoonster Schwartz during National Nurse’s Week

June 2014

  • On June 14, BPW Foundation CEO Deborah Frett was honored at the first annual Women Veteran Leadership Awards Symposium. The citation notes that under her leadership, BPW Foundation conducted the first research on the challenges facing women veterans in their transition from military to civilian careers. BPW hosted the Joining Forces for Women Veterans Inaugural Summit, and launched the Joining Forces for Women Veterans and Military Spouses Mentoring Plus program.
  • Frett also attended the Department of Labor’s and Veterans Service Organizations’ meeting on Employment and Training Service (VETS) meeting and participated in the Warrior-Family Roundtable, co-sponsored by the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) and Zeiders Enterprises, Inc. She moderated a session at the Arizona Women’s Conference and participated in the Corporation for National and Community Service webinar on Supporting and Engaging Female Veterans.

Sincerely,

Debbie Frett

CEO Business and Professional Women’s Foundation