Boots to the Boardroom | Dallas News Live

Happy Veterans Day. When we think about veterans, we often think about their service, their sacrifice and their time in uniform. But many veterans also leave the military with highly specialized skills that can translate into high demand careers right here at home. One Navy veteran in North Texas is working to connect those service members with opportunities in cybersecurity, AI and the tech industry. Jesse Sprague is with us. He's the founder and CEO of Boots to the Boardroom. That is an organization that helps connect veterans with careers in tech and other high demand industries. He joins us live to talk about those opportunities. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you for your service to our country, sir. Well, thank you, Casey. Thank you for your time today. I did notice you're from Evansville, Indiana. That's very close to where I grew up. Indiana boy, Midwesterners transplanted here in Texas. This is clearly such an important topic. Can you tell me about your time in the Navy, first off, and how that experience led you into creating this wonderful program? Yes, I'm a 2000 graduate of the United States Naval Academy. I went to the surface warfare environment and spent roughly four, four and a half years in the military and some reserve time. And while I was there, I think the biggest transition that I had was leaving the service. And I had some tremendous mentors that supported me. And right now, that led me through Deloitte Consulting. And through my time with Deloitte, I learned that there needs to be a strong transition at Deloitte. We had a very strong history of veteran hiring and supporting veterans in tech, and I started my own consulting company, Chris Consulting, and that led to Boots to the Boardroom, trying to synthesize the networks and the opportunities that myself, my mentors had given me. Tell me what are some of the biggest struggles for veterans when it comes to the transition back into civilian life? I've done a number of stories through the years with different branches of the military, and a lot of people find it extremely difficult reintegrating back, especially if they have been overseas on tours of duty, they've been in theater, and then coming home and even relating to their spouses. Their children can sometimes be tough. What is the biggest challenge to overcome, you think? I think it's the transition and the translation of military speak, if you will, military terminology to that in the civilian world. And we spend a lot of time coaching veterans in resume writing. For example, we recently, through one of our partners, SMLA, an SAP support group, We were able to give mock interviews and these interviews in high tech ServiceNow SAP, AI, cyber security, they're essential for that transition and understanding how to represent themselves. So just basic skills that a lot of people might take for granted. But as you said, man, man, the military, I said I needed sort of a translation book. It's got all the acronyms and just a whole different language really. Tell me specifically how the organization connects veterans with career opportunities. How do you help link them up with the people they need to know? Yes, we facilitate conversations at no cost between Fortune 500 companies looking for that high-tech talent. I would say in AI, SAP, from machine learning to robotics, it's really... Facilitating that dialogue. That is the challenge, having that network. Many people leave the military not having that network. We facilitate that and make the introductions. When we talk about cybersecurity, AI, other tech careers, what skills are veterans bringing to the table that make them a good fit? Their leadership, their ability to function in very high demand and high stress environments. It's I think it's To sum it up, it's a brother and sisterhood in the military, and if you learn to work together as a team, and with the challenges we see in AI, cybersecurity, and high-tech, bleeding-edge technology, veterans get that experience in the military. And that's what we try to do, facilitate those discussions and leverage that talent that they have. Okay, so I have about 30 seconds left. For someone who's maybe getting ready to leave the military and isn't sure what comes next, what are the top two tips? The top two tips, believe in yourself, understand that you are not alone, we have walked in your shoes, and contact organizations such as Boots to the Boardroom. Reach out, call me. I would say call me. You always have a voice, but call us. Make sure that you know you have support and you You are always enough. Jesse Sprague, thank you so much for your time. We really appreciate you taking time out of your Veterans Day to talk to us about a very important program. And it's always nice to speak with a fellow Hoosier. Thanks, Jason. Have a good rest of your day.