Our Mission:

Eliminate barriers to great careers for military spouses. 

 Colonel Camerone Trent, US Army Reserves (ret.) with her husband Mike. Military spouses, male or female, earn less, have less opportunity for 401K stability, and often reinvent their careers with each move. This means starting over in a lateral position, sacrificing promotions and financial gains.

 
So Why Veterans ASCEND?

We built a revolutionary platform that eliminates employment barriers for veterans and propels them toward great careers after their military service. Veterans ASCEND is actively and successfully matching hundreds of veterans with exceptional employers.

Now we want to do the same for military spouses.

100% of what you give will go toward our mission. Every $5, $10, or $100 will make sure military spouses across the country are:

• recognized and hired for their skills;
• connected with career opportunities; and
• can continue to progress financially.

Give today and make a difference.

We moved to South Carolina in 2004.  I was in the IRR and Chris was a reservist.  As the war kicked off - so did our military careers.  We put family FIRST and all the rest just fell into place.  After Chris' first deployment to Iraq he went full time Army National Guard.  He deployed many times and is currently commanding a brigade out of Colorado.  After eight years active duty in the Marine Corps I did the next 22 years in the reserve - as our children came first.  We wanted to stay in Greenville South Carolina - so we did.  We both deployed to Iraq/Afghanistan/Qatar several times - but never at the same time - that was always our commitment - family first.

We asked for help from neighbors - and they wanted to do their part to serve our country - so we let them!!!!  They helped with carpool, support - whatever we needed - they were glad to do it.

With the help of Veterans Ascend you can get hired for your skills, you bring to the civilian world.  Civilian employers WANT to do their part and hire veterans and veterans' spouses - so let them!!!!

I met my husband, Mike, after he was full time with the National Guard in South Carolina.  Prior to his service with the National Guard, he served in the Army with the 82^nd and 3ID and deployed to Iraq twice.  He did leave the military for a few months but realized very quickly that he needed the military in his life.  Mike was fortunate enough to become a recruiter with the guard and then receive a full time AGR position where he could be a soldier every day. 

We never went through a deployment together, but we did face a number of challenges.  In 2015, Mike started becoming concerned about what life would be like once he left the military.  He had been in the military since 1999 (with the exception of those few months), and Mike would talk about things he would love to do – from going to culinary school to working at the local county dump (I really think this was his favorite plan!).  But I knew he was anxious about life as a civilian.  Unfortunately, we never had the chance to really work through this together as he passed away in September of 2016. 

Because of Mike, both before and after he died, I have become involved in a number of veteran organizations and support groups.  And one of the challenges I hear frequently throughout many of the groups is finding employment opportunities or struggling to communicate military experience to civilian opportunities.  Veterans Ascend offers a way to translate this for both military and civilians.  In my professional life, I work in Human Resources and so Veterans Ascend is something that has just fit in both areas of my life.  On a personal side, I would have loved to be able to show Mike how many options are available once you leave the military and on a professional side, I love being able to showcase the company I work for as an option for those getting ready to leave or have already left the military. 

I met my husband Rich in 2013 in Clarksville, TN.  He is in 5th Special Forces and we have be through five deployments since we met.  As a recent graduate with my bachelors degree, it is nerve wracking as not only a military spouse, but also as a mother to enter the workforce.  While I have yet to experience it myself, I have seen firsthand how difficult it is for friends in similar situations to find work.  Many of us have spent hundreds of hours volunteering with the Family Readiness Group yet find it difficult to explain or show how this experience translates into skills when applying for jobs. Veterans Ascend is a wonderful program to not just help veterans, but also their spouses.  

I understand firsthand, the challenges veterans and military spouses face. Moving every 2-3 years, packing up, leaving your network and starting over. When I left the Navy after 9 years I was told "you're a female, you can get a job as an Administrative Assistant because no one will care or understand what you did in the Navy." My skills were discounted and pushed aside. Unfortunately, not much has changed in 30 years. So I created Veterans ASCEND to put skills front and center. Matching on skills, location and salary, we are completely changing the way employers find and hire great employees - Our veterans and military spouses.

We are deeply grateful for any and all contributions. Thank you in advance for your generosity.