Sidney "Sid" Goodfriend, A&S '82, had already experienced what his country could do for him. He had a Johns Hopkins education and a successful Wall Street career—things he says came from opportunities afforded to him growing up in the United States.
Now it was time to find out what he could do for his country.
As he wrapped up his 25 years in the investment world, mostly spent at Merrill Lynch, Goodfriend knew he wanted his next chapter to involve public service.
Image caption: Sid Goodfriend
It was 2007. Firsthand memories of 9/11 were still fresh—Goodfriend remembers walking toward the World Trade Center when the second tower "exploded right above my head"—and the country was actively deploying troops around the world. "No one was thinking about what to do for these men and women after their service was over," he said.
Goodfriend didn't have experience leading a nonprofit or connections to the military. What he did have was a desire to help and a wealth of connections at some of America's largest companies, which he tapped into to launch American Corporate Partners, or ACP, in 2008.
ACP is a nonprofit that pairs post-9/11 veterans and active-duty military spouses with mentors from top companies to help them find meaningful employment and develop long-term careers as they transition to the civilian workforce.
In ACP's 16-year history, more than 35,000 veterans and spouses have completed the mentorship program. Another 5,000-plus are currently in the program, paired with mentors from more than 100 companies.
A challenge for veterans
According to a 2020 case study by Thomas G. Mahnken, professor of practice at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, "Whether it is due to an unclear vision of the future, an inability to leverage military skills into workplace attributes, or simply due to a lack of personal and professional networks, post-9/11 veterans enter the workforce a step behind their civilian counterparts."
One of the biggest concerns isn't unemployment, but rather underemployment. Mahnken's report cited data that more than two-thirds of veteran employees reported having a job unequal to the level of skills and qualifications that they had gained in the military. As a result, many don't stay at their first job very long, adding to the difficulty of the transition.
The SAIS case study reported that veterans listed three main challenges entering the workforce: competing with candidates who have been in the workforce longer, explaining how military skills translate to civilian positions, and lack of required education or certification.
That last one is something Goodfriend is focused on changing.
"Nearly half of the veterans applying for jobs don't have a four-year college degree, which many job descriptions require," he said. "They can't get an interview. It's almost half of the veteran applicant pool, and they are excluded from many companies."
ACP and its mentors can help show their protégés how to bring attention to the value veterans bring to a job. From their military experience, Goodfriend says, many bring skills such as solving problems under pressure, dealing with stress, showing extraordinary teamwork, handling challenging work conditions, and devoting themselves to a bigger cause.
"I'd like to think that the skills and values gained from a career in the military equal four years of studies," Goodfriend said. "Not everyone can get a scholarship or spend tens of thousands of dollars a year on college."
The solution starts with bringing the problem out into the open, having managers and recruiters understand the situation and keep it top of mind when hiring. "We may not always be able to hire them," Goodfriend said. "But we can't exclude them."
One-on-one mentorship
Each veteran or military spouse in the ACP program spends a year meeting at least monthly with a mentor. Mentors can teach veterans how to better articulate the ways their experience can benefit an employer.
Mentors can also provide guidance on the corporate world to prospective employees entering the private sector for the first time. They offer career advice and work on hard skills like interviewing and resume building, as well as soft skills like navigating interpersonal work relationships and how to advocate on one's own behalf. That last one can be counterintuitive for a group that's almost universally selfless, Goodfriend says, used to putting team and country above self.
Another important benefit of the program is networking. The SAIS case study highlights a growing gap of unfamiliarity with veterans. Fewer younger Americans have immediate ties to members of the military, and veteran representation in Congress has declined. In the private sector, the percentage of veterans among high-level executives fell from 60% in 1984 to just 6.2% in 2014. In addition, while human resources professionals, business executives, and hiring managers have an overwhelmingly positive view of veterans, more than half said they had little familiarity with military service.
A mentor from a large company can bridge this gap. Personal introductions can help overcome the four-year degree requirement. First Sergeant Manny Morejonreyes, a former ACP protégé, was featured in a CBS news report on the program. "I really thought that it was going to be a little bit easier to be able to find a job," he said, but because he didn't have a four-year degree, most of his job applications were overlooked. He was eventually hired by T-Mobile as a human resources manager.
Goodfriend can recount many more stories of protégés who completed the program. There's John, who was back home living with his parents after being injured in Baghdad. His mentor introduced him to a CEO, who eventually hired him. Two years later, he was one of the top salespeople in the company. Another veteran was homeless, living in his truck. His mentor helped him get a job in cybersecurity, and he recently moved into his first apartment. ACP profiles monthly Success Stories on its website.
For Goodfriend, ACP allows him to give back to the country that's given him so much. Over the years, he's convinced corporate leaders they also had an obligation to support our veterans. "It's our duty to help," he said.
