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In 1999, the United States Congress designated May as National Military Appreciation month to provide citizens the opportunity to publicly honor and recognize the contributions, sacrifices, and services of members of the armed forces, past and present.

According to Military.Com, “the month plays a crucial role in raising awareness and understanding the challenges faced by the military community and provides a platform for education and dialogue about the experiences of service members, veterans, and their families.”

The month highlights several military anniversaries and events including Military Spouse Appreciation Day, Children of Fallen Patriots Day, U.S. Armed Forces Day, and provides an opportunity to pause and reflect on those who gave all on Memorial Day.

May was chosen because of the military’s historic achievements throughout the month including Victory in Europe (VE) Day, which commemorated the end of WWII in Europe in 1945.

There are numerous opportunities for citizens to show their appreciation, including attending events in their local community, purchasing a meal for a service member in uniform, volunteering at a VA hospital or veterans’ shelter, donating to a veterans’ charity, or sending a care package.

From April 25 through April 27, staff from the American College Center for Military and Veterans Affairs attended MilMoneyCon in Denver, Colorado. For the past three years, the Center has been in attendance as a Bronze Sponsor in support of Advisory Council Member, founder, and CEO of MilMo and MilMoneyCon, Lacey Langford, U.S. Air Force (Vet.), AFC®.

Langford founded MilMoneyCon with a mission to bring service members, veterans, and military spouses together to build and progress their careers, continue their education, and grow their earning power as practicing or rising financial professionals. At the center of this mission is an expression Langford uses as the philosophy behind her powerful mission: “Rising tides lift all ships.” By coming together to solve problems and supporting each other members of the military community not only help themselves, but uplift others within the community.

Throughout the event, the Center had the opportunity of meeting many of its partners and providing attendees with information about The American College of Financial Service’s various designations, the Center’s scholarship program, and initiatives. It also had the privilege of meeting numerous scholarship recipients and learning first-hand the difference these scholarships had made in their careers, to their families, and in their life. 

In this episode of our Shares podcast, hosts Lindsey Lewis, MBA, CFP®, ChFC® and Alanah Phillips, MBA speak with Cary Carbonaro, MBA, CFP®, an award-winning thought leader and advocate for women, for a discussion on how far the industry still has to go to make women feel welcome and the secrets to success and satisfaction in a largely male-oriented profession.

Cary Carbonaro, MBA, CFP® is senior vice president and director of women and wealth with ACM Wealth. An award-winning financial professional with over 25 years of experience, she is a tireless advocate for women in the financial industry and is passionate about increasing financial literacy and empowering women to overcome any financial challenge they face. She is the author of the bestselling wealth management book for women, The Money Queen’s Guide: For Women Who Want to Build Wealth and Banish Fear, and a CFP Board ambassador appointed to represent the industry in the media. In 2016, she earned the prestigious InvestmentNews Women to Watch award and has been honored six times as a top financial advisor on the Investopedia 100 list, most recently in 2023. She was also named a ThinkAdvisor LUMINARIES Class of 2023 finalist in the Thought Leadership category, recognized for driving the wealth management, investment, and retirement industry forward. She is the founder of FemmeForce, a nonprofit which serves as a mentorship collective dedicated to elevating women in the financial services world.

Any views or opinions expressed in this podcast are the hosts’ and guests' own and do not necessarily represent those of The American College of Financial Services.
 

The Center for Military and Veterans Affairs has named the recipient of the 2024 Soldier-Citizen Award, Major General Suzanne Vautrinot, USAF (Ret.). This marks the first time in the award’s 10-year history that a woman has been named as the winner. Major General Vautrinot will receive the award at the Military Summit on September 11.

Military Background

Over her 31 years of service, Major General Vautrinot was critical to the development of cyberspace as an operational domain within the military. She was instrumental in the establishment and early operation of U.S. Cyber Command with responsibility for offensive and defensive cyber activities for the Department of Defense.

Major General Vautrinot also served in numerous staff positions throughout her service, taking up the roles of joint planner and warfighting capabilities analyst on the Joint Staff, Deputy Executive Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Deputy Director, Air and Space Operations, and Strategic Security at Headquarters Air Force. Major General Vautrinot also served as Special Assistant to the Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force.

Civilian Leadership

Major General Vautrinot leads in other aspects of her life as well, serving as the president of Kilovolt Consulting Inc. and a member of the board of directors for Wells Fargo, ECOLAB, CSX, Parsons, Battelle Memorial Institute, and City of Hope. In these roles, she leverages her expertise to advise on cybersecurity matters.

Recognized by all those who know her as an excellent motivator and leader, Major General Vautrinot embodies what it means to be a Soldier-Citizen. Acting as a leader throughout her history with the military and in her civilian activities, Major General Vautrinot has demonstrated strength and skill on her way to numerous honors extolling her capabilities, including National Defense citations, the Symantec Cyber Award, the Women in Aerospace Leadership Award, the Air Force Association Aerospace Citation of Honor, “Women Worth Watching” from Profiles in Diversity Journal, the Presidential Award for Training, Cyberscoop’s Top “Women in Cybersecurity”, and “50 Politicos to Watch.”   She was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering in 2017.

Major General Vautrinot will be honored as the Soldier-Citizen Award recipient at the Center for Military and Veterans Affairs’ annual Military Summit on September 11 at the W Hotel and the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.