It’s a privilege and honor for us at Dataminr to have a big community of veterans and active service members. Their leadership, resilience and problem-solving skills—along with many other strengths—bring tremendous value to our organization and culture.
That’s why I’m incredibly proud to share our annual blog post celebrating Veterans Day, featuring my conversation with Linsey Fuchs, Dataminr Senior Customer Success Manager, U.S. Department of Defense. We discussed this year’s Veterans Day theme of “A Legacy of Loyalty and Service,” how her experience in the U.S. Air Force influenced her professional career, and what resources allies can use to support our veterans.
Check out what Linsey had to say.
Can you briefly share your experience in the U.S. Air Force? How has it helped you in your career in the private sector?
I served 10 years on active duty as an intelligence officer and I’m currently an Air Force reservist. My military experience has been invaluable to my private sector career in many ways. Above all, it taught me how to confidently lead teams in highly ambiguous situations.
At a pre-IPO company like Dataminr, there are still processes to be developed, products to be refined and markets to be discovered. In other words, there are still problems to be solved. If veterans are anything, they are problem solvers. They are well-adapted to executing missions with constrained time and resources. It’s no doubt that when transitioned to the private sector, veterans bring unmatched skills to the workplace and significantly contribute to their organization’s success.
What does Veterans Day mean to you? And how do you usually celebrate it?
Veterans Day is a moment to reflect on the idea that there are people who voluntarily commit to something greater than themselves. And it is not just them. Their families often don’t get the credit they deserve for their service and sacrifice.
Every year, my children’s elementary school puts on a Veterans Day celebration, inviting veterans in the community to come and celebrate. This year, I have been asked to be a guest speaker. I plan to focus my talk on the fact that there are lots of ways to serve your community other than being in the military, such as being emergency responders, police officers, medical professionals, teachers…the list goes on.
I’m always so appreciative when people thank me for my service, and I want to use this guest speaking opportunity to thank those in my community who might not get the same recognition.
What is one fact about Veterans Day and/or the veteran community in the U.S. that you want people to know?
Veterans Day was originally called “Armistice Day” and marked the anniversary of the end of hostilities of World War I. Officially, the war ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. It’s not just an American holiday either. Though they differ in name and types of ceremonies, several countries designate November 11 as a day to honor their veterans and fallen heroes, such as Remembrance Day in the UK and Commonwealth member states.
I had the privilege of living in Europe while on active duty. While there, I got to visit World War I battlefields, which really drove home the sacrifices that veterans and fallen service members have made throughout history. It was a truly humbling experience.
The theme for Veterans Day 2024 is “A Legacy of Loyalty and Service.” What do you think the public and companies can do better to honor this legacy?
Veterans don’t stop serving when they leave the military. They carry the commitment to mission and community into the next phase of their life and bring skills desperately needed in the private sector.
By now, I think most companies understand they would greatly benefit from recruiting veterans. One challenge exists: understanding how to translate veterans’ non-corporate backgrounds into private sector job descriptions. Most veterans I know who are transitioning spend the bulk of their time clarifying and explaining their resumes.
Surprisingly, there is so much overlap between military roles and those in the private sector. Companies would benefit by meeting veterans half-way and training their talent and acquisition teams to better understand military job descriptions. They would be amazed at the level of talent they would discover.
What resources do you recommend for allies and companies that want to better support veterans?
Numerous resources are available for companies that want to hire and support veterans. From being a Skillbridge industry partner to hiring through veteran-forward companies like BreakLine.org, there are many ways to find exceptionally qualified candidates for a company’s open roles.
Also, veterans often want to network with people in roles they are interested in to better understand life in that job and industry. Organizations like American Corporate Partners excel at pairing military members with corporate professionals and are great places to volunteer your time to support transitioning veterans.
Many companies also have employee resource groups (ERGs), which are an excellent means to quickly connect veterans with each other, foster a sense of community and drive impact. I feel grateful that Dataminr invests time and resources into the Service@Dataminr ERG to help employees across the organization understand the unique skills and knowledge veterans bring to the table. Furthermore, the ERG helps build an inclusive culture and dramatically improves veterans’ transition experience.
To commemorate this year’s Veterans Day, several members of the Service@Dataminr ERG are participating in CHAD, a hero workout in honor of U.S. Navy SEAL Chad Wilkinson, who took his life on October 29, 2018, due to the effects of numerous deployments, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), blast wave injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The goal is to honor Chad’s life and legacy and to raise awareness for suicide prevention.
I hope we will continue to honor, express our appreciation for and support of veterans and their families—not just on Veterans Day but everyday.
