Tell me about your career at Yale University.
I am a Senior Human Resources Generalist supporting several departments at the School of Medicine. A Generalist is the bridge between the customers in the field and central Human Resources. It’s one-stop shopping for the customer in many instances. The customer can be employees, departments, administrators, in some cases its faculty too.
Would you share some of your military experience and transition to the private sector?
I was in the United States Air Force for four years during the Vietnam era, and my skilled position was as an air traffic controller. I worked both in the control tower and in the radar approach control. My transition to civilian life was made easy based upon the fact that I was able to get a job with the Federal Aviation Administration as an air traffic controller, and my military experience went hand in glove with that civil job. While I was an air traffic controller I was continuing my education at night, completing my Bachelor’s degree in Management and Communications. I then began my Master’s degree for Labor and Industrial Relations which I completed a couple of years later. In 1981, President Reagan fired most of the air traffic controllers for going on strike. I was a recent resident of Connecticut and obtained a position at Yale University as a Labor Relations Representative where I worked for 21 years prior to becoming a generalist.
How does your military experience impact your work at Yale?
Functioning in the military allows one to have a sense of organization, and the position that I hold requires that as well as attention to detail. Certainly as an air traffic controller attention to detail was an important skill to have.
Could you discuss some of the intangible skills veterans such as yourself bring to an organization?
The first word that pops into my mind is “loyalty”. I’ve been at Yale for almost 28 years and I believe myself to be a loyal Yale employee. You develop that sense of loyalty in the military. From that sense of loyalty comes a sense of belonging. Here at Yale I have a sense of belonging and have had that for my entire career.
What do you think about the Yale Veterans Network?
I’m very happy to see that Yale is embracing veterans and is looking to increase veteran hiring. I believe veterans bring with them many skills from which Yale can benefit. Some of the initiatives are in the early stages, but like anything else, I think they will develop in time and Yale will become a magnet for veterans.
Anything further you would like to add?
I’ve been as happy with my career at Yale, as I was in my four years in the Air Force. I’m grateful to the government for allowing me the opportunity to learn an important skill, and for providing me with veteran benefits that allowed me to continue my education which ultimately set the stage for me getting a job at Yale University.