Senator Coons to host roundtable on jobs for veterans on Monday
Senator Coons will host the first of three roundtable discussions on job creation on Monday afternoon at the headquarters of the Delaware National Guard in New Castle. Focusing on finding ways to increase job opportunities for veterans — especially recently returned veterans of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan — this first roundtable will include participants from the military, civilian agencies, veterans groups, and Delaware businesses.
“After working for years in the private sector and local government,” Chris said, “I know that the best ideas for creating jobs are going to come from the people on the front lines of the economic recovery. I talk with out-of-work Delawareans and small business owners just about every day, but these roundtables will facilitate a more dynamic group discussion that I hope will generate new ideas that we can apply in Washington to help create jobs for Delawareans.”
Nationally, unemployment among veterans is 13.3%, and for those under the age of twenty-four returning from Iraq and Afghanistan the rate is a staggering 21.1%, according to the Department of Labor. Chris joined in introducing the Hiring Heroes Act in May, which would provide additional assistance to service members transitioning into the civilian workforce, but he believes more can and must be done. The goal of this roundtable discussion is to bring stakeholders together in order to generate new ideas that Chris can take back with him to Washington when Congress reconvenes in September.
“After they fought for our freedom abroad, our veterans shouldn’t have to fight hard just to get a job here at home,” Chris said. Those participating in this first roundtable will be:
- Christine F. Kubik, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, Delaware
- Daniel Young, Delaware Military Community Partners
- Jim Tribbitt, Delaware Department of Labor
- Harry Gravell, Helmets to Hardhats, National Building Trades
- Antonio “Tony” Davila, Delaware Veterans Commission
- Edward Scully, Summit Aviation
- Robert Fitzpatrick, Summit Aviation
- Wesley Schroeder, Summit Aviation
- Jeffery Brown, Tidewater Utilities
- Sheila Mittucci, Saint Francis Hospital
- Sarmite Tyus, Wilmington VA Medical Center
- Victor Santos, Delaware State University
- Wendelin Henry, Delaware State University
- Shannon Freeze-Flory, DuPont
- Patricia R. Edwards, Dover Air Force Base
- Laura Coseglia, Dover Air Force Base
- James S. Webb, Wilmington University
- David B. Rich, United States Department of Labor
- James M. Provo, Small Business Administration
- Tim Keefe, JPMorgan Chase