Legion helps honor women in labor and business

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Center for Women Veterans held a “Honoring Trailblazing Women in Labor and Business” conference March 29 for Women’s History Month, wherein American Legion National Veterans Employment and Education (VE&E) Division Assistant Director Kaitlin Gray was invited to speak about how the Legion promotes veteran-owned small businesses and advocates for the economic well-being of all veterans.

During the conference at the VA’s central office in Washington, D.C., Gray and two other guest speakers gave presentations, including Department of Labor Woman Veteran Program Manager Nancy Glowacki and Laurie Sayles Artis, president and CEO of Civility Management Solutions. “I’m an Air Force veteran and a military spouse,” said Gray, who has now worked at the Legion’s D.C. office for six months. “Our mission is to take actions that affect the economic well-being of veterans, including issues relating to veterans education, employment, home loans, vocational rehabilitation, homelessness and small business.”

According to statistics from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Veterans Business Development, veterans are 45 percent more likely to start a business than their civilian counterparts. Nearly 2.4 million, or 1 out of 10 small businesses in the United States, are owned by veterans and have generated $1.2 trillion within the last year.

Of those 2.4 million veteran-owned small businesses, more than 380,000 are small businesses owned by women veterans. Though the number of women veteran-owned small business has increased over the years, Gray said the Legion is dedicated to helping even more women veterans achieve their small business aspirations. “(The Legion has) put on multiple women veterans’ business workshops in the past, such as when we partnered with (Syracuse University’s) Institute for Veterans and Military Families to host a V-WISE conference in Houston during our (95th) national convention,” she said. “We also partner with other veteran business resources such as the Veterans Business Outreach Centers, the Small Business Administration, and we have our own Small Business Task Force with members all throughout the country.”

The Small Business Task Force meets regularly to set legislative priorities for the division and advocate on behalf of veteran-owned businesses. Gray said the task force is made up of veteran entrepreneurs who not only keep VE&E staff informed on how policies and regulation affect their own small businesses, but also provide guidance and mentorship to other veterans for all things business. “Members of this task force have also facilitated small business conferences and training programs over the past couple of years that have served hundreds of veterans,” said Gray. “They have also been guest speakers, business experts, and hosts of other small business workshops.”

One of the core mission components that VA Center for Women Veterans has is to advocate for cultural transformation to raise awareness about the service and sacrifice of women veterans. Under the leadership of director Kayla Williams, the center ensures that women veterans’ voices are heard and their stories are recognized as an integral part of American history.

Williams said women have served the nation in some capacity since the Revolutionary War and today, they are one of the fastest growing subgroups of veterans. “However, we frequently hear from women veterans that they feel invisible and unrecognized,” she said. “Events such as this one, in honor of Women’s History Month, are a wonderful opportunity to highlight their service and sacrifice, further raising awareness that women are veterans and have earned the same respect and benefits as our male counterparts.”

After spending years raising awareness of the challenges and opportunities that are unique to women veterans and serving on the VA Advisory Committee on Women Veterans for several years, Williams said it’s a tremendous honor being able to advocate on their behalf. The VA recognizes the importance of community partners, including veterans service organizations such as the Legion, in being able to serve all veterans, she said.

“We are thrilled to be able to work with Kaitlin, who attends our monthly partner breakfast meetings,” said Williams. “She provides a strong voice for women veterans within The American Legion and in the broader community. The Center (for Women Veterans) was honored to be invited to present to The American Legion Women Veterans Focus Group recently and looks forward to finding future opportunities for collaboration.”