
ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM

"50-YEARS OF INNOVATION"
SUPPORTING SERVICE MEMBERS, VETERANS, AND THEIR FAMILIES
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New York Marriott Marquis
1535 Broadway, New York, NY 10036
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Symposium Speakers

Symposium Agenda
Sunday, January 22, 2023
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9:00 am - 2:00 pm Board Meeting
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2:00 pm - 6:00 pm Registration Open - Badge Pick Up / Barrymore 9th Floor
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2:00 pm - 6:00 pm CCME Information Desk and Mobile App Assistance / Barrymore 9th Floor
Day 1 - Monday, January 23, 2023
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7:00 am - 6:00 pm Registration Open / Broadway Ballroom Pre-Function Area (6th Floor)
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7:00 am - 6:00 pm CCME Information Desk and Mobile App Assistance / Broadway Ballroom Pre-Function Area (6th Floor)
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7:00 am - 6:00 pm Speaker Ready Room Open / 5th Floor Lyceum
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8:00 am - 9:00 am History of CCME - Daryl Patrick, Dr. Belinda Jones, and Esmeralda Silva / Conference Room: Marquis A
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8:00 am - 4:30 pm Exhibit Hall Set-up / Westside Ballroom
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8:00 am - 5:00 pm Services Meeting - Air Force - closed meeting / Conference Room: CLOSED
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8:00 am - 5:00 pm Services Meeting - Army NG -closed meeting / Conference Room: CLOSED
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8:00 am - 5:00 pm Services Meeting - Coast Guard - closed meeting / Conference Room: CLOSED
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9:00 am - 10:00 am ACME 101 / 201 - ACME Updates, Best Practices, and Challenges - Aaron Hall and Anthony Paolin / Conference Room: Marquis A
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9:00 am - 11:00 am CCME 101: Newcomers' Orientation Workshop - Chris Deckard / Conference Room: Marquis B & C
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10:00 am - 11:00 am Training, Licensing, and Job Placement for Military Members – Corporate Perspectives / Conference Room Marquis A
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Elle Armistead, Program Delivery Lead, Brooksource | Project Patriot Program
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Robert Witte, Military and STEP Recruiting Manager, BMW of North America | BMW MSTEP Program
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Sarah Lamkin, Associate Vice President of Admissions at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
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Merrick Van Dongen, Director, Microsoft Military Affairs | Microsoft Software and Systems Academy
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John Decoteau, VP Military and Campus Admissions, Universal Technical Institute
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11:00 am - 12:00 pm DOL’s Efforts to Expand Apprenticeship - Carolyn Renick, Apprenticeship, Licensing, and Credentialing, Office of National Programs, Veterans’ Employment and Training Service – VETS / Conference Room: Marquis B & C
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12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Lunch On Your Own
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1:00 pm - 2:00 pm NAIMES Roundtable Discussion – Expectations for Quality in Education / Conference Room: Marquis B &C
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2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Every Conversation is a Negotiation - Let's Test Your Skills / Conference Room: Marquis B & C
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Jide Gamu, Founder and Chairman, iFour / CCME Strategy Officer
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Vince Brantley, Co-Owner and President, Veritas Culture
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3:30 pm - 4:30 pm CCME Business Meeting: Updated By-Laws / Strategic Plan 2020-2025 - How are we doing? -open to all CCME Members / Conference Room Marquis B &C
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4:30 pm- 5:30 pm CCME Board Meeting (closed meeting)
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5:45 pm - 6:00 pm CCME Board Welcome and Introductions / Westside Pre-function area
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6:00 pm - 8:30 pm CCME President's Reception: Exhibit Hall Grand Opening (appetizers provided) / Westside Ballroom
Day 2 - Tuesday, January 24, 2023
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7:00 am - 6:00 pm Registration Open / Broadway Ballroom Pre-Function Area (6th floor)
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7:00 am - 6:00 pm CCME Information Desk and Mobile App Assistance / Broadway Ballroom Pre-Function Area (6th Floor)
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7:00 am - 4:00 pm Exhibit Hall Open / Location Westside Ballroom
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7:00 am - 7:30 am CCME Board Meeting (closed meeting)
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7:00 am - 7:45 am Warm Continental Breakfast / Exhibit Hall Westside Ballroom
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7:00 am - 9:00 am Speaker Ready Room Open / Conference Room 5th Floor Coatroom
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8:00 am - 8:05 am Opening Ceremony / Singing of National Anthem / Presentation of Colors
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National Anthem - Regina Wilson, NYC FireFighter
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Presentation of Colors - Navy League JROTC
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Color Guard
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Primary - Cadet CDR Joesly Garcia
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Primary - Cadet LCDR Daniel, White
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Primary - Cadet LT Fajardo, Caden
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Primary - Cadet LTJG Yarubi, Fernandez
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Secondary - Cadet LTJG Annierys, Rodriguez
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Secondary - Cadet Ensign Oliver, Peralta
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Location Broadway Ballroom
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8:05 am - 8:10 am Symposium Welcome - Esmeralda Silva, CCME President / Location Broadway Ballroom
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8:10 am - 8:30 am Welcome to New York - Adam Rocke, Senior Director of Engagements, US Chamber of Commerce Foundation - Hiring Our Heroes / Location Broadway Ballroom
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8:30 am - 9:30 am Opening Keynote Speaker - Ramón "CZ" Colón-López, Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman (SEAC) / Location Broadway Ballroom
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9:30 am - 10:00 am Housekeeping Items / New York Scavenger Hunt - Chris Deckard and Karen Diaz / Location Broadway Ballroom
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10:00 am - 10:30 am Break - Exhibit Hall (coffee & tea provided) / Westside Ballroom
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10:30 am - 11:30 am DoD Updates - Dr. Jonathan Woods, Career Readiness Suite Office of the Secretary of Defense / Broadway Ballroom
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11:30 am - 1:00 pm Scholarships and Awards' Luncheon (lunch provided) - Desiree Butts, CCME Conferment Officer / Broadway Ballroom
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1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Department of Labor's Veterans' Employment and Training Service - Honorable James D. Rodriguez, Assistant Secretary Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service / Broadway Ballroom
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2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Veterans Administration (VA) Updates - Mr. Joseph Garcia, Executive Director Education Services / Broadway Ballroom
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3:00 pm - 3:30 pm Break - Exhibit Hall (coffee & tea provided) / Westside Ballroom
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3:30 pm - 4:30 pm Taskforce Movement Panel / Broadway Ballroom
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Patrick Murphy, Chairman Taskforce Movement
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Aaron McElroy, Director of Avature Federal
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Ms. Elizabeth Murray-Belcaster, Senior Advisor, Taskforce Movement
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Dr. Gary Schaub Jr., Senior Advisor for Professional Military Education
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Ms. Elizabeth Martin, Senior Vice President, Strategy & Innovation Group at Optum Serve
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6:00 pm - 8:00 pm CCME Board Reception (closed)
Day 3 - Wednesday, January 25, 2023
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7:00 am - 5:00 pm Registration Open / Broadway Ballroom Pre-Function Area (6th Floor)
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7:00 am - 5:00 pm CCME Information Desk and Mobile App Assistance / Broadway Ballroom Pre-Function Area (6th Floor)
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7:00 am - 4:00 pm Exhibit Hall Open / Location Westside Ballroom
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7:00 am - 5:00 pm Speaker Ready Room Open / Conference Room 5th floor coatroom
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7:00 am - 7:30 am CCME Board Meeting (closed meeting)
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7:00 am - 7:45 am Warm Continental Breakfast - Exhibit Hall / Westside Ballroom
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8:00 am - 9:00 am Concurrent Session #1 / Conference Rooms - See Concurrent Session Schedule
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9:10 am - 10:10 am Concurrent Session #2 / Conference Rooms - See Concurrent Session Schedule
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10:10 am - 10:30 am Break - Exhibit Hall (coffee & tea provided)
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10:30 am - 11:30 am Concurrent Session #3 / Conference Rooms - See Concurrent Session Schedule
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11:30 am - 12:30 pm Concurrent Session #4 / Conference Rooms - See Concurrent Session Schedule
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12:30 pm - 1:45 pm Lunch - On Your Own
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1:45 pm - 2:45 pm Concurrent Session #5 / Conference Rooms - See Concurrent Session Schedule
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2:55 pm - 3:55 pm Concurrent Session #6 / Conference Rooms - See Concurrent Session Schedule
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4:05 pm - 5:05 pm Concurrent Session #7 / Conference Rooms - See Concurrent Session Schedule
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2:00 pm - 4:00 pm Exhibit Hall Breakdown
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6:00 pm - 9:00 pm CCME Networking Reception - Back to the '70s (appetizers provided) / Westside Ballroom
Day 4 - Thursday, January 26, 2023
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7:00 am - 12:00 pm Registration - Final / Broadway Ballroom Pre-Function Area (6th Floor)
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7:00 am - 12:00 pm CCME Information Desk and Mobile App Assistance / Broadway Ballroom Pre-Function Area (6th Floor)
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7:00 am - 12:00 pm Speaker Ready Room Open / 5th Floor Lyceum
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7:00 am - 7:30 am CCME Board Meeting (closed meeting)
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7:00 am - 7:45 am Warm Continental Breakfast / Broadway Ballroom Pre-function area
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8:00 am - 9:00 am Keynote Speaker - Vince Brantley / Location Broadway Ballroom
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9:00 am - 10:00 am Student Panel / Location Broadway Ballroom
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Ashley Sempowsk, Liberty University
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Jimmy Diaz, Trident International University
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Karla Payne, National University
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Nicolas Boyle, Thomas Edison State University
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10:00 am - 10:15 am Break (coffee & tea provided) / Location Broadway Pre-function area
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10:15 am - 11:15 am VOLED Service Chiefs Updates / Location Broadway Ballroom
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Laurie Murphy, Air Force
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Wes Smith, Army
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Stephen Keck, Coast Guard
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Bart MacMillan, Marine Corps
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James Johnson, Navy
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11:15 am - 1:00 pm Lunch (lunch provided) - President Award, Lifetime Achievement Award, Past President Recognition / Location Broadway Ballroom
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1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Veteran Service Organization Panel / Location Broadway Ballroom
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Matthew Brennan, American Legion
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Anthony Paolino, Student Veterans of America
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Steve Patterson, Veteran Education Project
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Wendy Lang, Operation College Promise
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2:00 pm - 4:00 pm Senior Enlisted Panel / Location Broadway Ballroom
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Sgt. Maj. Aaron McDonald Command Senior Enlisted Leader - Education Command Marine Corps University
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Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force Roger Towberman
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Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Heath B. Jones
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CSM Jason Schmidt, Commandant of the NCO Leadership Center of Excellence and the Sergeants Major Academy
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4:00 pm - 4:15 pm Closing Remarks / Adjournment - Esmeralda Silva, CCME President / Location Broadway Ballroom