Military Officer - April 2008 - (Page 45) chaptersinaction send my résumé and who to schedule the interview with, and followed me through the process until the [job] offer was made and accepted shortly thereafter,” says Bauer. “Bud and Miramar MOAA TOPS were directly responsible for me getting my job.” leadership and consulting services to nonprofit organizations. The Pikes Peak (Colo.) Chapter in Colorado Springs started its TOPS group in 1999. Lt. Col. Doug Bonebrake, USA-Ret.; Lt. Col. Kirby Shineman, USAF-Ret.; and Lt. Col. Jim LeFebvre, USA-Ret., head up the group and cohost weekly breakfast meetings with a local The Retired Enlisted Association chapter, which brings together job seekers and a variety of area employers. Members also glean career-transition advice from a monthly TOPS column in the chapter’s newsletter and access local job listings posted on a Yahoo! mailing list. “Our attendance at breakfast meetings grows when the job market is tough,” says Bonebrake. “We help a lot of people who are seeking [a job] learn how to compete in the job market and differentiate themselves from the competition.” Job assistance in Anytown, America Several MOAA-affiliated chapters that are not located near a military base also have established their own TOPS programs. In Nashville, Tenn., Lt. Col. Michael Patenaude, USA-Ret., heads up the TOPS program for the Middle Tennessee Chapter. Patenaude, who works as a consultant in the Nashville area, receives assistance from fellow chapter member Cmdr. John Ohlinger, USN-Ret., a financial planner. Like other TOPS liaisons, they help transitioning military officers market themselves and learn how to network. “One of the first things I do is advise an officer to quit surfing the Internet,” says Patenaude. “Unless you have a hard job skill that is unique, you’re wasting your time. You need to get on the ground and network.” National, state, and local assistance The TOPS program helps lots of servicemembers and their spouses find jobs by providing résumé critiques, career counseling, access to a jobs database, and career fairs in select U.S. cities. It also receives assistance from more than 3,000 liaisons nationwide, who serve as local points of contact for job seekers. Recently, national MOAA began organizing its TOPS liaisons into state networks. In fact, Lichtenstern serves as the TOPS liaison for both his chapter and the entire state of California. As a state TOPS liaison, he sends job openings to everyone on his e-mail job network, including national MOAA, which lists them on the association’s Web Base, www.moaa.org. 2007 “Give Me 10!” Winners THE RESULTS OF THE 2007 “GIVE ME 10!” CAMPAIGN are in, and MOAA’s hardworking chapter members have set a new record by recruiting 3,263 officers for the association. We thank everyone who made the campaign a success and acknowledge the winners for 2007. The recruiter who won the $1,000 sweepstakes was Lt. Col. Paul Mehler, USA-Ret., of the Mount Vernon (Va.) Chapter. The member he recruited, Lt. Col. Brian O’Rear, USAF, received $500 and an MOAA life membership. Also, congratulations to the following chapters, which received $1,000 each for recruiting the most members in their size category: Category 1 (49 or fewer members) Piedmont Virginia — 23 Category 2 (50 to 74) George C. Marshall (Va.) — 49 Category 3 (75 to 99) Dover (Del.) — 24 Category 4 (100 to 120) Potomac (Va.) — 41 Category 5 (121 to 149) Fort George G. Meade (Md.) — 43 Category 6 (150 to 199) Savannah Area (Ga.) — 62 Category 7 (200 to 249) Heartland of America (Neb.) — 35 Category 8 (250 to 299) Southside Virginia — 700 Category 9 (300 to 499) Mount Vernon (Va.) — 98 Category 10 (500-plus) El Paso (Texas) — 424 APRIL 2008 Tapping into TOPS Col. David Patrick, USAF-Ret., also wears two hats, serving as the TOPS coordinator for Texas and heading up the Alamo Chapter’s TOPS program in San Antonio. In addition, Patrick represents MOAA at Randolph and Lackland AFBs when Transition Assistance Program seminars are held for separating servicemembers — something that’s helped the chapter recruit younger, second-career servicemembers. “The biggest service I provide is peer networking and matching names with opportunities,” says Patrick, who owns his own company providing interim executive MILITARY OFFICER 45 http://www.moaa.org
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.