In a segment titled “The Power of Service,” NGA Vice Chair Maryland Governor Wes Moore led a panel discussion to explore how Americans can heal division by serving in our communities, as well as how we can honor military service members and their families who have dedicated their lives and careers to serving the nation. “Service does not have to be an occupation, but it needs to be a way of life – how we move, how we maneuver, how we operate,” Gov. Moore stated. “It’s the debt that we pay back.”
A combat veteran who enlisted at age 17, Gov. Moore reflected on his how military service informs his service as Governor: “We came into our administration knowing that service would be a foundation of everything we were trying to get done. It’s why we were proud that one of the first initiatives that we were able to move on was making Maryland the first state in the country that now has a service year option for all of our high school graduates. Every high school graduate within the state of Maryland now has the opportunity to lead and to serve in whatever makes their heart beat faster – because we knew that in this time of this political divisiveness and vitriol that service will save us.”
Rosie Rios, Chair of America250, shared how her organization is incorporating service into plans to mark America’s 250th anniversary this year: “We launched America Gives, which is a national service initiative. Our goal is to make 2026 the largest year of volunteer hours ever recorded by our country. It’s never happened before, and we are well on our way… Let’s not forget that 2026 is the 25-year anniversary of 9/11. We are using America Gives to make giving back a year-round effort using the two federally recognized days of service: MLK Day in January [and] 9/11. And most people don’t know that [9/11 is a national day of service], but we will not forget.”
One way Americans can serve is by volunteering with organizations who give back to those who have given the nation so much: veterans and military families. Philanthropist and Craigslist founder Craig Newmark, who has committed $200 million to Blue Star Families and other military and veteran support organizations, encouraged Americans to get involved: “The 250th anniversary of our country is coming up. This is a really good time to remind everyone, and I mean all Americans, that service members sacrifice a lot to protect us all. The families of active service members also sacrifice a lot to protect us all. I’m taking this really personally, which is why I’m supporting groups like Blue Star Families, who are actually good at helping military families. Sometimes it’s hard to find groups who are good at what they’re supposed to be, but Blue Star is the real thing.”
Kathy Roth-Douquet, founder and CEO of Blue Star Families, updated Governors on a new effort to help states advance policies, programs, and partnerships to strengthen support for military and veteran-connected families. Getting and staying connected to job opportunities, health care, child care and education can be a challenge for families who move so often. Blue Star Families has partnered with NGA to develop a “Do Your Part” toolkit to help states identify policies to break down barriers.
“Seventy to eighty percent of military families are not on installations; they’re in your states,” Roth-Douquet explained. “The challenges that they’re facing are not challenges that the Pentagon can solve; they’re challenges that are being faced in their community. So this toolkit is all about what states can do that can really make military families able to thrive. Our research shows that when military families feel a sense of belonging in their communities, when they feel their communities understand them, they don’t have financial insecurity, they don’t have mental health problems. They recommend [military] service, they want to stay in [military service].”
Along with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, Gov. Moore chairs the Do Your Part committee. Governors from across the nation have signed on. Roth-Douquet highlighted a variety of state actions, including:
- Maryland: Gov. Moore announced legislation declaring 2024 the “Year for Military Families” with a legislative agenda to support and empower service members, military spouses, and caregivers through job opportunity expansion, preferential hiring, and increased leave benefits
- Oklahoma: Gov. Stitt established the Oklahoma Veterans Foundation to enhance the state’s ability to provide services and programs for Oklahoma veterans beyond the scope of federal or state funding; additionally, Oklahoma offers career tech programs to help connect not just veterans but also service members and military spouses to training, technology, career opportunities
- Utah: allows children of military service members to register for schools before their parents have an address – eliminating some of the stress associated with moving to a new school
- Wisconsin: provides occupational licensing compacts and military spouse license recognition to support workforce access and career continuity across state lines
“When your military families, Guard and Reserve are more successful in your state, your state will thrive,” Roth-Douquet noted. “They will come back and settle in your state, and our military overall will be more successful. We’re grateful for what everyone here has done. Change so often happens not at the federal level, but in the states.”
Studies show veterans face employment and underemployment challenges – in part because employers often fail to understand how military skills translate to private sector work. LinkedIn is leading a number of efforts to change that. As Chief Global Affairs & Legal Officer Blake Lawit explained, “We need to break down some of the myths that are out there about vets in the workforce. Vets are 30% more likely to stick around [at a new job] after six months. They are three times as likely to have [a post-doctoral degree.] There’s a myth that veterans have less experience. [Employers seeking workers with logistics experience] don’t understand that somebody serving in the military – that’s what they’re doing. When we look at our data, they have twice as much work experience.”
LinkedIn’s efforts tie in to work led by Governors to move beyond degree-based hiring. “What we need to do is shift the frame,” Lawit explained. “We need to stop looking at degrees and start looking at skills. Right now, 70% of job postings require a four-year degree, and [only] 37% of the workforce has a college education. So you’re just taking half the people [out of contention] right off the front, even if they have the skills to do the job. That’s bad policy, and it’s really overlooking communities that have been historically underserved.”
As AI technology transforms the job market, this shift will be especially important. “Veterans have the skills to do the jobs that America needs to get done” Lawit emphasized. “I’ll make a movie reference here: not just ‘a particular set of skills’ like in the movie Taken. They’ve got all kinds of skills. [With the rise of AI], 25% of the skills necessary to do the average job has changed. We expect that that’s going to be 70% by 2030. So even if you’re not changing jobs, your job’s changing on you.
“Who are the people that are adaptable? Who are the people that are used to dealing with the unexpected? Who are the people that can step up and get the job done? That is definitely veterans.”
Watch the full session below, or on YouTube.
