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Where Opportunity Knox hires regional veteran coordinator

Ann Reiter
Ann Reiter

Louisville, Ky. – Where Opportunity Knox, a regional initiative to connect 10,000 transitioning veterans and military spouses to jobs in the Greater Louisville Region by the end of 2017, has hired Ann Reiter as a regional veteran connector.

Reiter is currently a Human Resources Officer in the U.S. Army Reserve. Prior to her family’s relocation to Fort Knox in June 2015, she served as Washington State’s Lead State HR Veteran Strategy and Planning Specialist.

She was instrumental in aligning statewide Veteran workforce strategies bringing private, public, Veteran service and nonprofit organizations together creating a more collaborative holistic transition for local service members exiting military service.

Reiter also helped to create the Northwest Edge Program, a bridging program which complements the Department of Defense’s transition program, providing an “edge” to those service members staying within or returning to Washington State.

“We are fortunate to have someone with Ann’s experience relocate to Fort Knox and join our team as a next regional veteran connector. She will be a great asset to our program as she helps connect employers seeking talent and Veterans seeking opportunities,” said Beth Avey, Where Opportunity Knox executive director.

Read more about Where Opportunity Knox

As a Regional Veteran Connector (“RVC”), Reiter will work one-on-one with Veterans and their families, providing them with concierge-type services to help them connect to career opportunities, build a professional network in the region and just as importantly, find a community in the Greater Louisville Region that suits their particular needs.

Where Opportunity Knox, which launched in September 2014, is a unique regional initiative to connect 10,000 transitioning Veterans and military spouses to jobs and the Greater Louisville region by the end of 2017. While numerous employers throughout the country have made the commitment to hire Veterans, there is no geographic region that has taken on this challenge. With approximately 100,000 Soldiers transitioning from active duty through the Army Transition Assistance Program (SFL-TAP) which is headquartered at the U.S. Army Human Resources Command located at Fort Knox, Ky. and more than 3,000 of those transitioning Soldiers stationed at Fort Knox, Greater Louisville’s 26-county region has a unique economic development opportunity to tap into this highly skilled Veteran talent like nowhere else in the nation.

This initiative is not a job placement service but instead is about developing a pipeline of transitioning Veterans who are looking for a post-military place to live and work – a place that values Veterans, offers a high-level quality of life and has a diverse and robust economy with available jobs and careers. Through a network of RVCs and a host of knowledgeable volunteers, Where Opportunity Knox is making the connections Veterans need to find the right civilian job and the right civilian community. Where Opportunity Knox also provides an online resource for transitioning families to get information about the overall quality of life in the Greater Louisville Region including jobs, schools and more.

Where Opportunity Knox is currently funded by the Duke Energy Foundation, the Gheens Foundation, the James Graham Brown Foundation and the Ogle Foundation. Kentucky Indiana Exchange (KIX), managed by three regional chambers of commerce including Greater Louisville Inc., the Hardin County Chamber of Commerce and One Southern Indiana, designed and implemented this initiative. For more information about Where Opportunity Knox and to learn more about hiring opportunities for Veterans, visit www.whereopportunityknox.com.