Travelers Reaffirms Its Commitment to Service Members

On November 11—Veterans Day—Travelers CEO Alan Schnitzer was joined by John Clifford, Chief HR Officer and Tom Bullock, Chief of Employer Outreach at the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) to sign a national Statement of Support. This statement demonstrates Travelers’ continued commitment to Guard and Reserve employees and reaffirms the company’s support of service members and their families. “It’s our employees who make us what we are and set us apart as a company, and we’re honored to count veterans and members of

the Guard and Reserve among them,” said Alan. “Travelers has long been committed to hiring and supporting our nation’s service members. We value the unique skill sets and leadership qualities they add to our company, and we’re proud to sign this statement honoring their service to our country.” Travelers has been named a Military Friendly Employer by G.I. Jobs for the past 10 years and is on the Military Times list of companies that are “Best for Vets.”

Click here to view Statement of Support.

Military & Veterans Diversity Network Newsletter

Ashley’s War author Delivers Veterans Day Keynote

To honor Veterans Day and women’s contributions to the success of America’s armed services, the MVDN hosted New York Times best-selling author, journalist and women’s advocate Gayle Tzemach Lemmon as the keynote speaker on November 1. Ms. Lemmon described how the Armed Forces most tested leaders concluded in 2011 that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan couldn’t be won without women, who could bring unique knowledge and “soft skills” to the battleground that were not available to the Green Berets and Special Ops soldiers they might serve beside. One hundred

women were selected and sent to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. After “100 hours of hell” and a grueling five-day selection process, a group of 55 women were selected for a top secret one-year pilot program. Ms. Lemmon recounted those women’s backgrounds and experiences in the program, and compared them to the Tuskegee Airman, the World War II African-American pilots who challenged common thought at that time about their fitness to serve. Ms. Lemmon’s best-selling book “Ashley’s War” tells the story of these women soldiers and how they changed from their experiences in the program. She reflected that the “warrior of today isn’t going to be the warrior of tomorrow.” She implored leaders to look at their talent from a “360 lens,” so that their expectations can be surpassed. Her lessons apply to the corporate as well as military environment. Replays are available on demand on insideTV.

4Q2016

Page 1: Travelers Commit-

ment to Military MVDN Keynote

Speaker

Page 2: Field Challenge

winners In Memoriam

Page 3: AF Care Beyond

Duty Team Rubicon

Page 4: Chris & Brian sign

off as Co-Chairs

Page 5: MVDN visits ACP SOS Signing

Ceremonies

Page 6: Northeast Field

Activities

Page 7 M&V Support

Coalition Hartford Planning

Page 8 Glenn Murray

retires

Toys for Tots

Visit our site for:

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Recent event

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Editorial Board:

Grace Bentrewicz

Wanda Dawiczyk

Neeraj Juneja

Geri Martin

Zari Pourjafari

Jean Sandhofer

Carolina Ynguanzo

Standing (L-R): MVDN Co-Chair Dave Seder; Chief HR Officer John Clifford; Brigadier General Raymond Shields, Jr.; Colonel Curtis Williamson. Sitting (L-R): CEO Alan Schnitzer and ESGR Chief of Employer Outreach Tom Bullock.

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2016 MVDN Field Challenge Winner Announced

Since its inception in 2013, MVDN members across the country have been contributing selflessly to improve their local communi-ties through various initiatives that support veteran-focused charities, while raising awareness of Travelers’ value.

In 2016, the MVDN Professional Development Committee, co-chaired by Chris Pillow and Brian Cocuzzo, kicked off a new initia-tive—the MVDN Field Challenge—with a focus on the theme of teamwork. Chris and Brian began the Field Challenge to inspire friendly competition among field offices, while amplifying MVDN’s positive impacts at local and national levels and encouraging information and idea sharing about successful local events.

The Field Challenge asked MVDN field offices to plan and execute impactful community outreach events all year. After submitting details of their teams’ events, the MVDN leadership team rated them using what Chris and Brian called an “advanced scoring assignment system, including a ‘highly classified’ and patent-pending ‘Sierra-Hotel’ bonus for really exceptional events.”

The MVDN Leadership Team is pleased to announce the 2016 Field Challenge winner: Congratulations to the Mor-ristown, New Jersey office. Morristown’s team members organized and recruited participants for several events such as: Participating in two Habitat for Humanity builds to sup-

port affordable community housing options for veter-ans.

Partnering with the Travelers disAbility Network and Marsh & McLennan to place flags at the graves of our fallen military at the Restland Cemetery in East Hano-ver, New Jersey.

Partnering with the Melville, NY MVDN team to partici-pate in the USO 5K Walk in New York City, which raised over $1,000 to support USO programs and services for the military and their families.

About the competition, Chris said, “I’m not surprised that MVDN Leadership was awed by the number of events and the team-work they represented. We received 17 submissions from offices across the country including St. Paul; Melville, NY; Franklin, Tenn.; Hunt Valley, Maryland; Albany, NY; Richardson, Texas; Overland Park, Kansas; and Hartford. Teams raised funds by partici-pating in charity races, walks and golf tournaments. They teamed up with Habitat for Humanity to help build homes for veterans. They spruced up an American Legion Hall outside of Baltimore. They provided American flags to local classrooms. And more. Their Enthusiasm and participation were amazing.”

Congratulations to all of Morristown’s MVDN members! MVDN salutes their outstanding efforts. The Leadership Team’s admi-ration does not stop with Morristown. They congratulate other teams for their 2016 community outreach efforts. Teams in St. Paul, Melville and Franklin submitted multiple Field Challenge entries. Brian Cocuzzo said, “We thank all of the participating offices for making such an enormous and positive impact on their communities on behalf of MVDN and Travelers. Their efforts are inspiring!” Click here to see more participating offices’ contributions to the 2016 Field Challenge.

In Memoriam: Luis Carlos Montalvan

We are sad to inform you of the passing of Captain Luis Carlos Montalvan, author of “Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him.”

Captain Montalvan was our keynote speaker at our MVDN Capstone Event in 2015. He was a 17-year veteran of the U.S. Army, serving multiple tours abroad, earning two Bronze Stars, the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal for Valor and the Combat Action Badge.

Please rest assured that Tuesday is now being cared for by a loving family in the Northeast.

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Travelers and MVDN Establish New Relationship with AF Program

The U.S. Air Force Wounded Warrior (AFW2) Program’s week-long Warrior CARE events are available for all wounded, ill or injured active duty, retired or separated Airmen and their authorized caregivers. Warrior CARE events feature education in caregiver support, mentorship, employment and career readiness, adaptive and rehabilitative sports, holistic wellness, and art and music therapy.

On September 21, Omaha Data Center employees and MVDN members Joe Williams and Brian Aller attended a Care Beyond Duty Readiness event at Offutt Air Force Base. After the one-day event, they said, “This event provided hope (to its participants) more than anything else. The majority of the warriors we spoke to just seemed overwhelmed and needed someone to tell them that their skills can transfer, and that they are needed by and marketable to corporate America. We were honored to serve as one of their ‘sounding boards.’”

In fact, their experience was so positive, that it led to Travelers’ expanded support for the Care Beyond Duty program. “As a pair of Air Force retirees, we were excited and proud to represent Travelers at this outstanding event,” they said.

On November 15, MVDN members Andrew Falk and Jim McMahon attended a Care Beyond Duty event in the Northeast Region in National Harbor, Maryland. Discussions were held regarding Travelers support for events in 2017 in Randolph AFB in San Antonio; Nellis AFB in Las Vegas; Eglin AFB in Pensacola; Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma; and again at Offutt AFB in Nebraska.

For more information about participating in Care Beyond Duty events, contact Jim McMahon, Lead for Military and Veterans Outreach at Travelers.

Andrew Falk (U.S. Army, Ret.) from Travelers Investigative Services in Chantilly, VA at AFW2 “Care Beyond Duty” event in National Harbor, MD in November.

Team Rubicon Builds Momentum in CT

Team Rubicon’s motto is “Disasters are our business. Veterans are our passion.” This nonprofit organization unites veterans’ skills and experiences with first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams after disasters, while providing vets with a new sense of purpose, community and identity. On July 12, The Travelers Foundation announced a $1 million grant to fund a new Team Rubicon disaster response outreach program.

In 2016, Team Rubicon’s (TR) momentum in Connecticut has picked up its tempo. In August, CT TR Region 1 provided construction labor strike teams over multiple weekends to contribute to the success of the Travelers PGA Championship Golf Tournament.

In September and October, CT TR and Region 1 members deployed to various locations, including Greece, to staff a medical clinic that is caring for Syrian refugees; to four states impacted by Hurricane Matthew; and to Dallas, Texas to support operations at the Team Rubicon National Operations Center. In November, CT TR partnered with the Hartford-based nonprofit Riverfront Recapture to conduct its first Disaster Chainsaw Class. The class graduated nine new deployment-ready “Sawyers.”

On December 1, TR presented at the Military & Veterans Support Coalition meeting at Travelers Claim U.

To learn more about Team Rubicon or to find out how to get involved, please contact MVDN member Robert L. Johnson, TR Region 1 Connecticut State Administrator.

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Reflections from MVDN’s Outgoing Professional Development Co-Chairs

As of the end of December, Chris Pillow and Brian Cocuzzo have transitioned their roles as co-chairs of MVDN’s Professional Develop-ment committee. They reflected on their tenures on the committee and expressed gratitude for their opportunity to serve on MVDN leadership for the past few years. They look forward to engaging with their local field teams in Denver and Hartford respectively.

Chris Describe your military background and involve-ment with the MVDN. I graduated from the Unit-ed States Air Force Acade-my in 1994 and was on active duty six years. Even thought I couldn’t fly due to poor vision, I knew I wanted to serve.

Brian

I worked in Systems Acquisition, which blended contract management, finance and technical expertise. I was the bridge between the warfighters and technology experts to understand threats and plan the capabilities needed to meet them, and I worked on the B-1 Bomber and AWACs systems. When I joined Travelers, I met Jim McMahon, who is the heart and soul of recruiting veterans at Travelers. He had an informal list of veterans and was the main catalyst in getting me involved with the MVDN. I’ve been involved since its launch in April 2013. It has really helped raise awareness of the value of veterans in the business environment. It’s al-lowed us to spread the word about what vets bring to the job like team work, resilience, the ability to learn technical skills.

Talk about your involvement on the Professional Development Committee. Brian and I started the committee, by learning about the great work other DNs offer their members. I’m most proud of how we can bring the military perspective to Travelers professional development activities, so that people who haven’t served can understand what veterans have to offer. We started the Field Challenge (see page 2) this year and were blown away by the number of submissions. It’s been a great opportunity to see contributions of teams outside of Hartford and St. Paul.

As you step down as committee co-chair, what’s been left undone? There’s so much more to do! Brian and I only scratched the surface of what’s possible and we’re thrilled a new team will come in with fresh ideas and new energy.

Any other thoughts? The success of the MVDN is driven by the members and their action. They’re doing such good work, and we want to give them as much help as possible. I look forward to serving as an active MVDN member. All the DN’s are a great way to meet people throughout the company and help Travelers in its diversity goals.

Describe your military background and involvement with the MVDN. I got involved with MVDN in July 2013. I worked with current network co-Chair Dave Seder, who invited me to join. I am not a veteran, but I have profound appreciation for the sacri-fices our military make. Both of my grandfathers served. Being on the MVDN leadership team has only galvanized my appreciation.

Talk about your involvement on the Professional Development Committee. Chris and I joined forces to launch the Professional Development program at the beginning of 2015. Aside from both being on the MVDN leader team, he and I both work in Select, so I was excited to team up with him for this assignment. Building something from the ground up was a lot of fun. We started by defining the objective—to provide all of our members with access to resources and opportunities that enable them to achieve success in the workplace. It was important for us to make the experience unique however, and we thought what better way to do that than to emphasize attributes that are critical in the military but also translate to success in the corporate environment. It was from that concept that our annual themes emerged: leadership in 2015, and teamwork in 2016.

What did you accomplish during your tenure on the committee? It is gratifying to think that we created something from the ground up that has made a positive impact on a wide audience. The MVDN Field Challenge was the cornerstone of our 2016 plan. Our goal was to generate awareness of the outstanding community outreach work by our local offices. We hope that it inspired our members to make an impact in their communities— both this year and in years to come.

Was there anything you hoped to accomplish left undone? Yes! It’s the inevitable byproduct of having many ambitions and limited time. I quickly developed a new appreciation for effective prioritization. I am proud of what we were able to accomplish and am excited to see what our successors have in store!

How has your involvement with MVDN contributed to your career at Travelers? Through the MVDN, I’ve been able to work with amazing people across the company and enjoy so many memorable experiences. I am truly grateful for the opportunity.

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Travelers MVDN Members Visit ACP

On Veterans Day—Friday, November 11—members of the MVDN National Leadership Team visited the national office of American Cor-porate Partners (ACP) in Manhattan. The visit provided an opportunity for MVDN’s leaders to meet ACP staff, who facilitate over 2,500 individ-ual mentoring relationships between partners at 65 companies, universities and hospitals and re-turning military members and their spouses who are transitioning to and searching for civilian ca-reers.

Currently, about 50 MVDN members participate in ACP mentoring relationships. Their Veterans Day discussions included ACP’s expanding online community called “AdvisorNet,” where partici-pants can ask experts about career development

and transition, education, leadership, resumes, interviewing and building small businesses.

About their visit, Chris Pillow, co-leader of MVDN’s Professional Development Committee, said, “I’ve been honored to participate in ACP as a Travelers mentor for six years. I was even more impressed with the ACP team through this visit. Getting to meet face-to-face with the ACP team, who supports our year-long mentoring relationships, added to my enthusiasm and regard for the work they do.”

MVDN Senior Advisor Ricky Jones said, “Spending time with our ACP partners reinforced our organizations’ shared passion and com-mitment as they pertain to mentoring our service members as they transition into civilian life. Our face-to-face conversation provided a platform to showcase everyone’s enthusiasm for such an important cause.”

Jim McMahon, Travelers Lead for military and veterans outreach, added, “I have been involved with Travelers’ relationship with ACP since day one. It is satisfying to see how far they have progressed and how well respected they are among the veteran community. It has been a pleasure to be a part of this relationship on behalf of Travelers.”

L-R: Chris Pillow, Ricky Jones, ACP’s Andrea Williams and Sid Goodfriend, Jim McMahon and Mark Lear.

Travelers Conducts Statement of Support for Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Signing Ceremonies

The Employer Support of Guard and Reserve (ESGR) is a Department of Defense program, established in 1972. ESGR promotes co-operation and understanding between Reserve Component Service members and their civilian employers and assists in resolving conflicts that arise from employees’ military commitments.

New England Claim Center held an ESGR signing in Middleboro, MA on Nov. 29. (L-R): Dan Heath, Sandra Pellerin, David Magdalenski, Emily Costa, Dan Robertson, Joe Brady, Earl Bonett.

Overland Park, KS held an ESGR signing on Nov. 9. (L-R): Cory Hall, Pike Pernice, Sonja Erickson, Mike Menendez (Midwest RVP), Adam Huskey, Tomy Woods, Mike McCarty and Theresa Pedicino.

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Morristown, New Jersey: On November 8, the NJ MVDN participated in a Habitat for Humanity build to help the local Habitat for Humanity celebrate Morris Veterans Build Week. Eleven MVDN members contributed their building skills to support affordable housing options for the community’s veterans.

Albany and Buffalo, NY: Salvage Coordinator Stephanie Long is on leave from the Albany Claims Office to serve as a Guardsman in the Air Force in Kuwait. She shared four care packages received from the Albany and Buffalo offices with her fellow Guardsmen.

She wrote, “I wanted to thank everyone for the care packages and all the kind words...I received the first four packages all at once, and it was awesome! My co-workers were impressed, and when I told them that they were from my coworkers at from Travelers, they all said, “Sign me up for your job!

“I put some boxes out for my coworkers, and the rest in the passenger terminal where I work. I see hundreds of troops fly in and out every day, so I know the snacks and toiletries are being put to good use. Thanks again for your support, and I’ll see you in a few months.”

Albany MVDN Liaison Kelley Cerniglia spearheaded the care package collection. Click here for more photos.

Middleboro, MA: Joe Brady, Sandra Pellerin and Emily Costa dedicated volunteer hours during the month of November to the Pat Tillman Foundation. To kick off the month, they coordinated a local Tillman Walk during their lunch hour. The walkers are pictured above.

Hartford MVDN Members Honor Veterans Day 2016

Rob Johnson, Traci Washburn and Susan Gannon staffed a Veterans Day information table on the Link in Hartford and handed out MVDN flyers and American flags. They greeted current and prospective MVDN members. Rob represented Team Rubicon. Susan displayed her husband’s old military gear and MREs. Four new members were recruited.

Hartford RTL Josh Stark volunteered at a Veterans Day Vets Rock/Till Duty is Done at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT.

Hartford RTL Lisa Cusson volunteered with Save-a-Suit, who provided over 250 veterans with professional business attire to enable them to embark on civilian jobs in proper style.

The Mohegan Sun Arena hosted a “Vets Rock 2016” music event to benefit Til Duty is Done on November 11, including a Hiring Our Heroes Career Fair and The Wall that Heals Opening Ceremony. The Wall that Heals is a mobile half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.

Elmira, New York: Michael Keach had another stellar year motivating his colleagues to contribute enough to fill 82 care packages for deployed troops. Their running total over the past few years is 300 boxes!

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Travelers Hosts M&V Support Coalition Quarterly Meeting

In December 2013, MVDN members Casey Neff and Jim McMahon got together with 27 people from 12 companies for the first Mili-tary & Veterans Support Coalition meeting. Its organization arose from the idea that other Connecticut-based companies must have groups similar to MVDN to address needs of their employees who are serving or have served in the armed forces. Three years later—on December 1 this year—Casey and Jim hosted the Coalition’s twelfth quarterly meeting at Claim University in Windsor, with a mem-bership roster that has grown to include 125 companies, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions and military organizations from across Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island. At December’s meeting, Jim introduced Travelers to the attendees by showing them a video about Travelers claim services’ response to the 2016 Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada wildfire. In teeing up the video, Jim said, “This is who we are and why we exist. Travelers uses satellite technology, business continuity planning, and every other measure to assure people’s safety prior to evacuation. It’s all coordinated out of this building (Claim U). We’re the only insurer in the world that has a facility like this to try to get people’s lives together.” His introduction underscored the natural fit between Travelers’ response to catastrophes and its hiring of veterans, who have extensive experience dealing with disasters. Agenda topics included the military’s campaign for Paid Family Leave in Connecticut; Team Rubicon and Fleet and Family Services at the Groton Submarine Base. After lunch, MVDN members Katherine Stewart-Kelley and Greg Gore gave attendees a tour of Claim U’s facilities and labs. Casey Neff said, “They loved it, especially the CAT center, where (MVDN member) Chris Day described Travelers’ approach to catastrophic events as similar to what the military does. Our CAT teams are the ’Special Forces,’ backed up by the ’regular Army’ of claim personnel.’ The ’Reserves’ are comprised of the Employee Response Team. It ties in nicely with the military culture and appeals to veterans’ sense of purpose and duty.” The Military & Veterans Support Coalition’s mission is to leverage the collective strengths of its member organizations to build aware-ness of veterans’ skills and abilities and to promote veterans’ transitions to the private sector. Given its growth over just three years, the Coalition is taking action to incorporate as a 501(c)(3) organization. To learn more, contact Jim McMahon, Lead for Military and Veterans Outreach at Travelers or MVDN member Casey Neff.

Jim McMahon introduces Travelers CAT video to audience.

Maddie Granato from Groton Sub Base discusses Fleet and Family Services.

Attendees learned about Claim U training facilities.

MVDN Discusses Year Ahead

About 40 MVDN members in Hartford gathered together after work on October 26 for an annual networking happy hour at Big Bears BBQ. They had the opportunity to meet fellow members and to discuss their ideas for the network in 2017. Special thanks to April Martin for coordinating the event and who challenged attendees with a game of Military Trivia.

Big Bears BBQ is an active supporter of active duty and veteran service members, so it was fitting for MVDN to help them celebrate their grand opening of their new Front Street venue.

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Glenn Murray Retires After Long Military Career

Thirty-two years and 10 months on active duty and Reserves in the Navy, with stations in the U.S., Europe, Middle East and Asia, were plenty for Glenn Murray, who works in Information Systems Security in Operations and Systems. Travelers featured Glenn’s retirement in a November inside feature. Although Glenn has only been at Travelers since May 2016, he quickly recognized that its work culture is a good fit. And the MVDN gets some credit too. For starters, his connection as a veteran with Jim McMahon in Enterprise Talent Acquisition & Military Outreach and Casey Neff in PI Training & Development helped him find his job here. Glenn added, “Being a part of MVDN has allowed me to meet so many more people. I feel like I’ve been here a couple of years, thanks to the network.”

Glenn’s Navy career started after he earned his undergraduate degree. He couldn’t get into the officer program he wanted, so he enlisted as a cryptologic technician in 1983. Over nine years, he worked on six different ships, and when it was time to start a family, he joined the Navy Reserves to cut back on deployments. His commission was accepted in 1992. He did the “normal thing” in the Reserves, including weekend drills and two-week annual exercises. When 9/11 occurred, he was one of the first to be mobilized to Kuwait and eventually Iraq, where he spent 13 months. He returned to active duty in 2008 and continued to serve until 2015. His assignments included stints at the War College in Newport, Rhode Island, at the National Security Agency at Fort Mead, Maryland, four deployments in Afghanistan and finally at the Pentagon.

After 33 years of service, Glenn has stories that involve Generals and members of Congress, but it’s the “little things,” that made the greatest impact. He said, “I had an officer in Iraq who was in my Reserve unit. He had post-traumatic stress disorder and was having problems at home and work. He immediately volunteered to go back to the same job in Afghanistan—which I knew was a sign of PTSD—so I blocked him. I made him seek help and go on family retreats. Later on, after I transferred, he sent me a long, thankful email that said, ‘You saved my life. You saved my marriage. Thank you for sending me to these events.’” Another memory that Glenn regards highly is a 100-mile bike ride from D.C. to Gettysburg for Wounded Warriors. “Things like that leave special memories for me,” he reflected.

Congratulations and thank you to Glenn for his long, distinguished career in the U.S. Navy. Travelers and the MVDN are proud to claim him as one of ours.

MVDN Regional Team Leads Josh Stark and Lisa Cusson coordinated a Marine Corps Reserve Toys-for-Tots collection in December at all of Hartford’s campus locations and at Claim U in Windsor and netted over 1,000 toys, destined for distribution to 16,000 kids through 160 nonprofit organizations. 1Sgt. Paul Hannaway has been involved with the toy drive for three years and said, “I like the looks on the children’s faces. The parents are grateful. They know that’s the only toy their kid will get.”

L-R: 1Sgt. Hannaway, Carolina Ynguanzo, Carlos Figueroa (VP Community Relations), Cpl. Hecht, Sgt. Williams, Cpl. Lochowski, LCpl. Vargas, Josh Stark, and Lisa Cusson.

Hartford Collects Toys for Tots

Members

Leaders

Volunteers

2016 was a great year!