23
CEO Par Excellence:
Amy Rossi,
CASY & MSCCN
Director of Communications and Training
Please tell us a little bit about who you are professionally.
I have over 20 years of human resources experience; 17 have been specialized in military candidates. I was an Army Subject Matter Expert in the area of employment and consulted on the Army Spouse Employment Partnership. I have a Masters in HR, a Bachelors in Communication and Marketing, and I enjoy learning new techniques!
What inspires you to do the work you do?
When my husband first joined the military (over 18 years ago), I had a BS and was working on a Masters and had already started a career. As a young professional, I felt successful being able to provide for myself and solve strategic issues my company faced. I was fast tracking to another promotion when we got orders and moved to Hawaii. When I started looking for work in HI, everyone I asked about employment said give it up…they won’t hire a spouse here. Online job sources and networking options were not established, so I felt very limited and frustrated finding a job. It didn’t help that everyone I talked to had something negative to say. Remaining in my field was impossible, and giving up was not an option, so I quickly adapted and shifted slightly into Education and Career Planning.
As a “working” military spouse, I was often criticized because, then, working outside of the home in a paid capacity was not a popular choice. Most military leaders expected your free time to be spent volunteering. Early in our marriage, it was hard because we lived far away from my support network; my husband’s network had a very different idea of what a military spouse was. Shortly after, I met LTC Halstead (Gen Halstead), I can’t remember her exact words, but the message was ‘to be authentic and live my truth.’ In that moment, I realized I have a choice to either complain or overcome. It changed how I viewed the Army and helped me shape into the adaptable person I have become.
Flexibility
Adaptability