{"id":2329,"date":"2021-05-21T07:31:21","date_gmt":"2021-05-21T14:31:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hiringourheroes.org\/?p=2329"},"modified":"2021-05-21T07:35:02","modified_gmt":"2021-05-21T14:35:02","slug":"suzie-schwartz-award-winner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hiringourheroes.org\/stories\/suzie-schwartz-award-winner\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018She Opens Doors:\u2019 Hiring Our Heroes Recognizes Suzie Schwartz Among 2021 Military Spouse Impact Award Honorees"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This year\u2019s Military Spouse Impact Award winners demonstrate that with determination and tenacity, military spouses are building their own careers alongside their service members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hiring Our Heroes honored Suzie Schwartz, spouse of the former Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. (Ret.) Norton Schwartz, with the Bonnie Amos Impact Award for Lifetime Achievement during the Hiring Our Heroes\u2019 Fifth Annual Military Spouse Employment Summit<\/a>, presented by USAA. This award, presented by Booz Allen Hamilton, is given annually to an individual for demonstrated hiring, mentorship, and support of military spouses in their search for meaningful employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Retired Army Gen. Dennis Via, Executive Vice President at Booz Allen Hamilton, presented Schwartz with the award in front of a virtual audience of nearly 3,000 military spouses, employers and veteran nonprofit organization representatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToday, I am reminded of a quote from the founder of Booz Allen Hamilton, Edwin Booz, who said, \u2018Start with character and fear not the future.\u2019 This year\u2019s recipient did exactly that. Through a lifetime of service to military spouses and families, she continually exemplifies the collective impact of using strong character and fearless drive to improve the lives of our military families,\u201d Via said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A longtime advocate of military spouse employment and the Department of Defense\u2019s Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP), Schwartz began her professional career as a Special Education teacher. While at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, Schwartz worked with the Fisher House Foundation <\/a>to establish a comfort home for the Veterans Administration Hospital in St. Louis, and was instrumental in the establishment of another Fisher House facility at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. These homes provide family members with a comfortable and supportive place to stay while supporting a hospitalized family member or, in the case of the home at Dover, the unanticipated loss of a loved one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSuzie reminds us all the time of the power of the military spouse. It just takes caring and acting,\u201d said Rosemary Williams, Specialist Executive at Deloitte Consulting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schwartz currently serves as the Vice President for Military Spouse Programs<\/a> for Victory Media. She writes a monthly column for Military Spouse magazine and serves as one of its national spokespersons for media appearances on matters relating to military spouses. Schwartz also serves as a board member for the National Military Family Association, the Fisher House Foundation and the Air Force Enlisted Village.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meredith Lozar, Senior Director of Events and Programs at Hiring Our Heroes, said that Schwartz encourages military spouses to have their own careers and identity while supporting their service member spouses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSuzie has impacted countless military families in her celebrated work as a military spouse, as an advocate, and as a friend. She opens doors, she encourages spouses to walk through them, and coaches them on what to do when they get to the other side,\u201d Lozar said. \u201cIn her own career and in the careers of those she has mentored, she demonstrates that you can do both.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through her encouragement and mentorship, Schwartz has helped countless military spouses connect with professional opportunities that before meeting Schwartz, these men and women didn\u2019t believe were possible due to the hardships present in military life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSuzie is a person who has dedicated her life to helping create opportunities for military spouses and looking at their careers, she was a person who said \u2018I can provide those introductions for you. I can help you expand your network so that you can grow and succeed,\u2019\u201d Lozar said. \u201cThat is why we are celebrating her this year as we took a look at the progress that has been made in military spouse employment and discuss how we are shaping the future of this important work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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