Part of the 15 for 15 Challenge Partner Spotlight Series
Recorded: Dec 19, 2025
For ten years, 15 Things Veterans Want You to Know has helped bridge the gap between military and civilian culture by equipping organizations with the understanding they need to better support Veterans and military-connected individuals. As PsychArmor celebrates the 10-year anniversary of this flagship course, the 15 for 15 Challenge highlights partners who are putting cultural competency into action across healthcare, education, and the workforce.
In this Partner Spotlight, PsychArmor’s Jamie Regalia sits down with Mike Witt, Community & State Outreach Manager at DirectEmployers Association, a national nonprofit that connects employers, talent, and technology to support equitable hiring outcomes across industries. Together, they explore why Veteran Ready training matters in today’s workforce, how employer readiness is evolving, and how Veterans strengthen organizational culture.
Partnering to Build Veterans
What inspired DirectEmployers to pursue Veteran Ready Organization certification and begin a partnership with PsychArmor? What needs or gaps were you seeing in the employer community that made cultural understanding a priority?
Mike Witt:
“That’s a great question, and it has a few parts. I actually had experience with PsychArmor in a previous role working for a state workforce agency in Iowa, where we offered PsychArmor courses to employers across the state.
“When I joined DirectEmployers about four and a half years ago, one of my goals was to find a way to connect PsychArmor training with the employers we serve. A couple of years ago, we formed our first employee resource groups, including a Veteran-focused group called VetConnect. My teammate Ralph and I started reviewing PsychArmor’s courses and learned more about the Veteran Ready Organization certification.
“We pitched the idea to our executive director and launched the certification about two years ago. 2025 is actually our second year achieving Veteran Ready certification as an organization.”
Creating Shared Understanding Across the Employer Community
How has 15 Things Veterans Want You to Know changed the way your team and employer partners understand, communicate with, and support Veterans?
Mike Witt:
“We serve about 1,100 Fortune 2000 companies across the country, and one of the talent pools we help them attract, hire, and retain is the Veteran community, including transitioning service members and military spouses.
“It was important for us, as an organization, not only to help our own staff understand the differences between military and non-military life, but to gain that knowledge so we could better serve our member employers as well. That includes better connecting with partner organizations across the country that serve the same talent.
“The training has given us better internal awareness, but it’s also helped our team connect more effectively with employers. We’re able to help them understand the value, skills, and abilities Veterans bring, and to open up that awareness at a deeper level.”
Aligning Cultural Training With Hiring Tools
DirectEmployers offers hiring and referral tools, including VetCentral. How does cultural training elevate the impact of those tools and improve outcomes for Veterans entering the workforce?
Mike Witt:
“VetCentral connects us with state workforce Veteran staff across the country; there’s about 1,800 professionals. Every morning, we’re able to put our members’ job openings directly in front of those staff so they can provide priority referrals to the Veterans they work with every day.
“These are opportunities Veterans might not see anywhere else, placed directly in the hands of the people supporting them through their transition. The PsychArmor training helps us better understand the cultural differences between military and civilian work, but it also helps us better connect with the professionals serving that population.
“That understanding allows us to make stronger referrals, better align opportunities, and help our employers build their workforce with talent that brings real value.”
Seeing the Impact on Veterans and Employers
As readiness grows, what differences are you seeing in employer engagement and the Veteran experience?
Mike Witt:
“We’ve seen a really positive shift. One of the great things about the Veteran Ready Organization certification is that we promote it to our member employers as an option for them as well.
“It’s not just about better engaging Veterans already within their organizations. It’s about helping the entire workforce understand military culture and how Veterans fit in. Employers are seeing how the skills and abilities Veterans bring truly strengthen a company.
“Our employers recognize that we have expertise in this space, and we’re seeing more engagement and more collaboration. The certification has really helped ramp up that expertise within our organization.”
Looking Ahead Through Partnership
How do you see PsychArmor training supporting DirectEmployers’ vision for Veteran Ready workplaces across the employer community?
Mike Witt:
“We want to continue down this road. We plan to pursue the certification each year and keep promoting it to our member employers.
“The more ready an organization is to bring Veteran talent on board, the better they understand the value that service members bring. That applies whether a company is just starting out or looking to expand and refine existing efforts.
“The training has helped our teams understand where we’re going and how to deepen those connections with employers in a meaningful way.”
Where Employers Can Begin
For employers listening, where should they start when it comes to becoming Veteran Ready?
Mike Witt:
“I think the first step is understanding how many Veterans you already have in your organization. That awareness alone can be powerful.
“At DirectEmployers, we had never had an employee resource group before. Bringing Veterans and allies together created space for conversations about the talent military-connected individuals bring.
“From there, employers can look inward at hiring processes, career sites, and internal culture, to make sure they truly speak to the Veteran community. Starting from the inside out helps organizations attract and retain the talent they need.”
Veteran Readiness Starts With People
If you could leave our audience with one message about why all of us, not just employers, need to be Veteran Ready in our own lives and communities, what would it be?
Mike Witt:
“It’s hard to find someone who doesn’t have some connection to the military, whether it's a parent, grandparent, family member, or friend. Military culture is different, and understanding those values and experiences can make a huge difference in communication and connection.
“The PsychArmor courses helped our staff understand not just the 15 Things, but the broader context that comes with military service. That knowledge helps people communicate better, build stronger relationships, and create environments that truly support those who have served.
“To us, that’s what this work is all about.”
A Personal Motivation for the Work
On a personal note, what keeps you motivated in this work?
Mike Witt:
“I didn’t serve myself, but I have family members who did, and I’ve been around the military community for many years.
“Helping employers recognize and connect with the talent that comes out of the military is exciting work. It’s something you wake up wanting to do every day, and that’s what keeps me going.”
Building Veteran Ready Workplaces Together
DirectEmployers’ partnership with PsychArmor demonstrates how cultural understanding strengthens hiring outcomes, employer confidence, and Veteran experiences across the workforce. By embedding Veteran Ready principles into both internal teams and employer-facing services, DirectEmployers is helping create workplaces where Veterans are understood, valued, and supported.
Jamie Regalia:
“Mike, thank you for sharing your insight and for the work DirectEmployers is doing to advance Veterans in the workforce. PsychArmor is proud to partner with you, and we’re grateful for your leadership in helping employers build stronger, more inclusive workplace cultures.”
How You Can Support the Next Chapter of 15 Things Veterans Want You to Know
Join the 15 for 15 Challenge
Conversations like this one highlight the real momentum behind community-based prevention. When people gain the cultural understanding they need, they feel confident stepping in, speaking up, and standing alongside Veterans. The Humana partnership shows what becomes possible when culturally informed training reaches the people and the places where it is needed most.
As we honor the 10-year legacy of this flagship course, we invite you to join us in the 15 for 15 Challenge.
You can make an immediate impact by:
• Watching the course
• Sharing it with your network
• Donating to keep this training free for individual learners
Together, we can ensure the next decade of learners and the communities they touch are even better prepared to support our nation’s Veterans and their families.
👉 Join the challenge and give today: https://giving.psycharmor.org/page/FUNQSPZZJAQ