PMP^® and CAPM^® Certification Exam Prep for Military and Veterans

2LT Anastasia Barnard serves in the Army National Guard as an Engineer Officer. She plans to attend UNCC next year to get an MBA and believes that a CAPM certification would help her get into school and get a job as a project manager at a local corporation.

She currently works full-time as an operations manager at a non-profit but wants to further her career with continued education and more opportunities. Her role in both the Army and the non-profit requires managing numerous projects simultaneously, and the CAPM certification would enhance her knowledge and understanding.

LT Austin Chung served in the Navy for eight years, deploying four times to the Western Pacific on United States Navy ships. As a Surface Warfare Officer in Nuclear Power, he has engaged in multimillion-dollar industrial projects as an operator and a supervisor onboard Nimitz Class aircraft carriers. His enthusiasm revolves around integrated planning to ensure efficient execution to keep these machines in excellent fighting conditions for 50 years.

He completed an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering, and he qualified as a Department of Energy’s nuclear engineer. At the University of Notre Dame, he will soon complete his Masters of Business Administration. He firmly believes that a project management certification will significantly enhance his technical skills, business acumen, and problem-solving abilities.

As he transitions to the private sector, he hopes to use this expertise to help work on climate change projects, ushering in clean energy to support the needs of the 21st century. These complex issues will need developments in technology, legislative support, and, importantly, people to execute projects in the sector.

Maurice Spaulding honourably served in the US Navy and Army. After the military, he went on to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration and Computer Science and a Master’s Degree in Executive Healthcare Administration.

Most of his IT employment has been as a contractor. With a PMP certification, he plans to transition to full-time work to enhance his career further and provide for his family.

As an Army Engineer Officer, CPT Saglimbene focused on a wide range of managerial projects within his organization. He previously had a team with four D6 dozers used to fill in airfield craters, create obstacles, and improve drop zones.

As a Company Commander, the PMP certification will be a significant stepping stone that will benefit his community and demonstrate his ability to lead projects. It will also provide him with the skills to lead teams on topics related to Army Engineers. Most importantly, he will learn a different aspect of project management outside of the military community. This wide variety of managerial knowledge will only enhance his skills and career.

Nicole M. Kreis served for over ten years in operations, information, communications, and program management. She possesses a comprehensive leadership background, strategic planning, risk management, ethics, and critical thinking while leading and training programs and schedules that ensured 300+ personnel maintained their operational capabilities.

Kreis currently serves in the Select Marine Corps Reserves as she transitions into the civilian sector during the COVID-19 crisis. She hopes that a PMP certification will pave the way for future opportunities as the job market has become increasingly competitive during these trying times.

SPC Kouyate received his discharge as an E-4/Specialist at the age of 24. He always had a leadership mentality as a soldier. For example, he was the only individual in his battalion certified to train and empower others in combative (he started investing in real estate and has since increased his rental portfolio. Until recently, he proudly self-managed his properties overseeing all remodelling projects.

In 2019, he completed a contract in Diego Garcia and most recently in Afghanistan. He simultaneously supports the troops overseas while helping others sell and buy real estate and run his own real estate investment company. He earned an associate’s degree, and he plans to continue with a bachelor’s degree in finance.

As an Active Duty Enlisted Marine, 1Sgt Vargas is preparing to transition into the civilian sector after 20 years of service. Throughout his military career, he has managed, supervised, or executed a myriad of projects.

He gained critical leadership skills and project management skills that will improve any company. He intends to use his leadership and project management skills to advance his civilian business career.

SMSgt Forney currently serves in the US Air Force. For the past 15 years, he served as a cyber systems operator, project manager, and drill sergeant at various locations throughout the world. As a senior enlisted member of multiple work centers, he plans to develop his subordinates in project management better.

He currently manages over 38 cyberinfrastructure upgrade projects valued at around $2B. In an age where the war fighter’s mission is to do more with less, his team needs all of the knowledge they can get. He plans to use Brain Sensei’s project management course to help his peers and subordinates execute new projects more effectively and efficiently.

Capt Hance is a 2014 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy (majoring in Business Management and minoring in Mandarin Chinese.

While at USAFA, she was appointed the 2013-2014 Team Captain for the Air Force Women’s Gymnastics team. Upon graduation, Capt Hance was selected for an Operational Experience (spending four years as an Intelligence Officer at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. At Kadena, Capt Hance conducted unit-level intelligence for two aviation squadrons supporting the E-3C AWACS and F-15C Eagle.

After her OPEX tour in Okinawa, Capt Hance began her duties as an Acquisition Manager. For two years she has served as a software Deployment Manager and Program Manager at the Air Force Research Laboratory (New York.

Capt Hance is preparing to separate from the military at the end of this year and is looking for ways to apply her military experience to a new career. Between USAFA and active duty, Capt Hance has ten years of informal project management experience, but only two years of formal experience. She hopes to earn the PMP^® Certification to become familiar with industry standards as part of her transition into the private sector.

LTC Lewis is a recently retired 28-year veteran in logistics and operational management.

He learned numerous PMP concepts throughout the past 20 years while completing three master’s degrees and during three deployments to Iraq.

He plans to pursue a doctorate in education in which he wants to integrate the current PMP principles into educational best practices.

He wants to use the project management knowledge to develop project-oriented educational curriculums for children, teens and adults.

He believes this will develop educational programs that teach life skills and integrate required state and federal requirements in process-based format.

Capt Brockelmeyer has been with the Marine Corps for 14 years, deploying to Iraq twice and Afghanistan once.

He spent his first 7 years as an enlisted Marine, completed his undergraduate degree, and then commissioned as a logistics officer. Serving as a Marine logistician, he wants to best support his customers: the Marines on the front lines.

Always finding ways to improve himself, he completed his business degrees at both the master’s and doctorate level. The next step for him is to earn his Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.

1stLt Arenas is currently serving as a Communications (he can further enhance the warfighter’s capabilities, effectiveness, and safety on the ground.

His goal is to provide warfighters with the absolute best equipment, in a contested peer-to-peer global environment, to always have the advantage over the enemies. He would like to be an integral part of the military-industrial complex, supporting service members who are risking their lives for the freedoms we relish.

CW3 Walker has been in the U.S. Army for 16 years; three of those as an Aircraft Mechanic and thirteen as an Aviator (he also joined the U.S. Army Reserves as a Liaison Officer and as an Interagency Aviation Planner for a Two-Star Headquarters that supports the Department of Defense DSCA missions.

He holds an M.A. in International Relations, B.A. in Intelligence Studies and a B.S. in Information Systems Security. He aspires to obtain his Project Management Professional (PMP) certification to enhance his career opportunities in both his military and civilian careers

Maj Bengtson spent 12 years in the Air Force as a C-17A pilot prior to his retirement in 2016.

During his last three years in the military, he managed major projects and programs doing test and evaluation on cargo and tanker aircraft. After he retired, he took a job in an engineering role for a company that manufactures engine components where he excelled in managing multiple programs.

He wants to earn the PMP certification to advance his knowledge in program management and to fully leverage his experience so that he can become more marketable to other companies.

CW5 Howze has been in the Army for 33 years and deployed numerous times in support of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. As a logistician, project management skills are essential to his profession and the entire Army. Attaining a project management certification will provide him with the tools to solve complex and unique challenges by utilizing a methodology to support his commander’s/organization’s mission. Earning the PMP certification is an investment to the Army and it also establishes a bridge to walk across into civilian project management positions upon retirement.

Lt Col Wilson retired from the Air Force after serving for 21 years.

He enjoys teaching leadership and current events courses to secondary students in his local public school district. He finds his new role as a teacher very rewarding.

He managed numerous programs and projects in his career and he wants to fully leverage his experience by obtaining the PMP certification.

CWO4 Light retired from the US Coast Guard after 27 years of service. He spent the majority of his career involved in IT system project and program management.

He’s looking to earn the PMP certification to enhance his marketability in the workplace and establish a civilian career in project management.

Lt(a component of the Canadian Forces Reserves.

In his role as the unit training officer for the Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps Warspite, he manages large scale projects and precise time management for all aspects of the unit’s training. In addition to managing day-to-day training, he also looks after the long-term multi-year planning for events such as exchanges and ongoing training programs.

In his civilian life, he’s a Strategic Account Coordinator where he manages projects for several multinational companies.

1Lt Woo wants to earn the PMP credential to transition from HVAC project management into network project management.

He served for 9 years in the Army as a Military Intelligence Officer with the 18th Cavalry.

While in the Navy, HM2 (he has done it all.

He wants to earn the PMP credential to formalize his project management skills.

With an intent to retire soon, he plans to continue honing his skills to provide for his family and excel in the civilian workforce.

MSgt Banks earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and he is currently working on a master’s degree in administration with a healthcare concentration. He served in the Air Force as a nationally certified pharmacy technician for 16 years and currently as an Air Force Special Warfare recruiter for the past three years.

As he ponders retiring or staying in, he felt that attaining the PMP credential would be beneficial either way. His interests revolve around continuous process improvement initiatives which are common in healthcare as well the human resource industry.

Brain Sensei’s unique idea and concept looked more appealing to him compared to other online courses.

Matt currently serves abroad as a Special Forces Support Company Executive Officer.

As an officer in the US Army, leadership was a pillar that was emphasized early in his training. However, looking back as an only child to a single parent, he realized that maturing faster than others was paramount to survival. Although leadership was important, he felt that ambition was a trait that was often overlooked. He always wanted to keep moving forward, with a keen sense of humility, as he progressed through his academic and military career.

Driven with a desire to further advance himself and for the betterment of those he serves, he wants to pursue the PMP certification.

Lt Col Mozzoni manages numerous design and construction projects for the ANG. In addition to his degree in project management, he plans to earn the PMP certification to demonstrate his expertise in executing projects with a high degree of success.

As a taxpayer, he prefers highly qualified and certified project managers to complete projects on behalf of the DoD/USAF/ANG. This saves taxpayer dollars and ensures that facilities are built to the highest caliber to support the war fighters. The knowledge that the PMP exam tests can be applied not only to construction projects but to any other projects such as fielding a new weapon system or preparing a unit to deploy.

During his 17 years of military service, MSG Williams served in Europe, Middle East and Africa.

In 2014, he experienced firsthand the impact of human trafficking. In Mauritania, slavery was not criminalized until 2006. Within the amendments of their constitution, no criminal penalties exist for human trafficking. As a father of eight with three daughters, he’s passionate about eradicating this new age form of slavery.

On January 30, 2020, the city of Greensboro was awarded a grant to create an app to fight human trafficking. He plans to use what he’ll learn preparing for the PMP exam to build momentum in constructing and building the app.

In addition, upon retirement from the Army, he plans to pursue a second career with the Department of State as a General Services Officer (GSO) with primary responsibilities in managing various DOS-funded projects.

With five overseas deployment, Major Jack served in the US Army (and currently serves as a Chaplain for the US Army Reserves.

She expects the PMP credential to help her formalize a methodology to complete urgent projects in a professional and repeatable way; remain competitive with her peers and other officers; and position herself to find a better post-military job.

She wants to extend her repertoire by going beyond providing religious advice. She enjoys making sure that everything gets done when it should, as it should, without going over cost. There is an orderliness in project management that appeals to her very “dress right, dress” military mindset. There is a chaos in project management that appeals to her sense of adventure; and there is a creation about project management that appeals to her wonder and sense of growing something from nothing.

Joffrey Tombez completed his military training in 2012 and currently serves as a Sergeant in the Logistic troops.

Has has been working for 2.5 years as a project leader for process engineering at Johnson Electric International. Recently promoted, he will start a Global Program Manager role and he wants to have the PMP training to gain the right skills for his new position.

LTC Rivers recently retired after serving for 26 years in the logistics planning and operations field.

He’s pursuing his PMP to aid in his transition from military-based processes to the business lexicon. In his new role as a program manager, he wants to elevate his experience and leadership abilities. He felt that he can increase his value to the organization by learning even more about project management.

CW3 Gamboa currently serves as a Mobility Officer in the U.S. Army where he manages global transportation projects.

He wants to leverage his current skills and body of knowledge as he aspires to become a better project manager.

Additionally, he’s excited about earning a certification that will be recognized in any industry after he retires from the Army.