Tag Archives: warrior gateway

Meet the Warrior Gateway Team: Serena

Posted on by Mike

 


 

 

Bio: After graduating from Texas A&M University with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Design, Serena Hayden joined the U.S. Army as a Public Affairs Specialist in October 2003. Serving four and a half years, Serena began her military career as a photojournalist for the post newspaper at Fort Sill, Okla. She also competed in multiple competitions while stationed at Fort Sill, winning the 2005 Installation Management Agency Soldier of the Year. During the transition of Brigade Combat Teams in 2005, Serena was transferred to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas, where she assisted in the development of the brigade’s public affairs office and served as the Public Affairs Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge. She deployed with the brigade to Diyala Province, Iraq, from 06-08, and was awarded the Bronze Star for her service. After leaving the military in 2008, Serena relocated to Austin, Texas, where she serves as a Community Partnership Manager and Marketing Specialist for Warrior Gateway.

QUICK FACTS

Hometown: San Antonio, Tx

Hobbies: Time with family and friends, Photography, Reading, Crossword Puzzles, Golf, Playstation 3

High School: Tom C. Clark High School – Class of ‘99

College: Proud Member of the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Class of 2003!

Q & A

What’s your position at Warrior Gateway?
Community Partnership Manager and Marketing Specialist

What’s special about working at Warrior Gateway?
When I left the military, I struggled with my transition and no longer felt I served a purpose. Working for Warrior Gateway allows me to continue serving the greatest population – our military community – and develop partnerships focused on innovative ways to ease their transitions.

So far, what has been your favorite moment at Warrior Gateway?
My favorite moment at Warrior Gateway has been developing relationships and partnerships with the organizations I met at the Texas Veterans Commission Veterans Summit. The ability to collaborate and work with other military-focused organizations is uplifting and truly enjoyable as we support them in supporting our service members, veterans and their families.

What is your connection to the military?
Several members of my family have served in the military, to include both of my grandfathers and one of my uncles. Unfortunately, they all died prior to my enlistment, but would be proud to know I served.

Why do you believe in the G.I. Network initiative?
Searching for resources, especially during difficult times, can be overwhelming and frustrating. Every resource directory provides different answers in regards to where the military community should go for assistance, so the ability to have a centralized directory which can be accessed from any partner organization’s website is vital. So whether resource information is accessed from the North Dakota VA’s website or TexVet.org, the G.I. Network provides streamlined results with the ability to leave feedback on services.

On a more personal note, what do you do in your free time?
My free time is mainly spent with friends and family. Iraq’s lessons of perspective on life are carried with me daily, so I make it a point to surround myself with loved ones as much as possible.

Connect with Serena!


Meet the Warrior Gateway Team: Nathalia

Posted on by Mike

 

 

 

Bio: Nathalia Magri was born and raised in Colombia, South America. At the age of 17, Nathalia and her family relocated to Texas, where she finished high school and earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Houston – Honors College.

Nathalia’s career in the non-profit world started her junior year of college when she joined Genesys Works; a Houston based non-profit organization that changes the life trajectory of low-income high school students. Her background and passion for education led her to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, where she served as Special Assistant and Liaison to the Board.

In 2009, Nathalia married Capt. John D. Magri (U.S. Army), and relocated to Colorado Springs, where she joined El Pomar Foundation’s team as a Program Associate. During her time at El Pomar Foundation, she managed the Summer Internship program and regional partnerships in the Southwest and High Country regions of Colorado. Nathalia also provided technical assistance and support to local non-profits, including: The Mountain Post Historical Center, CrossFire Ministries, and The Denver Foundation.

Nathalia joined the Warrior Gateway team in 2011 and currently serves as the Community Partnership Manager for the Western Region.

QUICK FACTS

Hometown: I was born and raised in South America in a beautiful city on the western side of Colombia, named Cali. The temperature there is absolutely perfect  - 70 degree (avg.) year-around.

Hobbies: … and things that I love to do: Yoga, hiking, reading Women’s Health Magazine, going for a run with my dog, trying new restaurants, and spending time with my family.

High School: I went to a German School in Colombia (kinder to sophomore year), and finished high school at Dickinson High School in Texas.

College: I earned a B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Houston – Honors College.

 

Q & A

What’s your position at Warrior Gateway?
I am the Community Partnership Manager for the Western region of the U.S.

What’s special about working at Warrior Gateway?
The people! The Warrior Gateway team, and the people I meet who are doing wonderful things for the military community.

So far, what has been your favorite moment at Warrior Gateway?
My favorite moment happens every time I talk about the G.I. Network; every time we close a partnership, every time more and more people realize that we are able to better serve our service members, veterans, and families if we all work together.

What is your connection to the military?
I am married to a wonderful man who proudly serves in the U.S. Army.

Why do you believe in the G.I. Network initiative?
I believe that the G.I. Network will serve as a set of “yellow pages” that service members, veterans and their families can refer to for help to provide consistent answers, not links to other websites! I truly believe this is a win-win solution.  Not only will the G.I. Network help alleviate the frustration of the military community, but it will also help service providers be aware of other services and work with each other.

On a more personal note, what do you do in your free time?
Honestly, I love to spend time with my husband, I know! It sounds really cheesy, but it is true. Oh and… I clean!  There is nothing that I enjoy more than spending time in an nice, clean house.

One more thought
“Obstacles are those frightening things that become visible when we take our eyes off our goals.” ~Henry Ford

Connect with Nathalia!

 

Texas Veterans Summit Focuses on Serving Veterans Through Coordination and Collaboration

Posted on by Mike

Warrior Gateway‘s Serena Hayden and Nathalia Magri attended the Texas Veterans Commission 14th Annual Veterans Summit this week in Austin, Texas.  The summit focused on serving veterans through coordination and collaboration, and brought more than 600 providers of veteran services and 80 exhibitors under one roof.

Warrior Gateway hosted an exhibit table, and participated in several of the breakout sessions featured during the summit.

“With approximately 1.8 million veterans across Texas, it’s vital that all organizations work together to address the unique needs of the military community,” Serena said.  ”The Veterans Summit provided an incredible platform for building partnerships and learning how to best impact the men and women who serve our country.”

In closing, Col. David W. Sutherland, Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff – Warrior and Family Support, spoke about the resiliency, strength and courage of the military community.  Specifically, focusing on the “Sea of Goodwill” and the importance of partnerships.

Serena, who led Sutherland’s public affairs team while deployed to Divala Province, Iraq, from October 2006 through December 2007, was highlighted during the speech as the colonel highlighted the strength of the military community through the Army’s Warrior Ethos – “I will always place the mission first.  I will never except defeat.  I will never quit.  I will never leave a fallen comrade.”

“I am grateful to the Texas Veterans Commission for bringing all of these military-focused organizations together,” Serena continued.  ”Warrior Gateway is eager and looking forward to working with the many organizations we had the opportunity to learn about.”

Retweetables

#Texas #Veterans Summit focuses on coordination & collaboration to serve veterans: http://ow.ly/8ON1i @WarriorGateway

Warrior Gateway Heading to Texas for the “14th Annual Veterans Summit”

Posted on by Mike

Two members of the Warrior Gateway team will be attending the “14th Annual Veterans Summit” at the Crown Plaza, Austin, Texas January 31st-February 1st.  The Summit will feature various breakout sessions for attendees to attend; topics include: veteran-owned businesses and property tax exemptions, housing claims, mental health, grants, and much more.  There is no cost to attend the Summit, but attendees must register online to attend.  Go to www.tvc.state.tx.us and click the “Submit Registration” link.

Focused on serving veterans through coordination and collaboration, the annual summit is put on by the Texas Veterans Commission, whose mission is to advocate for and provide superior service for veterans in the areas of claims assistance, employment services, educaiton benefits and grant funding that will significantly improve the quality of life of Texas Veterans and their families.

Connect with us!

If you are attending the Summit, stop by the Warrior Gateway table and say hello!  Meet members of our team, and learn more about our mision to support the military community and their families.

Engage with us on Social Media

Follow the Warrior Gateway Twitter and Facebook accounts for Summit updates and photos.

Drupal Engineer

Posted on by Devin

Every day we use the power of other people’s opinions, insights and experiences to make decisions.  The same way we look to Yelp to help us find where to go to dinner, Rotten Tomatoes to help us decide what movie to see or Trip Advisor on where to vacation and what hotel to stay in.   So why don’t our veterans have those same tools available to them when decided on where to go for healthcare, job opportunities, family assistance or education and training?

WarriorGateway.org is harnessing the power of technology and collaboration to help today’s veterans make better decisions about what government program or non-profit organization to go to for help.  Warrior Gateway leverages the social dimension by encouraging these “voices of the veteran” to include ratings about the quality and effectiveness of those services and to include short comments and tips to help other community members decide where to go.

We are dedicated to empowering our veterans to share their experiences and help the overall community but also, give them a voice to highlight those programs and organizations that are not meeting their needs.  Launched in March 2010, the Warrior Gateway is the only effort that is focused on providing these individuals with a forum to publically share their experiences.  It’s about time our veterans had a voice.

Warrior Gateway is growing our technology team and we are seeking a motivated Drupal engineer.  Here are the details of the position:

Tasks:

  • Lead the web application development of multiple Drupal-based web portals
  • Work on the development of our API & Platform strategy
  • Develop Drupal modules for our partners and customers
  • Work as part of agile team environment in a startup environment
  • Able to take on tasks beyond your scope of responsibilities to achieve results
  • Write code!  You will be responsible for developing features for our multiple web properties as well as the platform infrastructure

Technical Requirements:

  • You must know & love Drupal inside and out as you will be the sole engineer in this position
  • Experience managing multiple Drupal properties
  • Experience building and managing Drupal modules

“Nice to have” Requirements:

  • Mastery of XML & XML Schema
  • Experience with XPath & XQuery
  • Knowledge of MarkLogic Server and developing on the MarkLogic platform
  • Substantial experience with Linux
  • Experience building web applications using Java, Java Web Services, Javascript & JQuery
  • Experience with JPA and/or Hibernate
  • Experience with HTML,CSS and Web 2.0 elements
  • Experience with Apache and Tomcat
  • Deep experience with XML and related technologies
  • Browser-side client technologies including AJAX, HTML, CSS, cross-browser compatibility issues, performance and optimization techniques
  • Experience with agile software development (i.e.; Scrum)
  • Ability to manage and respond to changes in priorities
  • JPA/Hibernate, or similar Experience
  • REST Web Service client and/or Server
  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent
  • Experience with Agile methodologies

General Requirements:

  • Disciplined engineers who will….
    • Deliver code that can be maintained and extended
    • Follow architectural guidance
    • Test their code before they deploy it
    • Complete 100% of work tasks or notify in-house team of gaps in deliverables
  • Communicative engineers who can deliver…..
    • Javadoc (or equivalent)
    • Class Diagrams
    • Flow & Sequence Diagrams
    • High Level Diagrams
    • Wiki or other site to tie work products together

Nice to have:

  • Understanding of search technologies
  • Understanding of semantic web and thesaurus management systems
  • Experience in using JQuery, Dojo, Prototype or other JavaScript frameworks

Other:

  • Interested in working for a aggressive start up with a non-profit mission
  • Interested in supporting veterans and wounded warriors; former military experience a plus
  • This position can be based anywhere in the Continental US

If you’re interested in joining the team, please provide a cover letter along with your resume.  In the cover letter, please tell us what inspires you about the Warrior Gateway and why you think you are the perfect applicant for this position.  This is a key position and a unique opportunity to join a growing organization with a uniquely inspiring mission.

Email all applications with a resume and cover letter to: resumes@warriorgateway.org with Drupal Engineer in the subject line.  Applications without a cover letter will not be looked at nor considered.