DALLAS.
DALLAS. IT'S WARM.
IT'S WARM. THIS MORNING, WE CONTINUE TO
CELEBRATE WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH.
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE ARMED
SERVICE MEMBERS THAT ARE FEMALES
HERE IN THE U.S.
OVER 200,000+@ WOMEN SERVE
ACTIVE-DUTY IN THE U.S. MILITARY
+@
ACTIVE-DUTY IN THE U.S. MILITARY AND THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF FEMALE
VETERANS ARE AN IMPORTANT PAR+@T
OF AMERICAN HISTORY.
JOINING US AS A NAVY VETERAN,
WHO IS ALSO THE FOUNDER AND CEO
OF THE VETERAN WOMEN'S
ENTERPRISE CENTER.
ENTERPRISE CENTER. GOOD MORNING.
GOOD MORNING. >> THANK+@ YOU FOR HAVING ME.
CLEO: THANK YOU FOR WAKING UP
EARLY.
EARLY.
EARLY. TELL US THE IMPORTANT ROLE THAT
WOMEN HAVE PLAYED IN THE HISTORY
OF THE ARMED FORCES AND IN THIS
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. >> I AM GOING TO KEEP IT BRIEF,
BECAUSE WE HAVE PLAYED SUCH A
LARGE ROLE, BUT WE ARE +@VERY
HAPPY ABOUT TH+@E INTEGRATION AT
THAT WAS S+@IGNED BY PRESIDENT
TRUMAN.
TRUMAN.
TRUMAN. IT ALLOWED WOMEN TO SERVE AS
REGULAR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED
FORCES.
FORCES.
FORCES. BEFORE, WOMEN COULD ONLY
VOLUNTEER, AND ONLY WHEN WE WERE
AT WAR.
AT WAR.
AT WAR. SO THAT ACT CRACKED THE DOOR.
OVER THE YEARS, WE WERE ABLE TO
BREAK MORE BARRIERS.
+@
+@ THERE
+@ THERE WERE QUOTAS ON HOW MANY
WOMEN COULD SERVE AND WE WERE
LIMITED TO THE TYPE OF JOBS WE
+@
LIMITED TO THE TYPE OF JOBS WE COULD PERFORM, BUT NOW WE HAVE
WOMEN MAKING HISTORY, TURNING
THE ARMED SER+@VICES AROUND AND
SHOWING THE NATION HOW COMMITTED
WE ARE I+@N DEFENDING THE UNITED
STATES.
STATES.
STATES. CLEO: I HAVE TO TELL YOU, MY DAD
IS IN THE AIR FORCE AND I HAVE
MET SO MANY FOUR-STAR GENERALS
THAT ARE WOMEN.
IT IS A POWERFUL SPOT TO BE IN.
YOU MADE HISTORY BY CREATING AN
ORGANI+@ZATION SPECIFICALLY FOR
+@
+@ VETERAN ENTREPRENEURS, FEMALES,
WITH THE WOMEN'S ENTERPRISE
CENTER.
CENTER.
CENTER. WHAT'S YOUR MISSION FOR THE
ORGANIZATION?
ORGANIZATION? >> I AM SO GLAD THAT YOU ASKED.
WE HAVE DEVELOPED OUR MISSION TO
MAKE SURE THAT WE STAY ON FOCUS.
THE MISSION OF THE ENTERPRISE
CENTER, A NATIONAL INITIATIVE,
IT'S IN SOUTHERN DALLAS.
WE ARE WORKING TO HELP
ENTRE+@PRENEURIAL WOMEN ASSOCIAD
WITH THE MILITARY SCALE FOR
SUCCESS.
SUCCESS.
SUCCESS. WE RECENTLY CHANGED OUR
MESSAGING BECAUSE ONE OF THE
ISSUES WE FIND +@WITH WOMEN
VETERANS IS THEY DO NOT SELF
IDENTIFY.
IDENTIFY.
IDENTIFY. SO IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT
THESE PROGRAMS ARE FOR THEM, WE
WANTED TO MAKE SURE THEY ASKED
THE QUESTION, AM I ONE OF THOSE
WOMEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE
MILITARY THAT YOU WANT TO SERVE?
WE USE STRATEGIC ALLIANCES TO
CREATE RELATIONSHIPS ACROSS THE
NATION AND WE WANT TO GIVE A
SHOUT OUT TO OUR PARTNES AT THE
HOME WAS VETERANS SERVICES OF
DALLAS.
DALLAS.
DALLAS. THEY ARE PARTNERS AT THE
HOMELESS TRANSITION RESOURCE
CENTER.
CENTER.
CENTER. THE PROPERTY IS OWNED BY THE
V.A., BUT VETERAN SERVICES OF
DALLAS ARE A NONPROFIT, AND THEY
ARE PARTNERS.
ARE PARTNERS.
+@
+@ THEY
+@ THEY HAVE HELPED US TO OBTAIN
2700 SQUARE FEET OF SPACE FOR
OUR FACILI+@TY.
OUR FACILI+@TY. IT+@ HAS CO-WORKING, A CONFERENE
CENTER, CONFERENCE LOUNGE,
EXHIBITS, AND WE ARE EXCITED AND
LOOK+@ING FORWARD TO REOPENING T
PROBABLY THE END OF APRIL.
CLEO: WOW.
CLEO: WOW. WHO DO YOU SERVICE AND WHAT IS
THE CRITERIA TO RECEIVE AID?
>> Y+@OU DO NOT HAVE TO BE
HONORABLY DISCHARGED OR ANYTHING
LIKE THAT, BUT YOU NEDT E
WMAN THAT SERVED IN THE
MILITARY+@.
MILITARY+@. IF YOU SERVED, WHETHER YOU
C+@OMPLETED YOUR FULL-TERM OR YU
DE+@PLOYED, YOU ARE A VETERAN.
AND SO MANY WOMEN VETERANS DO
NOT IDENTIFY THEMSELVES, SO WE
WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT YOU ARE
WELCOME TO OUR SERVICES.
THE OTHER THING IS WE LOOK AT
HOW WE CAN HELP BUSINESSES
SCALE.
SCALE.
SCALE. THE SECOND PART OF OUR MISSION
IS WE LEVERAGE PUBLIC AND
PRIVATE OPPORTUNITIES.
PRIVATE OPPORTUNITIES. AS YOU KNOW, THAT IS DONE
THROUGH CONT+@RACTING.
THROUGH CONT+@RACTING. +@
THROUGH CONT+@RACTING. OUR NEXT LEVEL BUSINESS
OUR NEXT LEVEL BUSINESS+@ TRANSFORMATION PROGRAM THAT WE
ARE LAUNCHING THIS YEAR FAST
TRACKS THE CONTRACTS.
IT IS A SIMULATION WHERE THE
WOMEN WILL SOURCE A CONTRACT,
RIGHT IT AND SUBMIT IT.
AND THEY +@BECOME PART OF OUR
NETWORK.
NETWORK.
NETWORK. AND WE ALREADY HAVE BUSINESSES
TELLING US THAT THEY WANT TO DO
BUSINESS WITH WOMEN ASSOCIATED
WITH THE MILIT+@ARY.
CLEO: I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS,
BU+@T HOW CAN SOMEONE CONTACT Y?
>> THEY CAN REACH US AT AN
ABBREVIATION OF OUR NAME,
VETERAN WOMEN
ABBREVIATION OF OUR NAME, VETERAN WOMENSEC.ORG.
VETERAN WOMENSEC.ORG. THAT IS OUR SOCIAL MEDIA TAG AS
WELL.
WELL.
WELL. CLEO: I AM L+@OVI+@NG+@ YOUR ENY
THIS MORNING.
THIS MORNING.