Career Coaching Workshop (+PLUS)

Therese Dotson has 24 years of Human Resources and Talent Acquisition experience with 15 of those years working with the government contracting industry and DoD.  She is a SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) and Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR) certified and a US Navy Veteran, PN2 (Personnelman) 1990-1994.  These started at Leidos in 2019 in the Defense Group which is now part of the National Security Sector. Transitioned to the Health & Civil Sector in 2021. Currently serves as the Senior Recruiter for Naval Health Research and a classified federal agency within the Health and Human Performance division.

Nikki is the Mobility Engine Sales Director for GE Aerospace’s Defense and Systems business. Nikki joined GE in 2016 through the Military Officer Leadership Program (MOLP), and she has held many roles in Customer Experience, GE Edison Works, and Commercial Engine Services.

Prior to joining GE, she was an active-duty aerial refueling KC-10 Instructor Pilot in the U.S. Air Force powered by GE engines. She has an FAA Air Transport Pilot license, and she flew 3,000+ Flight Hours and 217 Combat Missions. She retired from the U.S. Air Force Reserve as a LtCol after 21 years of total service.

Nikki is passionate about seeing veterans smoothly transition to civilian life. She serves as a volunteer career counselor for a non-profit organization, Hire Heroes USA, and much of her counseling has led to hiring 20+ fellow veterans at GE.

Julie Galloway serves as the Assistant Vice President of Talent Acquisition for Client Delivery at Travelers

Insurance Companies, a recognized leader in the Property & Casualty insurance industry. In her role,

Julie oversees a team of Recruiters dedicated to supporting the company’s Underwriting organization.

She also leads Travelers’ efforts in building and maintaining partnerships with military and veteran

organizations.

With over three decades of experience in recruitment across multiple industries, Julie has spent the past

15 years focused on the Property & Casualty insurance sector. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in

Business Administration from the University of Missouri–St. Louis.

Based in Kansas, Julie embraces a rural lifestyle. Outside of work, she enjoys quality time with her family

and cherishes her newest role—being a proud grandma.

Yaritza Guzman has over 10 years of experience in human resources and talent acquisition supporting the military and civilian work force. She is currently a Talent Acquisition Recruiter for the Leidos Innovations Center at Leidos. She has supported recruiting efforts across various skillsets in research and development, science and technology, engineering, and information technology. Yaritza also served in the United States Army Reserve as a Human Resources Specialist for 8 years in Fort Meade, MD. She is passionate about career and professional development, candidate experience through the recruitment life cycle, and building long-term relationships. Yaritza is a first-generation Dominican American and native Spanish speaker.

Elexa Orrange-Allen joined the AcademyWomen Board in 2025 and is the Founder and CEO of LEAP Coaching and Speaking (C&S). She has extensive qualifications in coaching and is a certified John Maxwell coach, speaker, and trainer - as well as a Birkman and Myers Briggs certified consultant. Beyond credentials, Elexa believes it is her professional career and life experiences that give her an edge as she lives her passion of helping individuals and organizations become the best version of themselves. Elexa began her journey of self-growth and leadership development as a cadet at the United States Military Academy (West Point). She continued to cultivate self-discipline, accountability, and drive during her service as a finance officer and leader in the United States Army. Elexa’s “leap of faith” came when she exited the military to pursue her goal of qualifying for the 1996 Track and Field Olympic Team. During her years of training and competing, Elexa continued to gain leadership experience as a motivational speaker and track and field athletic coach. She leapt to success, representing the United States in the 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg Sweden, and in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, GA. After the Atlanta games, Elexa transitioned her leadership and relationship-building strengths to the sales profession. Where she earned the President’s Club Award winning sales professional in the healthcare and recognition and rewards industries. Elexa‘s passion for helping others was demonstrated as she served in trainer and manager roles in the sales industry. With experience working at all levels, Elexa has an in-depth knowledge of what it takes to achieve personal and corporate goals at start-up size companies as well as large, industry-leading organizations. Elexa lives in Houston, TX with her husband. They have two lovely daughters and two sons. Elexa holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and a Master of Education degree in Counseling. Elexa enjoys spending time with family and friends, volunteering and making a difference in the community, reading, traveling, and physical fitness.

“Vincit Qui Se Vincit” - She Conquers Who Conquers Herself. This quote speaks to the importance of self. Self-mastery, self-confidence and self-awareness, attributes Shaunda Thompson developed and enhanced as an effective leader and Non-Commissioned Officer in the United States Army. Shaunda’s passion for coaching began over thirty years ago during her military career, as she frequently championed subordinates to become the best version of themselves. Shaunda Thompson is a 2x Amazon Best-Selling Author, Career Strategist and Executive Life Coach with extensive experience coaching women how to leverage their professional wellness, personal brand and presence to elevate their performance, confidence and success. Ms. Thompson, also called Coach “T” is known for her holistic approach and candor. Coach T uses a combination of personality and image development to help clients unleash their inner powerhouse and tap into the unshakeable confidence needed to turn their visions into reality. Shaunda has conducted leadership development training in the government, non-profit and education sectors, including the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program and Orange County Public Library, to name a few. Coach T has certifications, training and experience facilitating Clifton Strengths Finder; MBTI and What's My Communication Style Assessments.

Alex Verhulst has over 15 years of Talent Acquisition experience within the government contracting industry. He currently serves as the Corporate Talent Acquisition Military Program Manager for Leidos' Military Veteran Program (Operation MVP). Operation MVP is Leidos’ official Military Veteran Program, with a mission to build veteran talent pipelines and increase Leidos' presence as a preferred employer for transitioning military candidates. By assisting transitioning service members in their job search, Operation MVP helps build Leidos' employer brand within the veteran community and increase their available qualified talent. Through this program, Leidos partners with military transition centers, military associations, and veteran organizations in an effort to identify and hire separating and retiring military veterans - who are recruited from all branches of the military, as well as the National Guard and Reserves. Leidos and the Operation MVP team participate in specific career development and networking events geared towards the veteran and military dependent / caregiver population - and are actively engaged in advertising and branding initiatives specific to military branches and installations. Previous to assuming responsibility for the military program, Alex served at Leidos as part of a talent identification and acquisition organization responsible for Military, University, and Diversity outreach, specializing in recruiting qualified professionals for customers across the Intelligence Community, Department of Defense, Homeland Security, Federal Law Enforcement, and Healthcare agencies.

Jennifer White is the Vice President, Talent Acquisition for Client Delivery at Travelers Insurance

Companies in Hartford, CT. Jen leads a team of 80 Recruiters and Recruiting Leaders that support the

global, strategic hiring initiatives for one of the leading Property & Casualty insurance carriers. Jen has

over 25 years of recruiting experience across various industries including Financial Services and

Education. Jen is also a proud Military Spouse.

She is certified in Strategic Workforce Planning with the Human Capital Institute and also is a Certified

Behavioral Based Interview Trainer with Development Dimensions International.

Jen attended San Diego State University and Cal State San Bernardino and holds a Bachelor of Arts in

Business Administration. Jen resides in New Hartford, CT with her husband, daughter and Yorkie puppy.

When she’s not networking and recruiting, she’s whipping up a new recipe in her kitchen or Poshmarking.

Elisabeth S. Auld serves as the host and chair of the 2025 Officer Women Leadership Symposium (OWLS) and has been involved in AcademyWomen activities for many years. She is currently employed by SAIC as a project manager for the Federal Aviation Administration and as an Adjunct Professor for the Naval War College. An Air Force veteran, Elisabeth retired as a Colonel in 2014, completing her career assigned as Director of Staff, Air Force Public Affairs, where she led a staff of six and directed the administrative, fiscal, security and personnel activities for a 185-person organization. Prior to this, she was assigned as the Deputy Director, Bases, Ranges, and Airspace, and the Airfield Operations Officer Career Field manager. Before her assignment to the Pentagon, she was honored to command the 506th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron at Kirkuk Regional Air Base, Iraq. Prior to her deployment, she served as Director of Operations for the 316th Operations Support Squadron at Andrews AFB, Maryland. Elisabeth was commissioned through the Reserve Officer Training Corps at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, May 1990, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Resources from Miami University. Additionally, she earned a Master of Arts, National Security Strategy from the Naval War College (2004) and a Master of Science, Human Resources from Troy University (1998). Elisabeth enjoys writing and blogs at Gals In Blue (https://www.galsinblue.com). There she muses about a myriad of topics, from pop culture to military issues to her family’s latest adventures. These star her favorite people: her husband Greg, their (now grown) kids, Emma and Michael, and their pups, Layla and Griffin.

Sue Magaletta joined the AcademyWomen board in 2015 and currently serves as Director of Strategic Initiatives for Cybersecurity and Business Continuity at Travelers. During her 20-year U.S. Air Force career, she held leadership roles including Squadron Commander, Director of Communications at Joint Special Operations Command, Professor of Aerospace Studies, and Branch Chief in the Secretary of the Air Force’s Chief Information Office at the Pentagon. Sue is a 1995 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and holds master’s degrees in Information Resource Management from the Air Force Institute of Technology and in Operational Military Art and Science from Air University. She serves as the New York State Ambassador for the Military Women’s Memorial, is a certified high school girls’ basketball official, and a proud hockey mom.

Elexa Orrange-Allen joined the AcademyWomen Board in 2025 and is the Founder and CEO of LEAP Coaching and Speaking (C&S). She has extensive qualifications in coaching and is a certified John Maxwell coach, speaker, and trainer - as well as a Birkman and Myers Briggs certified consultant. Beyond credentials, Elexa believes it is her professional career and life experiences that give her an edge as she lives her passion of helping individuals and organizations become the best version of themselves. Elexa began her journey of self-growth and leadership development as a cadet at the United States Military Academy (West Point). She continued to cultivate self-discipline, accountability, and drive during her service as a finance officer and leader in the United States Army. Elexa’s “leap of faith” came when she exited the military to pursue her goal of qualifying for the 1996 Track and Field Olympic Team. During her years of training and competing, Elexa continued to gain leadership experience as a motivational speaker and track and field athletic coach. She leapt to success, representing the United States in the 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg Sweden, and in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, GA. After the Atlanta games, Elexa transitioned her leadership and relationship-building strengths to the sales profession. Where she earned the President’s Club Award winning sales professional in the healthcare and recognition and rewards industries. Elexa‘s passion for helping others was demonstrated as she served in trainer and manager roles in the sales industry. With experience working at all levels, Elexa has an in-depth knowledge of what it takes to achieve personal and corporate goals at start-up size companies as well as large, industry-leading organizations. Elexa lives in Houston, TX with her husband. They have two lovely daughters and two sons. Elexa holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and a Master of Education degree in Counseling. Elexa enjoys spending time with family and friends, volunteering and making a difference in the community, reading, traveling, and physical fitness.

Suzy Streeter is a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and a Founding Member of the AcademyWomen Board of Directors. Over her 28 years in the Air Force, Colonel Streeter was a Group Commander, Major Command and Numbered Air Force Director of Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance; an Intelligence Plans and Exercises Division Chief at a sub-unified command; a Squadron Director of Operations; a Squadron Commander; as well as an Air Staff Program Element Monitor and Legislative Affairs Liaison. Colonel Streeter's deployments include Operation DECISIVE ENDEAVOR and Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Prior to retiring from the Air Force, she was instrumental in standing-up the US Space Force Intelligence, Reconnaissance, and Surveillance function. Colonel Streeter is a 1992 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and holds an MA in Pastoral Ministry.

Max Levasseur is a seasoned Talent Acquisition and Diversity Programs Leader with over 20 years of experience in recruitment, veteran hiring, and people operations. A U.S. Army veteran, Max has led award-winning DEI initiatives at companies like Activision Blizzard, where he served as Global Chair of the Veterans Employee Network. He’s passionate about connecting underrepresented talent to meaningful careers, mentoring the next generation of leaders, and driving inclusive hiring strategies across industries. Max is also a dedicated advocate for Type 1 Diabetes awareness and community engagement.  

Max has been a dedicated supporter of AcademyWomen for several years, generously contributing both his talent acquisition expertise and technology acumen across multiple programs. His insights have guided countless military members through successful career transitions, while his behind-the-scenes technical leadership has been essential to the smooth execution of AcademyWomen’s flagship events, including the Career Coaching Workshop, Webinar Series, and Distinguished Speakers Series (DSS).