The Bob Woodruff Foundation is a charitable partner of the "Veterans on Wall Street Foundation," which promotes the development and retention of veterans in the financial services industry. Anne Marie Dougherty, Executive Director of the foundation, and Ruth Christopherson, senior vice president at Citi Community Development and Citi Salutes, joined Cheddar to discuss how veterans joining the workforce have been able to thrive on Wall Street. Christopherson explained that when it comes to helping veterans, competing banks are in the same team. The executive told Cheddar that Citi comes together with other banks to educate companies on the value of hiring veterans. A combination of educational initiatives, mentoring, outreach to the military, employee affinity groups, and an annual conference, allows Veterans on Wall Street to promote career development, support, and retention of jobs for veterans, in the global financial services industry. Veterans on Wall Street also hopes to break into other sectors including Silicon Valley, real estate, and hospitality. Dougherty believes there is a lot of potential in expanding the foundation beyond finance.
