Susan S. Kelly, Ph.D. Special Advisor for the Transition Assistance Program Office of Wounded Warrior Care and Transition Policy
How will the revised Transition Assistance Program help departing servicemembers establish new careers? On August 1, 2011, Susan S. Kelly, Ph.D., was selected as the Special Advisor for the Department of Defense Transition Assistance Program (TAP) in the Office of Wounded Warrior Care and Transition Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness). Kelly is a member of the Senior Executive Service. Kelly is responsible for DoD TAP oversight and policy development for DoD transition assistance-related initiatives. In this capacity, she will also manage the transformation of DoD TAP in order to meet the transition needs of the next generation of warriors and their families. Kelly has an extensive history of helping organizations successfully transform and excel in meeting performance management goals based upon key strategic priorities. Prior to serving in her current position, Kelly served as the special assistant, Deputy Chief Management Officer (DCMO). She led DCMO’s response to the Secretary of Defense’s direction to infuse risk into decision-making processes in DoD. Her first senior executive level position in the Defense Department was as director, Office of Strategic Planning and Performance Management, Executive Secretariat for Joint Executive Council/Senior Oversight Committee for Wounded Ill and Injured. Prior to this, Kelly served in policy and strategic planning roles in DoD while assigned to the Pentagon. Kelly also served as the acting director for the new Defense Language Office and authored the Department’s Language Transformation Plan. Kelly holds a doctorate in marriage and family from St. Louis University; a Master of Arts in education and counseling from the University of Georgia; and a Bachelor of Arts in social and behavioral science from the University of South Florida. 8 | MAE 8.2
She has been awarded various awards and meritorious citations including the USAFE Commander’s Award of Excellence and the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service. Kelly was interviewed by MAE editor Laural Hobbes. Q: How does the revised Transition GPS improve servicemembers’ transition experiences? A: Within the redesigned TAP is Transition GPS, which stands for ‘Goals, Plans, Success.’ These are the services that the installation staff will be delivering to military members, those programs that military members must participate in and the programs that commanders need to ensure that their military members complete so they can meet career readiness standards. Career readiness standards are the pivotal point for the TAP redesign. Just as we’ve had standards for mission readiness that military members must meet, such as physical fitness, training and equipment, for the first time we’re requiring them to meet career readiness standards before they separate. That’s the key difference for the servicemember—and it’s a big difference. It’s a cultural change. We have never looked at the mandate for when a military member separates. If you recall, in the previous TAP, there was only one piece that was mandatory for all servicemembers to receive: pre-separation counseling. Now, with the VOW [to Hire Heroes] Act, every military member must go through pre-separation counseling and the VA benefits briefing, which immediately connects them to the bevy of services and benefits that are provided by VA when they become veterans. Those two pieces are now mandatory—no exception. www.MAE-kmi.com