Why Veterans Make Great Board Members

With the national controversy raging across the corporate landscape in America regarding diversity and inclusion on corporate boards of directors, there is one diverse group of potential board members who are often overlooked: our nation’s veterans — and particularly, service-disabled veterans.

To date, most of the veterans currently serving on corporate boards tend to be those known as “flag rank” officers. That is, those officers who have reached the general officer or admiral ranks.

But, it is important to note that officers of lower rank — and, even senior non-commissioned officers, who have substantial business experience — can be valuable as well, and serve to diversify corporate boards with experience in strategy, team building, leadership, and an unwavering commitment to mission focus that is unmatched in the civilian world. And, if that veteran also happens to be service-disabled, they can fulfill another important, but often overlooked, diversity criterion.