OUR TEAM

Gene Anderson serves as Operation: Job Ready Veterans Executive Director. His primary responsibility is to develop strategies to achieve company goals. These goals include developing relationships with businesses, partnering with organizations, and facilitating corporate sponsorships. He is also responsible for creating a culture in which the organization may be successful.

 Gene brings a wealth of knowledge to this position after successfully serving as a regional director in the corporate environment. Gene’s dedication in serving veterans directed him on a path to work for the Department of Workforce Development, where he served as a Local Veteran Employment Representative (LVER) and was awarded LVER of the Year for his outstanding service.

 Gene is a United States Air Force veteran who served many years in an elite unit, which included joint operations with the various military branches. After honorably discharging from the U.S. Air Force, Gene continued to work closely with veterans in various locations around the world.

 When he is away from the office, Gene spends his leisure time with his family and also serves on several veteran committees. Through his volunteer endeavors, Gene participates within numerous organizations that assist veterans and their families.

 His certifications include Orientation to Veteran Services, Labor and Employment Specialist, Offender Employment Specialist Building Bridges, Promoting Partnerships to Employers, and Veteran Case Manager.

Retired Senior Chief Petty Officer Patrick Drabick is a native of Indianapolis, Indiana. He attended Excelsior College and graduated with his Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in administrative/management studies in June of 2006 and in April of 2017 earned his Bachelor of Professional Studies (BPS) in business and management. In March of 2014, he graduated from the Naval War College’s Senior Enlisted Academy, the Navy’s top leadership school.

In his 24 years on active duty, he served in many roles. As an aviation electronics technician, he worked on aircraft such as the F-14, F-18, Sh-60B, and numerous others. After being stationed overseas for three-and-a-half years, he came back stateside to recruiting duty. His final duty station in Portland, Oregon had him overseeing the entire enlisted mission for a five-state area. It was also during this time he was recognized locally and regionally as the Inspirational Leader of the Year.

Post-retirement, Mr. Drabick has worked as an executive director of a multi-million-dollar company as well as the executive vice president and partner at his first start-up, and now he owns his own consulting business, True Heading. He joins the team at Operation: Job Ready Veterans as the director of operations to continue his passion for working with veterans.

Away from work, he spends much of his time with his wife and two sons doing all kinds of outdoor activities like camping. He is also a huge dog lover and has three rescue dogs that keep him busy.

Maddie Farris serves as Operation: Job Ready Veterans Marketing & Social Media Manager. She has served in the Indiana Army National Guard for over 11 years, just recently reenlisted, and plans to continue her military career until retirement. Throughout most of her military career, she has been attached to an aviation unit and has completed two overseas tours, one in Kuwait and one in Cuba while holding a Secret Security Clearance. Her overseas tour in Kuwait focused heavily on unit administration and public affairs, while her Cuba tour she served as an essential member of the Joint Visitors Bureau. Maddie has also been a military dependent and follows in both of her parent’s footsteps, who combined have over 25 years of service.

Additionally, Maddie has over 11 years of human resources experience, with special emphasis in finance. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, with a Minor in Sociology from IUPUI.

She is currently a member of VFW Post #261, where she is currently in the officer positions of trustee and guard. When she is away from the office, you can generally find Maddie volunteering at her post, cooking in her kitchen, traveling, tending to her garden, spending time with friends, or shopping online.

Misty Marroquin serves as Operation: Job Ready Veterans Administrative Assistant. She has served in the Indiana Army National Guard for 12 years and plans to transition out of the Army in August 2020. Throughout most of her military career, she has worked as a full time Administrative Assistant at an aviation unit. She completed an overseas tour with the 38^th Infantry Division where she traveled to Kuwait, Afghanistan and Egypt while holding a Secret Security Clearance.

Additionally, Misty has over 9 years of human resources experience, and 12 years as a Religious Affairs Specialist. Her experience as a Religious Affairs Specialist led to her passion of taking care of Soldiers, Veterans and their families.

When she is away from the office, you can generally find Misty spending quality time with her daughter, reading, traveling, or spending time with friends.

Beverly Fitch served seven and a half years in the United States Army Reserve and twelve and a half years in the Active Guard Reserves. After retiring from the Army Reserve, Beverly pursued an Advanced Certificate in Baking and Pastry at Washburne Culinary School in Chicago, IL. While pursuing her certificate, she volunteered at Helping Hands, where she helped cognitively delayed adults train for the Special Olympics.

 Prior to employment with Operation: Job Ready Veterans, Beverly worked as a computer lab assistant in the Compensated Work Therapy Program at Hines Veterans Affairs Medical Center. There she assisted veterans with resume writing, job searching, and interviewing techniques.

 She is currently a member of the 478th American Legion, where she was recently appointed to the position of adjutant.

 Beverly’s certifications include Peer to Peer Support Mental Health First Aid and an Advanced Baking and Pastry Certificate.

 Beverly has a passion for helping others, baking, cooking, and, most importantly, for serving the Lord.

Mike Espinda honorably served with the Indiana Army National Guard for over 29 years of service, including 27 years on active duty. He retired at the rank of Sergeant Major. Mike is a disabled veteran and enjoys serving those who have served alongside him and fought for our country’s freedom. As an Employment Transition Manager, he manages Veteran Employment Transition Seminars (VETS), including the coordination of VETS graduations and hiring fairs; First Impressions Workshops; and Federal Resume Workshops. Mike also assists veterans, service members, and military families in seeking meaningful employment by discussing transitional issues, networking, resume writing, and interview techniques and by providing one-on-one coaching support to graduates in overcoming barriers to gain meaningful employment.

 After retiring from the National Guard, Mike served over two years as a Family Assistance Specialist for the Indiana National Guard Family Programs Department. During this time, he focused on case management for military service members from all branches of service. His duties included locating financial, employment, legal, TRICARE insurance, crisis intervention, and numerous other community resources that supported military service members. Mike focused heavily on creating community partnerships. He is deeply embedded within the local and military community and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Operation: Job Ready Veterans.

 While serving in the military, Mike attended the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy to further his leadership skills. Mike earned his B.S. degree in Management from Indiana Wesleyan University. Throughout his career, Mike has completed numerous classes and seminars that have increased his knowledge to better support veterans within the community.

 His certifications include Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) accredited representative of the American Legion, STAR Behavioral Health (Tiers 1 and 2), TRICARE Fundamentals, Army Family Team Building Program Net Trainer Online (Levels 1 and 2), and Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST).

Holly Stanley serves as Operation: Job Ready Employment Transition Manager in Columbus, Ohio.  Holly honorable served in the Army on Active Duty for 4 years as a Military Police Officer.  Holly has also been a military spouse and has a passion for serving Veterans, Service Members and their families. Holly has worked extensively for the Department of Veterans Affairs over the past 3 years.  She is very familiar with federal resume writing, the federal application process and the Veteran’s disability compensation process. 

In Holly’s free time she enjoys spending time with her children and traveling.  She is excited about connecting with community partners and military-related organizations in Ohio.  

Ryan Lonergan serves as Operation: Job Ready Veterans Employment Transition Manager
in Brillion, Wisconsin. Ryan has served the military and veteran community of
Wisconsin for the last 13 years in various capacities, including working for the
Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs’ Veteran Outreach and Recovery Program
and assisting homeless military and veteran population throughout the state of
Wisconsin with homelessness, AODA, mental health, transition assistance, education,
employment, VA claims, suicide prevention, and community services. Ryan has worked
alongside county veterans service officers, student veterans, and nonprofits focused on
leadership and development. For the last two and a half years, Ryan was a DoD Career
Readiness Counselor for the Wisconsin National Guard assisting with employment and
financial literacy skills for service members, veterans, and families. 

Ryan served honorably in the Wisconsin Army National Guard for six years. Ryan was
an infantryman with A Co. 2-128 th INF RSTA, deployed to Iraq in 2009-2010 with A. Co
132 nd  BSB. He then reclassed after deployment to ammunition specialist. During and
after service, Ryan attended college using his VA education benefits and earned two
technical diplomas in welding, an associate degree in criminal justice, and a Bachelor of
Science degree in sociology with a minor in criminal justice; additionally, he is 19 credits
from his Master of Social Work degree. 

Ryan’s certifications include VA claims, both in Wisconsin and nationally, and he is also
QPR certified. Ryan is extremely active in his local military and veteran community in
Wisconsin. Ryan is the former director of Dryhootch Rock County, former president of
Desert Veterans of Wisconsin-Fox Valley Chapter, and former senior vice commander
of VFW Post 2778. Ryan was awarded the Future 15 Award in 2019 as one of the top
15 Young Professionals in the Fox Valley in Wisconsin. When Ryan isn’t helping his
fellow veterans, he is spending time with his four-year-old daughter, Ava, working out,
or practicing at the shooting range.

John Zeigler has been associated with Operation: Job Ready Veterans (OJRV) since 2015.  John’s current role as an Employment Transition Manager for OJRV allows him to work directly with Veterans and their family members to get them much needed assistance.  Whether that assistance is educating clients on career enhancement skills, linking them to community partners, assisting with resume development / interview preparation or providing employer introductions John continues his passion of serving others.  He also serves as a recruiter for candidates to attend our monthly Indianapolis-area transition seminars by frequenting community partner events, networking opportunities and job fairs.

 John proudly served over 20 years as an active-duty field artillery officer in light, armored cavalry, and mechanized units stationed all over the United States and overseas. He has a Bachelor’s in Computer Science from Monmouth College (IL) and earned a Master’s in Adult Education from Kansas State University.  John continues giving back to the community through numerous coaching and volunteer experiences – most notably with his annual involvement coaching volleyball at Avon High School, Ben Davis High School, and with the Circle City Volleyball Club.  His family includes his wife  (Stephanie) and three boys (Jarrod, Alex, and Quin).  John also supports veterans through his active involvement in the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, Wish 4 Our Heroes, and Team Red White & Blue.

Darron Hardy serves as Operation: Job Ready Veterans Employment Transition Specialist. He honorably served in the United States Army Reserves for 33 years and 10 months which is inclusive of seven years of active duty. He retired at the rank of Sergeant Major. His last two roles of leadership include Directorate Sergeant Major and Interim Command Sergeant Major.  Over the past 5 years, he has served in various roles within state and federal military programs for career readiness counseling and Veterans Administration benefits. Within these roles, he was responsible for providing Army National Guard service members and their families the knowledge and skills to achieve their civilian career goals through employment and education opportunities. Instructed Service members and dependents on all VA benefits and programs for which they may be eligible in a group setting and one-on-one individual assistance appointments. In addition, he mentored new team members as part of their onboarding and orientation.

Darron earned his B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and his MBA in Human Resources Management from Colorado Technical University in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He earned a certificate in Project Management from Villanova University, and Business Administration and Human Resources Management from Colorado Technical University. He completed the VA’s Training, Responsibility, Involvement and Preparation of Claims (TRIP) Program.

His focus is to ensure that the service demographic always receives the best service possible to further their lives both personally and professionally as it relates to known resources and tools for success. 

Gerrie Jackson serves as the Participant Engagement Specialist for Operation: Job Ready Veterans. Her primary responsibility is to connect with service members, veterans, and their family members who have completed the Veteran Employment Transition Seminar (VETS), First Impressions Workshop, and Federal Resume Workshop and follow up on their progress of securing meaningful employment. Gerrie has over 18 years of call center leadership experience, making her a perfect fit for this position. Gerrie is dedicated and passionate about serving service members, veterans, and their family members.

 Gerrie is retired from the Army National Guard. When she is away from the office, she spends her leisure time being with her family, gardening, and volunteering with the Indiana Sports Corporation.