SIOP Military and Veterans Initiative Task Force

SIOP Military and Veterans Initiative (MVI) Task Force

This task force was formed in November 2018 to continue the work begun by dedicated members working on the SIOP Veterans Initiative began in 2011. The MVI task force will build collaborations and enact projects aimed at increasing workplace resources and their dissemination to support those in the military community (e.g. Veterans, Guard and Reservists, Military Spouses) employed in civilian settings and employers of veterans.

SIOP’s MVI Task Force draws upon the unique qualifications and expertise of SIOP members and their understanding of psychological science and best practices to educate and inform civilian employers about the military so that these companies can improve their efforts to hire and retain veterans, service members, and their families.

Task Force Chair Dr. Kristin Saboe says, “The task force is eager to serve those in the military community - veterans, guard/reservists, spouses of military members, and military dependents - to ensure all employers understand the advantage these individuals bring to organizations and educational settings.”

SIOP first launched the predecessor to this volunteer-based Initiative in 2011 to provide employment counseling services to military veterans. The new expansion and relaunch as a task force formalizes and broadens SIOP’s scope to extend its efforts beyond just military veterans to also include those currently serving in the military in active and Reserve capacities as well as military spouses and family members.

(Pictured above:, from left: Kristin Saboe, Nathan Ainspan, SIOP President Talya Bauer, and Patricia Engelhardt)

Task Force Chair: Dr. Kristin Saboe

Liaison Members:

Dr. Nathan Ainspan (Department of Defense)
Dr. Patricia Engelhardt (Department of Defense)

Task Force Members:

Dr. Adam Kabins
Dr. Josh Cotton
Dr. Peter Reiley

If you are interested in educational opportunities for Veterans and/or Military members or IO mentorship as it relates to those with an interest in the Military, Veterans, and Military Family communities, please contact our Task Force lead for Veterans Education & Mentoring, Dr. Pat Engelhardt.

Featured Resources

I-Os Serving Those Who Serve: How SIOP Members Help the Military and Veterans
By Nathan D. Ainspan, Ph.D

America’s Departments of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) are the largest employers of psychologists in the world. According to the American Psychological Association, seven percent of its membership - nearly 8,000 people -works for the DoD while the VA counts 5,000 psychologists on its payroll. While the majority are clinicians, a number of industrial and organizational psychologists (I/Os) work for the two agencies in a number of capacities to create programs, improve governmental organizations, and provide support to improve the lives of veterans.

I/O psychologists are helping serve those who serve the nation through military service in some of these departments in the VA and DoD.

Additional Resources

SIOP Spotlight on Pro-social and Veterans Initiative: Old Dominion University & Combat Wounded Coalition, June, 2018

SIOP Spotlight on Pro-social and Advocacy Work: Lisa Brady and Pat Engelhardt - Coalition of Forces for Veterans: Connecting the Red, White and Blue, June 2018

SIOP Launches Advocacy Initiative on Veterans Transition, November 2017

The Impact of IO Psychology on Transitioning Veterans to Civilian Work

September 2017 - As federal and congressional policy makers consider programs and legislation regarding the transition of service members from the battlefield to the workforce, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) urges the application of evidence-based methods in industrial and organizational (I-O) psychology to enhance veteran employment experiences. This guidance document is meant to better inform policy makers about I-O psychology’s data-driven approach to identifying and alleviating a wide range of modern employment challenges facing veterans, including the translation of skills, decision-making capabilities, and support networks from military life, as well as the difficulty for civilian employers in recognizing promising veteran candidates. SIOP has developed an advocacy initiative of experts to provide guidance and assistance to federal decision makers as they seek to address issues related to the transition of veterans to the workplace.

“The Science of Recruiting, Hiring, and Training Veterans for the Civilian Workforce”

August 2014 – The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates nearly 200,000 service men and women transition out of the military each year, and the trend is expected to continue for the next 4 years. SIOP hosted a congressional briefing August 6 to address the role I-O psychologists can play in helping to integrate returning vets back into the workforce.

The History Corner – The GI Bill, Psychology, and I-O Psychology, April 2013

Veterans Bring Key Skill Assets to the Civilian Workforce, June 2009