Education News

Education Service Specialist Spotlight

Nov 3, 2010


Dr. Naomi Verdugo
Assistant Deputy for Recruiting & Retention, U.S. Army
Pentagon

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Los Angeles, California.

What is your background? How and when did you begin working for the Army?
Initially, my experience was academic because I was in school for a long time working on my PhD. In 1986, I was job searching and read a job announcement for the Army in a booklet that listed government jobs. I applied as a demographer and got it. Since working for the Army I have always worked in recruiting or on recruiting issues and in 1999 I started working in education.

Describe your current position.
As the Assistant Deputy for Recruiting and Retention for the U.S. Army, I have oversight for what the Army does in recruiting and retention. In other words, we work to recruit talent as well as how to keep the existing talent within our organization.

Describe a recent engagement that was particularly successful.
The Army operates in a lot of countries, often working with the local people who don’t speak English; therefore, it’s very important that we have Soldiers that speak different languages. We train Soldiers in foreign languages but it is cheaper and faster when a Soldier is a native speaker of the language. It is more functional to use native speakers as they often have a better understanding of the culture and speak at a higher level than a non-native speaker.

We started an Army program which was supported by the Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates. The program now allows the Army to recruit legal foreign residents, people who are on student or work visas and have been in the U.S. for two years, if they speak one of the 35 languages needed by the Army or for medical appointments. Prior to the program, the Army could only recruit citizens.

After instituting this program the Army brought in 900 people last year which opened an entirely new market. All the individuals were highly motivated and educated. If desired, participants are able to earn American citizenship by participating in the program.

Do you have an example of a student who has particularly benefited from an Army education program?
Yes, a professor of military science at Florida A & M had his daughter utilize the March 2 Success program to increase her standardized test scores prior to applying for college. After using the program she raised her score 200 points, which is an incredible achievement.

Tell us something about an Army education program that educators might be surprised to know.
My office oversees March 2 Success and I am very proud of it as it is used by thousands of students every year.

The program is designed to aid in SAT and ACT test preparation. The program is free, online and available to any student age 13 or above. One of the reasons it is so successful in helping students improve their test scores is because it has a program that helps remedy gaps a student might have in his or her high school education.  The program customizes content by gauging a student’s gaps and designing content around those gaps. The program also has test preparation content for state standardized tests in math, science and language arts. The program also helps advise students on how to apply for and finance college.

What has been your most memorable moment working for the Army?
There was a man who served in the Army and very late in his life was awarded the Medal of Honor, one of the highest military awards an individual can receive. Part of the reason he had not received it earlier was due to discrimination. The Army went back and awarded him the medal while he was still alive. To be able to witness a man who has had such extraordinary experiences in his life – he was a Holocaust survivor, joined the military and was a Korean War veteran – be awarded that metal, a medal which an individual has to be so selfless, heroic and courageous to obtain was a very moving experience.

 

Read Past Education Specialist Spotlights:
Brian Labashosky
Donna Rice
Dr. Naomi Verdugo


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