GLOUCESTER — Gloucester County received the V3 Secretary’s Award from the Virginia Values Veterans V3 Program during a special ceremony in Richmond on Thursday, Oct. 3.
The V3 Secretary’s Award recognizes state, regional, and local entities emphasizing recruiting, hiring, and retaining Virginia veterans and military spouses. Gloucester noted it was the only entity that received the award.
The ceremony, which included a keynote address from Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, brought together hundreds of representatives of businesses, local and state government, and the defense industry to highlight the importance of veterans in the Commonwealth’s workforce.
Gloucester notes it became a V3 “Virginia Values Veterans” Certified Employer in 2022, committing to hiring veterans into its workforce. The certification process included all Human Resources department staff being educated and trained on why it is a good business decision to recruit, train, and retain veterans, it explained. The program also teaches employers to help them implement nationally recognized best practices in recruiting, hiring, and retaining highly skilled and dependable veterans.
“Our staff has worked extremely hard over the past few years ensuring that our workplace is friendly and welcoming to those who faithfully served our country,” said Tami Nunn, Gloucester’s Human Resources Director.
She said Army Veteran Charles “Benjy” Shackleford, the county’s Workplace and Safety Training Manager,n notified the Human Resources team about the V3 program when he joined Gloucester County in 2021, and added that Penny Reed, Senior Human Resources Analyst, has gone above and beyond to recruit military members and/or their spouses.
“It is due to Benjy’s knowledge of the program and Penny’s recruitment efforts that we received this award,” Nunn added.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our Human Resources staff members in their efforts to allow Gloucester County to receive this special award,” said Carol Steele, Gloucester’s County Administrator. Steele, who accepted the award on the county’s behalf, added, “We hope to keep up the momentum and continue to emphasize that we value our veterans and their families in Gloucester County Government.”
For more information on the V3 Program, visit dvsv3.com. Job seekers should visit gloucesterva.jobs for current opportunities with Gloucester County.