A Navy Nuclear trained First Class Petty Officer (E-6) with over 7 years of experience in the areas of submarine platform electrical distribution, aircraft carrier electrical distribution, and casualty control operations and a qualified nuclear reactor propulsion plant load dispatcher. He was stationed aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), home ported out of Norfolk, VA. His journey with Power4Vets first started when he was introduced to the program during his transition assistance program (TAP) training he attended on 14 November 2011 at Naval Station Norfolk, VA. Lonnie took on the training program seriously knowing that it would prepare him and improve his odds on obtaining the opportunity to land his dream job as an operator in the power industry. Lonnie currently works for American Electric Power (AEP) in Ohio as a System Control Center Operator and started his job on the same date as his final day in the Navy (28 July 2012). He also obtained his NERC Reliability Coordinator Certification on 22 August 2012.
In Lonnie’s own words:
“Transitioning from a military lifestyle to a civilian lifestyle can be a scary and difficult time for an individual or family. There is fear of not getting a job, finding a place to live, having sufficient medical insurance and the probability of moving hundreds to thousands of miles to find a new place to call “home”. Incremental Systems, through the Power4Vets program, was able to guide me during my transition, support me, and provide the tools necessary to begin a new career identical to the military.
Becoming a System Control Center Operator has been my career goal for years prior to leaving the United States Navy. Not only did the skills learned during the Power4Vets program aid in interview process by allowing me to relate my military training to the civilian world, but it also expedited the process for becoming a NERC certified Reliability Coordinator which is the highest NERC certification to achieve.
To put the icing on the cake for my new career, I gave Incremental Systems my priority companies and locations for places to live and work. Through my hard work and dedication to the program, coupled with Incremental System’s resources, I was able to land my dream job! Not just the position for which I perform my duties, but with the company I set as my number one desired employer and number one desired location to work and live.
The assistance provided by the Power4Vets program and Incremental Systems doesn’t just stop with a log-in to the PowerSimulator, but also reaches from assistance and tips for resume writing to tips and tricks for interviewing over the phone and in person. Having a Reliability Coordinator certification makes you highly marketable, but being marketable doesn’t guarantee a job even if you are certified to do it. You still need the skills to interview well and get hired. The wonderful staff at Incremental Systems was able to prepare me for the job-seeking process from cradle to grave, and for that I am ever so grateful.
The Power4Vets program was more hope that I can ever have imagined.”