Dr. Gordon Sumner — Veterans Moving Forward
This episode of the Mike And Alison After Hours podcast features Dr. Gordon Sumner, Veterans Moving Forward.
This week, Mike and Alison talked to Dr. Gordon Sumner from Veterans Moving Forward.
Before chatting with their guest, Mike and Alison made sure to remind listeners of an upcoming giveaway — “How To Work With Jerks” written by Eric Williamson. Eric will be a guest on the show this month, and the winner will be announced on that episode. To enter, make sure to subscribe to Mike And Alison After Hours and drop a comment on our YouTube channel or any audio podcast platform.
With that announcement taken care of, Mike and Alison began their talk with Dr. Sumner about his many years of service, both in the military and afterward. Check out the full video for the complete discussion:
Get To Know Dr. Gordon Sumner, Veterans Moving Forward
“I am very honored to be the president and CEO of such a wonderful nonprofit,” says Dr. Sumner.
Dr. Gordon Sumner is the President and CEO of Veterans Moving Forward. For 11 years now, this nonprofit has pursued its mission of providing service and emotional support dogs for veterans with physical or mental challenges, at no cost to them or their families. Whereas other organizations limit eligibility to combat veterans or specific tours, Veterans Moving Forward is proud to provide support for all veterans that have served honorably, no matter the capacity or specific tour.
Dr. Sumner first got involved with Veterans Moving Forward by way of a fluke. After serving as an Army Colonel for 28 years, he retired from service and worked for a few years in the defense industry. This wasn’t quite the right fit for Dr. Sumner; he knew he had to find a vocation that still allowed him to serve others.
“It was OK, but not really what I wanted to do,” says Dr. Sumner. “This is true of most military members — we’re service-oriented. We want to do things, we want to help people.”
Next, Dr. Sumner enjoyed a number of engaging and satisfying years in the White House, working with two presidential administrations. It was after this chapter of his career that he was first contacted about Veterans Moving Forward.
The organization’s co-founders were seeking Dr. Sumner’s insight as a military consultant. They needed expert advice on how to go about connecting veterans in need with physical and emotional support dogs.
“They had this idea to form a nonprofit to provide service dogs, but they didn’t know how to do that,” says Dr. Sumner. “They reached out to me through a mutual friend, and I helped them.”
In working with Veterans Moving Forward’s founders, Dr. Sumner soon realized that this was something he could see himself being involved with long-term. It was an ideal intersection between his background in the military and his penchant for helping others.
“I realized this is something I want to do,” says Dr. Sumner. “It was another way of caring for veterans.”
The rest is history. Dr. Sumner has become an integral part of Veterans Moving Forward, helping to lead and grow the nonprofit over its years in operation.
“Just because I retired from the army, and hung up my uniform, doesn’t mean I stopped caring about our soldiers and their families,” says Dr. Sumner.
For the complete discussion with Joe on cybersecurity insurance and law and more, make sure to check out the full episode of the Mike And Alison After Hours podcast.
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