The Hiring Our Heroes Corporate Fellowship Program began as a response to a specific problem: veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan entered a job market weakened by the 2008 financial crisis, and many struggled to find work that matched their skills. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation launched the broader Hiring Our Heroes initiative in March 2011. The Corporate Fellowship Program followed in 2015 as a formal Department of Defense SkillBridge initiative.
HX5, a defense and aerospace contractor led by service-disabled veteran Margarita Howard, joined the fellowship program in 2021 and has participated every year since, accepting two fellows annually. The company’s eight fellows over four years represent a consistent commitment, one that Howard views as an obligation grounded in her own military background rather than a recruiting convenience.
What the Fellowship Actually Provides
Fellows are active-duty service members within 180 days of separation. They spend 12 weeks with a host company, working four days a week on actual projects and dedicating one day to professional development sessions. Military pay and benefits continue throughout. This setup lets service members build civilian work experience and explore career options before separation officially ends their benefits and income.
More than 500 fellows have completed the program since 2015. The hire rate nationally is 80%, with positions averaging $70,000 in starting salary. Companies including Amazon, Lockheed Martin, and Microsoft participate alongside smaller contractors like HX5.
For HX5, the fellowship fills a practical need. The company operates across more than 20 states and over 70 government locations supporting Department of Defense and NASA missions. Much of that work requires security clearances and government experience that civilian candidates without military or federal backgrounds must spend considerable time acquiring. Transitioning service members often arrive with both.
Leadership Rooted in the Same Experience
Margarita Howard’s post-service career included implementing the Tricare military health care program and ultimately founding HX5 in 2004. She holds both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree earned after her Air Force service.
Her company carries designations as a service-disabled veteran-owned and women-owned small business. For veterans evaluating employers, those certifications communicate something specific about who makes decisions at the top. Howard has put it plainly about the kind of work HX5 does: “Some of it is not being done anywhere else in the world.” That description carries particular weight when it comes from someone who has served, and who built a company around the missions that follow from military service. Refer to this article for related information.
Learn more about Howard on https://www.youngupstarts.com/2025/01/10/how-hx5-and-margarita-howard-stay-ahead-in-government-contracting-as-a-women-owned-firm/
