Our Story

In 2009, Haley Uthlaut, a Military Spouse and Veteran, developed the concept of a nonprofit organization that enabled and supported Military Spouses who wished to pursue professional careers. She saw that the existing Military Spouse employment programs targeted job placement for spouses, but did not address their networking, mentoring, advocacy or career advancement needs. Haley approached Donna Huneycutt and Lauren Weiner, the owners of Wittenberg-Weiner Consulting, LLC, to support her in implementing her vision. With their leadership, assistance and the efforts of some very committed Military Spouse volunteers, In Gear Career was established. This is Haley’s story.

Letter from the Director

I am a 30-year old Military Spouse, a Veteran, a Gold Star Wife, mother, and the Executive Director of the nonprofit organization, In Gear Career. People often ask why I am passionate about Military Spouse employment and why I started In Gear Career. Simply - I care deeply about the people in our Armed Forces and their families. My personal experience and my research convinces me that addressing Military Spouse employment issues improves the quality of life for our Service Members and their families.

As a Military Spouse my employment has helped me to be resilient. While my husband was deployed, fulfilling employment kept me busy and alleviated some of the stress associated with waiting and wondering. After my first husband was killed in Iraq, I was devastated. I felt like I had been knocked down in life to say the least. I have a strong support network through my faith, family, and friends, and they helped me along my personal journey of grief. Another important healing mechanism was my decision to go back to work; a choice that helped me define how I would respond in the face of tragedy.

During my time in the military and later as a Military Spouse, I’ve come across so many talented spouses who have been unable to find work appropriate to their level of education, experience, and aptitude. Many spouses stay at home for the majority of their married life, which limits their ability to re-enter the workforce should they want or need to after their partner leaves the military, or in the event their partner is killed or wounded. I believe Military Spouses should have a choice, and if they wish to pursue their independent careers, then I’d like to enable them in that process.

I identified a gap in services provided to Military Families because many of the employment related resources target minimum entry level or gender centric positions. These options serve a portion of the Military Spouse population, but not all. I dreamt of creating systematic change that would not only inform spouses, employers, and academia about the issues facing the professional Military Spouse, but also provide solutions through the nonprofit I co-founded: In Gear Career.

By improving the employment situation for spouses, I hope to improve the quality of life for our Military Families. I aspire to help make spouses more resilient, happy, satisfied, and financially independent, and know this will have positive impacts on both service retention and the quality of our military force. Please join me on my journey.

Sincerely,

Haley Uthlaut

Executive Director

In Gear Career