Military Veterans Resource Center helps veterans who served honorably access the resources they need to become self-reliant in managing their career and life decisions. As for me, I believe we strengthen society when we help the poor and needy - not by providing handouts that destroy personal independence, but by creating pathways to self-reliance. My strengths include personal development and career coaching; training; grant writing; public speaking; concept development and strategic planning.

Executive Director @ Military Veterans Resource Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, chartered in Ohio to provide personalized career services to veterans, active duty military personnel and members of the National Guard and Reserves who provided honorable service to our nation. We currently have 6 career centers in Ohio, located in Chillicothe, Columbus, Findlay, Hamilton, Huber Heights and Springfield. From November 2000 to Present (15 years 2 months) Stake Employment Specialist; Development Specialist @ From 1999 to 2011, I served in a volunteer capacity as the Stake Employment Specialist for the Columbus, Ohio stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where I supervised employment assistance activities for eleven central Ohio LDS congregations. From 2011 to 2013, I volunteered as a Development Specialist, charged with providing assistance to individuals who had significant barriers to employment. From 1999 to 2013 (14 years) Director, Workforce Development @ The Workforce Development division was responsible for conducting policy research on workforce issues and developing initiatives to encourage greater employer involvement in employee training and development. Successful initiatives included: - The Veterans Licensing and Certification Program. This was the first program in the U.S. to help veterans obtain civilian licenses, certifications and apprenticeships based on the skills they learned while in military service. This program led to legislative changes that allowed the GI Bill to be used for licensing and certification-related expenses. Over 1000 Ohio veterans have obtained civilian credentials through the program. - The Governor's Workplace Literacy Awards, the first program in the U.S. to acknowledge employers who provided basic literacy and work skill training for their employees. The program later evolved into the Governor's Workforce Excellence Awards, which acknowledged employers who made "above and beyond" investments in work-related training for their employees. - The Workforce Division was one of the initial participants in the development of National Skill Standards for the metalworking industry. We sponsored the first testing and credentialing of metalworkers in the nation. From 1990 to 2000 (10 years) Adjunct Faculty; Graduate Research/Teaching Associate @ As a graduate research associate while working on graduate degrees, I supported faculty research on strategic planning in human resource management and on job stress and coping skills. As a graduate teaching associate and later as an adjunct faculty member, I taught classes on training and development and human resource management. I was nominated several times for graduate teaching awards and was named once as the best instructor in the Department of Management and Human Resources. From 1986 to 1996 (10 years) Trainer @ While working as an Intern and Trainer, I helped develop and implement "The Power of Common Sense" - a program on problem solving, problem prevention and decision making for manufacturing workers. A major responsibility was the development of a train-the-trainer program that enabled us to quickly implement training for over 5,000 General Motors employees. From 1986 to 1986 (less than a year) Helicopter Avionics Technician @ As an avionics technician, I provided in-flight, flight line and intermediate maintenance on communication and navigation systems for UH-34, CH-46, CH-53, Huey, Cobra helicopters and OV-10 and Harrier fixed wing aircraft. I had three sea deployments, all aboard the USS Inchon: a Caribbean cruise that was the Inchon's shakedown cruise, a Mediterranean cruise and a North Atlantic cruise to Norway that made us the first helicopter squadron to deploy north of the Arctic Circle. Yup - I am an official Bluenose. From 1969 to 1973 (4 years)

MLHR, Training & Development @ The Ohio State University - The Max M. Fisher College of Business From 1988 to 1990 MBA, Training & Development @ The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business From 1986 to 1988 BA, Human Resource Development @ Brigham Young University From 1984 to 1986 AAS, Electrical Engineering Technology @ Hudson Valley Community College From 1975 to 1980 Len Proper is skilled in: Training, Career Counseling, Public Speaking, Leadership Development, Resume Writing, Organizational Development, Team Building, Career Development, Project Planning, Social Media, Job Coaching, Interview Preparation