Financial and career counselors recognized for guiding defense communities to financial wellness

The Association of Defense Communities (ADC), together with Navy Federal Credit Union, recognized the inaugural winners of the Guidepost Awards last week at the Defense Communities National Summit in Arlington, VA. The Guidepost Awards is a program that spotlights the financial and career counselors in defense communities who help guide servicemembers and their families to financial wellness.

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The Association of Defense Communities (ADC), together with Navy Federal Credit Union, recognized the inaugural winners of the Guidepost Awards. (Photo: Business Wire)

The 2022 class of Guidepost Awards recipients include:

• Ron Aylor, Director of the Defense Military Pay Office at Fort Riley, Kansas. An Army veteran, Ron was recognized for his “tenacity to handle such a broad range of responsibilities and changing priorities day-to-day.” It was during his time in the service that Ron began to take an interest in personal finance and money management, and today he uses that passion to provide “life-changing assistance for the Soldiers and family members in the community.”
• Toni Geronimo, Community Readiness Consultant for the Military & Family Readiness Center, 6th Force Support Squadron, at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. Helping others has been a key part of Toni’s career since the very beginning. She’s recognized for “extraordinary commitment to the community.” As an Accredited Financial Counselor, Toni is “constantly ahead of the game to help the community prevent any financial obstacles.”
• Kathleen Spain, Financial Advisor for the Soldier Family Assistance Center and the Survivor Outreach Services with Army Community Services at Fort Carson, Colorado. With over 13 years of mortgage lending and banking experience prior to federal service, Kathleen is recognized for meeting “Soldiers where they are currently at and helping them identify a financial strategy to prepare themselves for their new civilian lifestyle.”
• Scott Wadeson, Financial Readiness Program Manager at Fort Riley, Kansas. Scott enlisted in the Army after high school and earned a master’s in public administration from the University of Kentucky. Shortly after 9/11, Scott re-entered the Army as an aviator and flew the UH-60 Black Hawk. He is recognized for “always coaching and mentoring his team and never taking a cookie cutter approach to helping his clients.”

As part of the Guidepost Awards ceremony at the Summit, the award recipients also participated in a panel discussion on “Rethinking How We Support Our Military Families,” moderated by Captain Keith Hoskins (USN Retired), executive vice president of branch operations at Navy Federal.

“With the guidance and genuine care from these incredible counselors, our military servicemembers and their families can feel a bit more at ease along their mission to financial wellness,” said Hoskins. “Bravo Zulu to all of our Guidepost Award winners! Your passion for this important work and willingness to serve is commendable.”

The Guidepost Awards are a recognition program from Association of Defense Communities and Navy Federal Credit Union that spotlight financial and career counselors and the important role they play in helping military families reach their savings or career transition goals.

“Our military families face a unique set of challenges when it comes to navigating their financial journeys and planning for the future. That’s why financial counselors are so important,” Bob Ross, ADC President said. “Congratulations to the 2022 Guidepost Award recipients. We are inspired by the work they do every day to help our military.”

For more information on the Guidepost Awards, visit: guideyourmission.org.

Editorial Notes

To download photos for the Guidepost Awards recognition ceremony, click here. The preferred photo credit is “ADC Photo by Will Noonan.”

To read the full profiles on the Guidepost Award recipients, click here.

About Association of Defense Communities

ADC is the connection point for leaders from communities, states, the military and industry on community-military issues and installation management to enhance knowledge, information sharing and best practices. With nearly 300 communities, states, regions, and affiliated industry organization as members, ADC represents every major defense community/state in the nation. To learn more, visit defensecommunities.org.

About Navy Federal Credit Union

Established in 1933 with only seven members, Navy Federal now has the distinct honor of serving over 11 million members globally and is the world’s largest credit union. As a member-owned and not-for-profit organization, Navy Federal always puts the financial needs of its members first. Membership is open to all Department of Defense and Coast Guard Active Duty, veterans, civilian and contractor personnel, and their families. Dedicated to its mission of service, Navy Federal employs a workforce of over 20,000 and has a global network of 350 branches. For more information about Navy Federal Credit Union, visit navyfederal.org. Federally insured by NCUA. Equal Opportunity Employer.

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“With the guidance and genuine care from these incredible counselors, our military servicemembers and their families can feel a bit more at ease along their mission to financial wellness,” said @navyfederal EVP Branch Operations Keith Hoskins. @defensecomm