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What We Do

Empower AI uses innovative technologies and their specialized platform to support federal missions and empower agency personnel to solve unique government challenges​.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES

Henry Moran - U.S. Army Veteran and Technical Recruiter

Sergeant First Class Moran says the Army was his family for 17 years, and now he feels the same way at Empower AI.

Ted Jennings - U.S. Army Veteran and Program Manager

During a 30-year career in the U.S. Army, Empower AI's Ted Jennings has just about done it all.

Michael Quevedo - Army Staff Sergeant and Facility Security Officer

Michael Quevedo is a protector- it's in his blood. He draws on these skills in his role as a Facility Security and Insider Threat Officer.

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Veterans

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Henry Moran - U.S. Army Veteran and Technical Recruiter

Empower AI’s Henry Moran remembers the day like it was yesterday. He was a senior in high school when his mom asked him to go pick up some lunch at a new restaurant one Saturday afternoon. While looking for the restaurant, he got a little lost in the New Jersey neighborhood and stopped into a nearby Army recruiter’s office for directions.


But the direction he received that day from the recruiter was a lot more than he bargained for.


“I signed up on the spot,” said Moran, who ironically, wound up serving 17 years in the Army, finishing his service as a recruiter.


At the time, Moran, who is now a senior recruiter for Empower AI, already had plans to attend St. John’s University later that fall. But the brief conversation with the Army recruiter that early summer afternoon made him think differently about his future.


“It was a casual conversation, but I trusted him,” Moran said of the recruiter. “We just talked, and he listened. And eventually when I became a recruiter, that’s exactly what I did, and I still do today. Talk and listen.”


But Moran noted that he almost didn’t make it to boot camp at all later that summer. While working on a summer job for the city, he contracted a horrible case of poison ivy on his legs, which required significant medical care, and he even had to walk with a cane.


“I told my recruiter what happened, and he was like, ‘Sorry that happened, but you better figure it out,’” Moran said. “I definitely wasn’t 100 percent when I went to boot camp, but I made it through.”


Indeed, Moran made it through boot camp in the scorching heat of Fort Jackson, S.C., and went on to serve his next 10 years in Hawaii, first at Schofield Barracks Army Base in Oahu, and then at nearby Wheeler Army Airfield. His job that first decade was in Human Resources, but he also deployed three times to Iraq during that period, one year for each tour.


During his time in Iraq, he was thankful he didn’t have to go “outside the wire” very often, but while stationed near Sadam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit in 2006, he’ll never forget the heavy bombings that came the day after Hussein was executed.


“It was intense,” he said. “We got bombed and bombed that day, and the ground shook constantly.”


Recruiting the Next Generation

During his last tour in Iraq, he got a letter from the Army that said he was going back to the states to be trained as an Army recruiter in Alabama, which at first, wasn’t something he wanted to do. He had already worked out his next assignment to return to Hawaii.

“It was obviously a big change, but it worked out great,” he said, adding that he stayed in Dothan, Ala., for four years, where as a recruiter, he was a welcomed member of the community.


“I enjoyed it so much – I really enjoyed those kids,” he said. “I could go to any high school or college in the area, and I could always tell who needed help. Families trusted me with their kids.”


Moran ended his Army career in Sterling, Va., where he had risen to the rank of E7 (Sergeant, First Class) and oversaw the office, which included all the Loudoun County high schools and colleges. He left the Army in 2017 and joined Empower AI a few months later. He still has that sense of mission and tackles it the same way each day.


“The Army was my family for 17 years, and now at Empower AI, I feel the same way,” he said. He added that he stays in contact with almost every recruit he helped enlist.


Today, Moran has more time to focus more on family, which is the most important thing to him. He has two daughters, one of whom is only 8 years old, but despite her young age, she’s already a top 5 golfer in the state of Ohio, where he lives today.


“She’s amazing, and everyone is in awe of her ability,” Moran said proudly, adding that he was caddying for her when she got her first eagle. “She was so stoked. It was a par 4 and she drove the green. She talked about it for weeks.”


Moran also finds time for his own hobby – bowling. He made the Army team twice during his time of service, and today, he boasts an average of 208.


On Veterans Day, he doesn’t have plans to get a free meal or get any special deals as a Veteran. But he definitely will reach out to his lifelong friends from his time of service and share some memories.


“We all deserve more than a free meal, but I don’t do any of that,” he said. “I know in my heart what I did, and how I did it. I will always have those experiences.”

Debra Blessing - Army Veteran and CMS CERT Operations Director

Army veteran Debra Blessing remembers her proudest moment of service: when her son said that he wanted to serve.


“He went into the water,” Blessing said with a chuckle. “Enlisted in the Navy, worked as a sonar technician on nuclear subs. It was a special moment, knowing that my husband and I inspired him to serve his country.”


Blessing’s husband also served in the Army, which is how they met. They were both stationed in Jackson, S.C. They later served in multiple Army locations, including Fort Gordon, Ga., and almost three years in Germany. They also served in Arizona’s Fort Huachuca before later relocating to southern Illinois.


Blessing remembers her decision to join the Army with fondness. “I graduated high school in a little town in Wyoming, and I was not overly interested in college,” she said. “I remember wanting to see more of the world, and the Army has definitely helped with that.”


Blessing was stationed in Germany, but not at an Army base. “It was …. a different experience,” she said, hesitant. “We were on a remote site, in a little German town. We were doing radio communications, related to national security.” She stopped, chuckled. “Sorry, can’t talk about it. But trust me, it was very different from my little town in Wyoming.”


Blessing remembers the time after service as a big change. “After our time with military service, we moved to Illinois, and I got a degree, and a job in a medical office,” she said. “One thing I would have done differently – the Army offered so many opportunities to learn different skills, and I wish I would have taken them up on that. I could have learned many new trades, but I didn’t.”


But with her newly acquired knowledge in medical offices, she ended up working on a contract related to Medicare, and she found it very enjoyable. “It dealt with physician claims, and I worked there for 20 years, while my husband was at National Guard,” she said.


When her husband retired from Guard duty, Blessing was hired by a company that had Empower AI’s current CERT contract with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. That company was acquired by Empower AI and she was happy to stay connected to CERT: “I loved the work, and I continue to love the work. It is very fulfilling,” Blessing explained.


Thinking back to her time in the Army, she said, “I learned a lot about leadership, partnership, and patience. You can’t push a mountain halfway for the mountain to move. It doesn’t happen on your time, but on the time that is pre-determined, and understanding that helps to work through each day, and each project.”


For Blessing, “Celebrating Military Families Appreciation Month is important, because it recognizes and honors the unique sacrifices and challenges that military families have. It’s a common thread so many families share, and it’s important to recognize the sacrifice that millions of Americans make so that our country is safe, and our freedoms are intact.”

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