Margarita Howard’s path from Air Force service member to CEO of HX5 informs how her company approaches veteran transition. As a service-disabled veteran who leads a firm working on defense and aerospace contracts, Margarita Howard understands both the skills military members bring to civilian employment and the challenges they face navigating that transition.
Since 2021, HX5 has welcomed eight transitioning service members through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes Corporate Fellowship Program, maintaining a steady commitment of two fellows annually. Howard’s decision to participate consistently reflects her view that supporting transitioning service members extends beyond basic hiring practices to providing structured pathways into specialized government contracting work.
“My background was influenced by military service,” Howard says, acknowledging how her experience shapes company culture. Her service in the Air Force provided firsthand knowledge of military organizational structures, clearance requirements, and the operational mindset that often translate into effective government contract performance.
Origins of the Hiring Our Heroes Initiative
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation launched Hiring Our Heroes in March 2011 as unemployment from the financial crisis intersected with service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The program aimed to connect veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses with employment opportunities through a coordinated network of chambers of commerce, businesses, and nonprofit organizations.
Since inception, Hiring Our Heroes has evolved from hosting job fairs to developing more comprehensive workforce development programs. The Corporate Fellowship Program, which began in 2015, operates as a Department of Defense SkillBridge initiative allowing active-duty service members to participate in civilian work experiences during their final 180 days of service.
The fellowship structure addresses a specific transition challenge. Service members often separate from the military with technical skills but limited civilian work experience on their resumes. The 12-week program places them with host companies for hands-on work four days weekly, supplemented by professional development training one day per week. This arrangement lets transitioning members build civilian employment credentials while still utilizing their expertise and receiving military pay and benefits.
More than 500 fellows have graduated from the program since 2015, with an 80% hire rate and average starting salaries of $70,000. Companies participating include major defense contractors like Lockheed Martin and Booz Allen Hamilton, technology firms such as Microsoft and Amazon, and small businesses across various sectors.
Military Experience as Foundation for Government Contract Work
Howard’s military service in the Air Force exposed her to the mission-focused culture that underscores government operations. After completing her service, she went on to earn both bachelor’s and master’s degrees, while working in the defense industry as part of the team tasked with implementing the Tricare military health care program, the Defense Department’s health insurance system for service members and their families, gaining additional insight into how contractors and government agencies collaborate.
This background influences HX5’s approach to veteran employment. The company operates across over 20 states and over 70 government locations, supporting Department of Defense and NASA missions in research and development, engineering, information technology, and mission operations. Much of this work requires security clearances and familiarity with government operational environments, attributes military members often possess before separation.
Howard emphasizes hiring professionals with prior DoD or NASA experience.
“Experience in their respective fields, while supporting these agencies’ respective programs and missions, is very different from experience gained from working in the commercial world,” she explains. Veterans who have worked within military structures often understand these distinctions more intuitively than those without any government experience.
Supporting Veteran Transitions
HX5 is a service-disabled veteran-owned and women-owned small business.
For veterans, these designations can signal that the company’s leadership understands military culture and values veteran contributions. Howard’s position as both veteran and CEO demonstrates viable career trajectories for those leaving military service.
The fellowship program also exposes participants to government contracting’s business side. Military members understand operations but may lack insight into procurement processes, contract structures, or the administrative requirements that govern contractor-government relationships. The 12-week experience provides this context before fellows commit to government contracting careers.
The eight fellows HX5 has hosted since 2021 represent meaningful numbers for a company with approximately 1,000 employees. Large defense contractors can absorb dozens of fellows annually through dedicated military recruiting teams. Smaller firms must balance fellowship commitments with operational capacity and integration requirements.
Two fellows per year provides HX5 a manageable integration process while maintaining steady veteran hiring activity. The consistency matters. Rather than sporadic participation driven by immediate hiring needs, regular fellowship engagement signals sustained commitment to supporting military transition.
Alignment of Mission and Experience
HX5’s contract work involves such things as supporting advanced weapons research, conducting production readiness reviews for sensor systems, and performing modeling and simulation for defense and space programs. These missions and others readily align with military priorities and can even build directly on work service members performed in uniform.
A fellow transitioning from an Air Force engineering role, for example, might join projects supporting similar systems but from the contractor perspective. This continuity allows veterans to leverage specialized military training while learning how contractors interface with government customers.
Howard recognizes this mission alignment as valuable for both company and veteran.
“The work we do is very exciting. Some of it is not being done anywhere else in the world,” she says, explaining that meaningful work often matters as much as compensation in retaining talent.
Veterans accustomed to mission-focused military service often seek similar purpose in civilian employment.
Building Cultural Continuity
Military service creates distinct workplace expectations around accountability, attention to detail, and operational security. These values align naturally with government contracting requirements where documentation, clearance maintenance, and performance standards carry significant consequences.
Howard’s military background helps HX5 maintain cultural elements that likely feel familiar to veteran employees. The company’s emphasis on integrity, mission focus, and security compliance mirrors military organizational values while operating in a civilian business context.
This cultural continuity can ease veteran transition. The adjustment involves learning business processes rather than fundamentally reorienting to different values.
Meanwhile, the fellowship program’s professional development component addresses areas where military and civilian workplace cultures diverge. Sessions may cover topics like project management, corporate communication styles, and influencing without formal authority—skills relevant across industries but not always emphasized in military training.
HX5’s steady fellowship participation since 2021 demonstrates how small government contractors can support veteran transition within their operational constraints. The approach combines Howard’s personal understanding of military service with practical business considerations, creating pathways for transitioning service members into specialized defense and aerospace work.
