AMSG Hosts its First Leadership Retreat 

Marking the Start of a New Era for the Company

In September 2022, AMSG’s newest President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Jim O’Farrell, hosted AMSG’s first-ever leadership retreat in New York City. Members of AMSG’s leadership team from Alabama, Virginia, Texas, and North Carolina arrived in New York City to connect, brainstorm AMSG’s future, and celebrate one of AMSG’s non-profit donor recipients, the Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP).  

Click below to read about the whole trip.

AMSG Gathers

Speaking of gratitude, thanks to loosening COVID restrictions, we’ve been gathering to share laughs and moments of joy with one another! From a group trip to Tecovas, a handmade cowboy boots store in Virginia, to smaller team outings around the States, our time with one another has strengthened our relationships and made our days just a little brighter. Take a look at our gatherings over the past few months here.



Conversation with Army Veteran Jasmin Hester on Joining the Military and Becoming as ASD Advocate

Introduction by: Juania Owens, Investment Analyst Team Lead

Written by: Jasmin Hester, Proposal Manager (pictured)

United States Army Veteran and AMSG Proposal Manager, Pricing Assistant, and Technical Editor Jasmin Hester is intimately familiar with overcoming the odds and charting a new course when life doesn’t go as planned. 

At 20-years-old, Hester joined the Army as a means to secure a new future that would provide her with better opportunities. Her service led her overseas where she was deployed to Iraq for 15 months during the Iraq War troop surge. Just a few months into her deployment, she and her Unit experienced a horrific tragedy when they lost several members of their Platoon to an IED. Somehow, she managed to push through, becoming a rock and a sounding board for the members around her. At that point she also became the lone Medic in her Platoon for a short period of time and later worked with the Kirkuk Iraqi Policewomen during their cadet training.

Four years later, honorably discharged, she began transitioning back into civilian life, another hurdle to overcome, as her tenure in the Army and serving overseas had fundamentally changed her and her outlook on life. Hester’s life would take yet another unexpected turn when she gave birth to her daughter, Symphony, who was subsequently diagnosed as Level 2 Autistic. Her daughter’s developmental disability and late-stage diagnosis propelled Hester to become an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) advocate.

In this intimate and heart wrenching interview, Hester recalls her deepest thoughts on joining the Army and her experience serving overseas. She passionately shares her years-long fight for her daughter’s diagnosis to be recognized and acknowledged, the advice she’d give to parents who are searching for answers, and what ASD advocacy looks like and why it’s important. Click below to read her story and interview below.

Veterans Resource Group

 Written by: Sandra Magura, Quality Manager

On Monday, November 7th AMSG kicked off the Veteran Mentorship Program which is part of our Veteran Resource Group.

Veteran mentoring programs create peer support among Veterans in the civilian workplace. They form a voluntary one-on-one relationship between a junior Veteran employee and a senior mentor. They assist the Veteran employee with his or her personal and professional growth in an organization focusing on helping the Veteran employee adjust to the civilian workplace culture and reach his or her full potential within the organization. Such a program is voluntary, bringing Veterans together in a trusted and comfortable environment. 

For potential mentees, this is a great opportunity to connect with a mentor who can offer insight, advice, opportunity – and help navigate the next stage(s of a career. By being mentored by a fellow Veteran who has experienced the same transition uncertainties, mentees won’t feel alone…mentees will feel understood. It has been said that employees with a mentor transition from military service to the corporate environment more successfully and with less stress and uncertainty and are 5x more likely to get promoted.

For potential mentors, this is a great opportunity to give back, become a better leader, and refine skills and networks. In sharing expertise and experiences, mentors are leaving a legacy and guiding another’s Veteran’s career path while gaining an opportunity to review and reenergize personal career goals.  

We are excited to see the mentorships and outcomes which evolve from this initiative.

Non-Profit Spotlight: Headstrong

Written by: Sandra Magura, Quality Manager