Higher Education CoP Nov 2020: Transition to Civilian Life: How I Overcame Military Injuries and Jumped Back into My Life with a New Career

About the Speaker and Abstract:

Join us for a special Veteran’s Day event where Billy Dewalt shares his inspiring story of developing a civilian career post-military.

William (Billy) DeWalt was an Army paratrooper stationed at Fort Bragg with the 82nd Airborne and then in Germany with the 1st Infantry Division from 1994-2004. It wasn’t until he was on deployment to Turkey in the early 2000s when a physician assistant discovered his seizures. During his service, Billy had sustained concussions which created scar tissue on his right frontal lobe. While the rest of his troop readied for deployment, he was sent home for additional medical evaluation and was medically discharged in 2004. This was a blow to Billy and his life plans, he had grown up playing “army” with his friends, his father was in the military, and Billy even signed up to serve before turning 18 years old. Ten years of military service left him with depression, an anxiety disorder, an incomplete spinal cord injury, and his newfound traumatic brain injuries resulting in more than 10 seizures a day and memory retention problems.

To transition back to civilian life, Billy attended ECPI University and earned a degree in network administration and security management, but still struggled with his medical issues. His life truly changed when he met Quinn.

Quinn is a highly trained service dog who is able to signal to Billy when a seizure is about to occur and help him cope with his anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. This relationship allows him to more effectively work at his job as a Senior IT Project Manager at PRA Health Sciences and spend more time out of the house without the anxieties he had in the past.

Billy uses his veteran experience and story of achieving success in civilian life to help others struggling with similar issues. He is involved with Adaptive Training Foundation, Operation Enduring Warrior, K9s Serving Vets, Fior Gentz, and the Military and Veteran’s Resource Coalition.

See this video of Billy getting his new Neuro Swing AFO with sponsor Fior-Gentz.

In his spare time, Billy spends time with his 5 children, is incredibly active with CrossFit, goes fishing, and of course spends quality time with Quinn when she is off duty. He will be attending East Carolina University in 2021 to complete his Bachelor’s in Management.

Learning Objectives:

1. Learn how adaptability and problem solving can lead to strategic success in changing environments
2. Understand how resources can augment strategic execution
3. Recognize how connective leadership through commitment, integrity, and skills channels success

This is a joint event between NCPMI Higher Education Community of Practice (HECoP), and the Duke Project Management CoP. The event is free and open to anyone interested in project management.

Notes:

1. This event is a WebEx-Only event
2. After registering and upon approval by the host, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions for joining the session. Please join the session shortly before 12:00 pm.