October 2024 - Mentorship Success Story

What happens when you put two U.S. Air Force Captains in the same room? For Mike Morand and Tony Thomas, this isn’t the set-up to a bad joke; it’s an inspiring story of peer mentorship leading to profound connection and success.

Thomas, who served for a decade after attending the U.S. Air Force Academy, had already sighted in his career focus when he signed up for an American Corporate Partners mentorship in early 2024. Before separating from the Air Force, Thomas wanted to make connections in the research and development industry and to gain a better understanding of how his experience as an Acquisitions Officer had prepared him for civilian roles.

“My goal when I first started was to understand how corporate America is structured and how it differs from my experience in the Air Force,” Thomas says of why he signed up for an ACP Mentorship. Reflecting a common knowledge gap among Veterans, he adds, “I knew there were substantial differences, but I wasn't sure exactly what they were.”

Through a longstanding partnership with Johnson & Johnson, ACP connected Thomas with Mike Morand, a fellow Air Force Veteran and J&J’s Director for Global Strategic Marketing. Now in his seventh successful year as a Mentor, Morand started his connection with ACP as a Protégé himself in 2013, two years after leaving the Air Force and two years into a fledgling career with J&J.

“When I first signed on as an ACP Mentor,” Morand says, “I saw it as an opportunity to pay forward some of the profound support I received as I transitioned almost 13 years ago” – support which propelled him to new heights in his career.

When they met in early 2024, Thomas and Morand instantly found many points of connection as they began exploring different possibilities for Thomas’s civilian career.

“One of the most valuable aspects of the mentorship was Mike's ability to clearly explain the structure and organization of [corporate settings] and how they differ from the Air Force,” Thomas says. “As a Veteran himself, he was able to relate to my experiences and effectively translate the differences in a way that resonated with me,” while explaining how the skills and experience Thomas obtained in the Air Force made him an excellent candidate for multiple roles within this new paradigm.

In a fortuitous turn, Thomas already had his eye on J&J prior to joining the Mentorship program, and Morand gave him a bird’s-eye view of the company’s overall structure and its many departments. That expansivity is by design, Morand says: “I try to avoid the assumption that my Protégé defines success the same way that I do or is drawn to the same sorts of challenges,” he notes. “At the same time, I try to encourage exploration of different options to avoid settling for a ‘proven path’.”

“Mike provided a wealth of resources that helped him stand out throughout his own career,” says Thomas. “He shared books he read before stepping into new roles, best practices for networking, and strategies for navigating a career within a large corporation like J&J. His guidance equipped me with the tools to approach both the application and interview processes with confidence.”

Morand agrees, saying, “Tony and I had the opportunity to ‘workshop’ some exploration of different career fields.  We talked in depth about how his skills and experiences might translate to these opportunities over both the short- and longer-term horizon.”

The pair’s hard work together paid off nicely when Thomas accepted a place in J&J’s Military Veteran Leadership Development Program. He’s now working as a Project Manager for Medical Education, a role that draws on the organization, leadership, and flexibility he cultivated as an Air Force officer, and will have the chance to rotate through other departments during the 18-month program. 

“I can't thank Mike enough for the time and energy he invested in helping me succeed,” says Thomas. “His mentorship played a pivotal role in boosting my confidence and increasing my chances of successfully transitioning from the military to the corporate sector.”

Asked what advice he’d pass on to fellow Veterans, Thomas encourages them to make the most of ACP’s free mentorship program. “[Mentorship] is an opportunity you absolutely shouldn’t pass up,” he says. “The military and corporate worlds are vastly different, and trying to navigate those differences alone is overwhelming… You don’t have to figure it all out on your own; a Mentor can provide the direction and support you need to thrive.”