Greetings all, First and foremost I am humbled to be selected as the President of the USPTO Military Association (UMA) for 2018. The 2018 board members and I stand ready to carry out the mission to provide fellowship, mentorship and support for military Veterans working at the USPTO, and to help educate others on the important contributions that Veterans have made – and continue to make- to the workforce and to our nation.
I was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland before joining the US NAVY in 1982. I achieved the rank of Chief Petty officer (E7) before completing my obligation in 2002. I don’t say retired because there remains a burning fire within me to give back to this country and fellow Veterans, as well as the community. The opportunity to lead such a great association (UMA) is such a privilege and yet another opportunity to give back.
The UMA has and will continue to do great things here at the PTO and within the local community. I am personally asking for your support to assist the 2018 board members and current membership in taking the UMA to the next level. There are a lot of Veterans that need our support. In order to accomplish this, we need volunteers. You don’t have to be a Government employee or UMA member to volunteer, however membership is what finances the projects and programs that we provide for Veterans and their families.
In the upcoming weeks there will be several opportunities for each of you to share your thoughts on ways to make the UMA programs better. There are a lot of new initiatives that the UMA could possibly take on but again we need your boots on the ground to accomplish the mission. While you’re enjoying time with family and friends during the upcoming holiday season, please take a minute to think about the Veteran that doesn’t have a family, or the family that lost a loved one at war. They need our help.
The 2018 UMA board and I look forward to giving our all in support of the mission. Have a happy holiday and may God bless you all.
Collin D. Nole
UMA President, 2018