Heidi Weinstein-Levy, Director, Talent Acquisition and Veteran Attract Leader, Cognizant, and Mike Hayes, Senior Vice President and Head of Strategic Operations, Cognizant, represented the Company at Nasdaq’s Veterans Day Closing Bell Ceremony alongside other New York City-area veterans and employers.

For the past five years, Nasdaq has dedicated a bell ceremony to honor Veterans Day. This year’s closing bell featured 50 Nasdaq-listed companies with representatives pledging to hire veterans throughout the upcoming year. In addition, participants attended a working lunch and dynamic roundtable focused on veteran hiring practices.

During his 20-year career as a Navy SEAL, Mike was Commanding Officer of SEAL Team TWO, was selected as a White House Fellow, and served two years as Director, Defense Policy and Strategy at the National Security Council. Prior to his White House Fellowship, Mike served as the Deputy Commander for Special Operations in Iraq. His military decorations include the Bronze Star for valor in combat in Iraq, a Bronze Star for Afghanistan, and the Defense Superior Service Medal from the White House.

“We are honored to once again participate in Nasdaq’s Veterans Day ceremony,” said Jim Lennox, Chief People Officer, Cognizant. “Hiring veterans makes America – and Cognizant – stronger. Cognizant’s Veterans Network taps into the highly sought after skills the military instills in its servicemen and women, including leadership, self-confidence and team building abilities that can be gained in very few environments. We will continue to demonstrate our support and commitment to veterans through our various hiring initiatives. Assisting veterans in finding employment at Cognizant is one of the key roles we play in ensuring veterans can successfully join the corporate world.”