Where: Virtual Zoom Meeting   
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Meeting ID: 977 8605 9011
Passcode: 744366

Keynote Speaker: Ms. Rita Broadway, State Chair and Mr.Roger Trout, Vice-Chair, Florida Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve

​​​​​​Topic: Introduction and the ESGR’s Support during the COVID-19 Response Mission

Please join us for our December General Membership Meeting. National Guard and Army Reserve members face special challenges as they have born the brunt of the Army’s COVID-19 Response Mission around the country. The Florida ESGR is there to support them during their time of need and help to resolve conflict between employers and service members. As the newly appointed state chair for the Florida ESGR, Rita Broadway will introduce herself to our members and inform us about her mission and plans for the ESGR. Also joining us will be ESGR Vice-Chair Mr.Roger Trout who is a member of our chapter’s executive committee.

We will be broadcasting from the Tampa Bay Area.

ESGR is a volunteer-led and volunteer-centric Department of Defense program within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. Led by National Chair Ronald E. Bogle and Executive Director CAPT Robert Underhill, ESGR operates through a network of more than 3,600 volunteers in 54 committees located across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam-CNMI (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands), Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

ESGR, a Department of Defense office, is comprised of dedicated and trained volunteers and staff. It develops and promotes employer support for Guard and Reserve service by advocating relevant initiatives, recognizing outstanding support, increasing awareness of applicable laws, and resolving conflict between employers and service members.

ESGR informs and educates service members and their civilian employers regarding their rights and responsibilities governed by the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA). ESGR does not have statutory authority to enforce, but serves as a neutral, free resource to employers and service members. ESGR’s trained ombudsmen provide mediation of issues relating to compliance with USERRA.

Rita Broadway has served ESGR in various capacities for over 35 years. She was an avid supporter during her military and civilian career and has volunteered with both the Kansas and Florida ESGR committees

Broadway was born in Wichita, Kansas and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Science from Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas. She was also the first female cadet to receive an Army ROTC commission from Kansas State University in May 1976. Upon graduation she entered active duty and has served in various assignments both on active duty and in the Army Reserve achieving the rank of Maj. Gen. She commanded units at the battalion, brigade, and general officer level. Her final military assignment was the Deputy Commanding General, Army Reserve, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), Ft. Monroe, Virginia before retiring in June 2011. She also maintained a successful civilian career while serving in the Army Reserve. Her final civilian position was the Deputy Command Executive Officer and Director, Civilian Personnel Management for the United States Army Reserve Command (USARC), Ft. Bragg, North Carolina before retiring in June 2014.