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October 16, 2025
LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) presented AlixPartners, the Michigan Gaming Control Board and the Michigan State Lottery with Gold-level Veteran-Friendly Employer (VFE) awards. This honor recognizes each employer's commitment to veteran recruitment, training and retention in their hiring practices.
"Today's presentation brings the number of Michigan Gold-level Veteran-Friendly Employers to 36, with 190 active Michigan employers in the VFE program," says MVAA Deputy Director Todd Butler. "Employers that make a commitment to recruit, train and retain veterans and service members have a stronger team no matter the industry."
AlixPartners
Pictured from left to right: Jen Konkal, AlixPartners payroll and global mobility director, Shannon Willmert, AlixPartners people operations compliance senior specialist and Todd Butler, Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency deputy director.
AlixPartners joined the VFE program in Sept. 2019 at the Silver level. Over the past six years, AlixPartners has launched the Military and Uniformed Service Team (MUST), a veteran employer resource group that connects employees with veterans and their families, provide access to veteran-centric information and fosters engagement with veteran support organizations. The company also formalized a Military Leave Policy for employees that are currently serving which includes a benefits package that ensures the employee and their family are cared for during military activation. In July, AlixPartners joined MVAA’s Veteran Connector program to help identify veterans and service members earlier and offer the opportunity to connect with benefits and resources they earned while in uniform. All of these efforts have created a positive impact for AlixPartners and have maintained an 86% retention rate of veteran employees.
Michigan Gaming Control Board
Pictured from left to right: Jasmine Tompkins, director of external affairs and tribal relations and Todd Butler, Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency deputy director.
"We are honored to be recognized as a Gold-level Veteran-Friendly Employer by the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency,” said Henry Williams, Executive Director of the Michigan Gaming Control Board. “Our work is diverse, challenging and deeply rooted in public service. We rely on skilled professionals who value integrity, accountability and teamwork — qualities that align perfectly with the experience and leadership veterans bring. This distinction reflects our commitment to supporting those who have served our country and fostering a workplace where they can thrive.”
The Michigan Gaming Control Board joined the program at Silver-level in March 2023 and have made hiring veterans and service members a top priority ever since. Veterans and service members hired at the Michigan Gaming Control Board receive up to five years of service credit towards their continuous hours for the purpose of longevity and leave accruals. The employees serving in the National Guard and Reserves that are called to emergency active duty are eligible for supplemental pay and continued healthcare coverage. Over the past year, the Michigan Gaming Control Board has maintained a 95% retention rate of their veteran employees and joined the MVAA Veteran Connector program.
Michigan State Lottery
Pictured from left to right: Doug Bradfield, Michigan State Lottery human resources director, Joe Froehlich, Michigan State Lottery chief operating officer and Todd Butler, Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency deputy director.
"Achieving the distinction of becoming a Gold-Level Veteran-Friendly Employer underscores the Michigan Lottery’s commitment to supporting our service members,” said Michigan Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli. “This honor will help Lottery recruit and retain top veteran talent which will help our team fulfill our mission of maximizing contributions to public education in Michigan.”
The Michigan State Lottery joined the VFE program in March 2023 at Silver-level. Similar to the Michigan Gaming Control Board, the Lottery also offers eligible veterans and service members up to five years of service credit towards their continuous hours for the purpose of longevity and leave accruals and employees serving in the National Guard and Reserves that are called to emergency active duty are eligible for supplemental pay and continued healthcare coverage. In August, Lottery became a Veteran Connector and over the past year have maintained a 100% retention rate of their veteran employees.
Veteran-Friendly Employer program:
MVAA recognizes employers that commit to military veteran recruitment, training and retention practices by awarding those employers Gold, Silver and Bronze level status as Veteran-Friendly Employers. MVAA's Veteran-Friendly Employer program helps qualified organizations recruit and retain top veteran talent while providing others a road map to improve their recruitment efforts.
MVAA will assist employers as they develop and improve their efforts to recruit and retain high-quality veteran candidates. Employers who meet the criteria will be publicly recognized and allowed to use the Gold, Silver or Bronze Michigan Veteran-Friendly Employer logo to market themselves to potential veteran applicants.
If your organization would like to be recognized as a Veteran-Friendly Employer, please review the criteria and fill out the Veteran-Friendly Employer Application and submit it. For more information, email MVAAstrategy@michigan.gov.