We empower military leaders to emerge as business and community leaders
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to send support to Colorado Veterans challenged with integrating into civilian careers and life. Are you ready to take on the challenge?
Salute Colorado welcomes Allie Smith as our new Program Director
Allie is a dedicated military spouse with a diverse background in career services, recruiting, and training development. She has a passion for supporting veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses, and we are we are thrilled that she has chosen to bring that passion to our team and the Veterans we serve. Allie lives in Colorado Springs and is very connected to their Veteran community, giving us an anchor in another key location and a leg up as we look to serve more Colorado Veterans across the Front Range.
Outside of her professional life, Allie enjoys spending quality time with her husband and their two beloved fur babies. She is an enthusiastic camper, cook, and baker, and loves exploring new culinary experiences at local restaurants, bars, and wineries. She also has a passion for reading, live music, and discovering the vibrant cultural scene of her community.”
Your Journey. Our Mission.
Our story
Salute Colorado’s Mission is to support Veterans in their transition from military service through a continuous program of education, mentorship, and community. We empower military leaders to emerge as business and community leaders.
We serve those who have served
Salute Colorado supports recently separated military Veterans with three integrated programs, Valor Bridge, Valor Connect, Valor Journey, designed to help them navigate their pursuit of post-service career objectives, and achieve greater community engagement.
Join our community
If you are a transitioning Veteran in search of connection and support you can apply to our programs here.
Upcoming Events – Keep an eye out for 2025 Event List Coming Soon!
How to make a Difference
If you are a professional seeking to share knowledge and expertise, the Salute Colorado community is ready to welcome you.
Mike McCormick
Salute Colorado provided unmatched support during my transition from the Marine Corps to graduate school and a civilian career. Annette Kissinger, Andrea Filz (Withrow), and the rest of the team were peerless in their support – they constantly reached out with resources and advocated on our behalf.
Juan Garcia
I am sincerely grateful for the invaluable support provided by Salute Colorado during the past 10 weeks. Transitioning from the military can be tough, but you have made it easier. The comprehensive guidance, encompassing networking strategies, resume writing, and LinkedIn optimization, has been instrumental.
Being part of this program has not only enriched my skills but has also connected me with a community dedicated to the welfare of transitioning veterans. Thank you Salute Colorado for this enriching opportunity. Thank you to Andrea Filz (Withrow), Rex Beach and the rest of the team for the support and guidance.
Rob Latrobe
I think this program will make a difference for me because I’ve been doing everything on my own since I’ve separated from the military. I would like to lean on an established organization such as Salute Colorado for support.
Kemper Baum
With my summer internship at The Wealth Conservancy coming to a close, I wanted to give a huge thank you to Salute Colorado for making it possible. Due to their vast connections, they were able to set me up with a fantastic opportunity that I could not pass up.
Maggie Kuchinski
Taking a moment to show some appreciation for this fantastic organization, Salute Colorado. The Valor Bridge program gave me the confidence, skills necessary and information to be comfortable with my transition out of the military. I can’t express how valuable the VB community and network have been. 5 ⭐️ experience and well worth the commitment!
Salute Colorado is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting veterans before, during and after their transition from military service through a continuous program of education, mentorship and community.
Cameron Goularte
As the Summer comes to an end, I am happy to announce that I have accepted a position as an audit associate with KPMG in their San Francisco office starting in the Fall of 2024. In the meantime, I will be working for Under Armour in their retail store.
I want to give a special thank you to Salute Colorado for supporting me the past year and a half. They are full of fantastic resources to help veterans transition and succeed in the business world. If you know of a veteran who would be interested in being apart of Salute Colorado, please reach out to Annette Kissinger.
Sheldon Kim
Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to get my first taste of flying, thanks to my mentor, Kent Katnik, and I couldn’t think of a better way to start my Aviation Program at Aims Community College next week.
Kent and I were able to connect through Salute Colorado, a Colorado veterans transition/mentorship community. If you’re looking for a place to connect with other veterans and meet people who’s already walked in your path, this is the place to be!
Thanks Annette Kissinger and Andrea Filz (Withrow) for this amazing opportunity to be a part of Salute!
Jeff Redmond
My Salute mentor pushed me to think strategically about my start-up business and supported me through the challenges of being an entrepreneur. The Salute events helped me to build a network and a sense of community, while exposing me to speakers and resources that helped with my business launch.
Rex Beach
This is a wonderful program and has benefited everyone who has participated. Without this program I think I would have felt a little desperate and under a lot of pressure to take the first job that came along regardless of fit. VB is extremely supportive and I believe that it helps veterans not feel lost or alone in their transition process.
I love the fact that you have speakers from a wide range of industries and cover many different topics. While the LinkedIn & resume writing classes have proven to be invaluable, I think (so does Lexi) the dress for success class is underrated. The other courses are great as well and everyone has learned a great deal from them.
The networking piece is my favorite part of the program. There is a wealth of information to be gleaned from everyone’s history and path to getting them to where they are currently. The fact that there are varied paths and perspectives is extremely helpful. This wide array of expertise allows individuals to experience different industries and broaden their horizons.
It is not lost on me that so many business people are willing to take time out of their successful and busy careers to guide, mentor, and assist us. I cannot convey my gratitude enough to everyone in the program. I believe in this program very much and once I get established in my next career, I would love to give back to Salute Colorado/ValorBridge in some way.
Alexzander Boehmer
10 weeks of gratitude:
Transitioning from the military generates unforeseen obstacles. From proper communication and empathy, to networking and understanding who you are as an individual contributor within an organization. Valor Bridge presents an opportunity to not only overcome these obstacles, but to immerse yourself in what it means to be a business leader. After exiting the United States Army I was lost in working an unfulfilling job in a declining industry. I felt lost, uncharted, and discouraged. Through the ten weeks spent with instructors and fellows in the program I gained not only confidence in my ability to conquer my goals, this program also provided me with the skills to properly translate my accomplishments while serving the United States of America.
In many cases one may finally remove the flag from their shoulder and feel they have no direction or starting point towards their new life. Which is where Valor Bridge has made a monumental difference. Each instructor and mentor brings a unique perspective and diverse educational material. I am able to express who I am, what I bring to an organization, build lasting relationships with each individual interaction, and look my best doing it. Guidance was given from day one as to what outcomes are expected from graduating Valor Bridge, these expectations are then nurtured until each fellow has a solid understanding of the lesson of the evening.
To clearly express what this program has done for me would be impossible. I went from feeling underwhelmed and without purpose, to achieving focus and clarity of my future within 10 weeks. I gained new friends, connections, and arguably most important, new mentors. What excites me the most about Valor Bridge and Salute Colorado as a whole, is opportunities of the future. This may have started out as something that will assist transitioning service members into meaningful roles, but it has clearly evolved into a network of high performing, overachieving veterans and business leaders that can count on each other for almost anything.
Make a Donation
You can honor a Veteran today by supporting their transition from military community to business and civilian community.