Serving our Mission, and Each Other
Around 7%* of the U.S. population are veterans, and at Fannie Mae, the military community is an integral part of our workforce.
Veterans bring a strong sense of order and process, the ability to work harmoniously with people of all backgrounds, the know-how to navigate large organizations with tenacity and a sense of humor, and an always-game attitude. All of the above contributes to Fannie Mae’s strong culture of collegiality and inclusivity.
I feel the reverberations of my time in the Navy most acutely when I’m working on a team of people who are very different from one another but share a clear common goal. Working in Fannie Mae’s Legal department comes with incredible teamwork opportunities and some unexpected parallels to the military: day in and day out, people with highly specialized skills come together to find creative ways to get things done in support of an essential mission.
Coming together as a group of veterans and military family members at Fannie Mae allows us to increase our understanding and share how we contribute to the business and our shared mission. For me and many other colleagues, that community takes shape in the form of our Veterans Employee Resource Group (VERG).
VERG, which is open to all Fannie Mae employees, helps raise awareness of the military community at Fannie Mae, including the challenges veterans face when transitioning back to a civilian lifestyle, and provides those of us who served with the opportunity to share our reflections on our time in uniform.
Moreover, it offers the chance to gather in a casual and low-pressure environment and simply be. There is something special about the easy camaraderie and innate trust you feel with people with whom you share common experiences and interests. Much of that is lighthearted, like my failed ambition to teach my four-year-old “the right way” to fold her socks and tie her shoelaces.
One of the great gifts of my time in the Navy was learning how to be of service to others and how reliably people will rise to the occasion when someone needs help. It’s meaningful for me to work at a mission-based organization that makes affordable housing possible for millions, helps homeowners in crisis – whether from an income disruption or a natural disaster – and allows us the opportunity to head out into communities to give back through SERVE.
If you’re looking for a place with a supportive community and a mission with impact, I invite you to join us at Fannie Mae. Search open opportunities.