Veterans' Benefits, Career Options Discussed at Nov. 17 Conference

The Adirondack-North Country Veterans’ Initiative, a conference on veterans’ benefits and rights, will be held Friday, Nov. 17, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. at SUNY Plattsburgh at Queensbury in the Regional Higher Education Office.

Conference topics include career pathways, veterans’ benefits and life after service. Students will talk about their student-veteran experiences during a panel discussion. 

The program begins with keynote speaker, 81-year-old Buck Bryan, a 38-year career Navy pilot. Over his career, Bryan flew 24 different models of aircraft. But he didn’t limit his career to the Navy. He bought and managed 69 rental units in upstate New York, served as a ski patrolman and instructor at Gore Mountain in the Adirondacks, and invested in the stock market, becoming, in his own words, “a self-made multi-millionaire.”

Despite his success, he was determined to finish college. At 45, he returned to earn four degrees and has taught business at SUNY Adirondack.

Among the presenters at the conference are Dr. Julia Overton-Healy, director of the Career Development Center at SUNY Plattsburgh, and Dr. Jeremy Grabbe, associate chair of psychology at SUNY Plattsburgh at Queensbury.

The conference, which is free and open to the public, includes breakfast and lunch. This event is sponsored by SUNY Plattsburgh at Queensbury and SUNY Adirondack.

For more information, contact Dr. Stephen Danna, Queensbury branch campus dean, at 518-792-5425, or email [email protected].