Get to know some of our veteran colleagues

As part of National Military Appreciation Month, I’d like to spotlight some of our amazing and inspiring veteran colleagues at UBS. Read on to learn about their journeys serving our country. Thank you to each of them and to all of our nation’s veterans and military families for your service and sacrifice.

Jacqueline Astete:

• Service branch: Army National Guard
• Role(s) held: Food Service Specialist
• Position at UBS: Bilingual Paralegal/Senior Legal Intake & Recording Associate
• Fun fact: Before training to be a paralegal and joining UBS, Jacqueline used to sing in various bands and eventually ran her own business developing musical talents and fostering the love of music in the lives of children and adults. Today, she believes UBS is a place where she can focus on what she cares about: fostering a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion for veterans and helping others be their best selves.

Carol Czakoczi: 

• Service branch: Air Force
• Role(s) held: Ground radio communications equipment repair person
• Position at UBS: Senior Business Analyst
• Fun fact: Carol wrote the first installation manual for DIRECTV and taught electronics at a community college where she was the only woman in her department. Today at UBS, she is grateful to see more women in her field and continues to use her incredible experiences to set an example and help those around her.

Bruce Dillard: 

• Service branch: Navy
• Role(s) held: Naval Flight Officer – A6E Intruder; Replacement Air Group flight instructor in the A6 Intruder; US Naval Flight Demonstration Squad officer (Blue Angels); Assistant Navigator on the USS John F. Kennedy; Aide to the Commander of the US Atlantic Command
• Position at UBS: Complex Director
• Fun fact: As a child, Bruce attended an airshow where he first saw the US Naval Flight Demonstration Squadron – the famous Blue Angels. When an F4 Phantom flew overhead, it made up his mind: “That’s what I want to do when I grow up,” he said. Years later, and after over 1,500 hours in the cockpit, Bruce achieved his childhood dream when he became a Blue Angel himself.

Syndie Levien: 

• Service branch: Air Force 1976-1980
• Role(s) held: Helicopter mechanic and crew chief
• Position at UBS: Financial Advisor, CFP?, CEPA?; First Vice President – Wealth Management; Senior Portfolio Manager
• Fun fact: Syndie was one of only a few female helicopter mechanics during her service, and her first assignment was working in a Search & Rescue unit at Clark Airbase in the Philippines, which was, at that time, the largest airbase in the world.

Promise Nevers:

• Service branch: Air Force
• Role(s) held: Nondestructive Inspector, Maintenance Squadron
• Positions at UBS: Financial Crime Prevention Quality Assurance; Veterans Network Nashville Chapter Lead
• Fun fact: Before UBS, Promise was the only female technician at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, FL, and performed inspections on the three space shuttles – Endeavor, Discovery and Atlantis – prior to the retirement of the space shuttle program. She now leads efforts in Nashville for Hiring our Heroes, a veteran fellowship program, and is working to foster a partnership between UBS and the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) to identify diverse pools of candidates looking to start their careers at the firm.

Noriko Utzig:

• Service branch: Army
• Role(s) held: Air Defense Artillery Officer; Signal Corps Officer
• Position (s) at UBS: Executive Director, IB COO, Global Markets Financing Americas
• Fun fact: Noriko led patriot missile platoons in both Kuwait and Iraq during the first of three deployments.

Rod Von Lipsey: 

• Service branch: Marine Corps
• Position(s) held: F4 and F18 fighter squadron pilot awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross w/Combat “V” for valor; Senior Aide to General Colin Powell, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Executive Officer of the Black Knights Fighter-Attack Squadron; Director, National Security Council, The White House
• Role(s) at UBS: Private Wealth Advisor; former PWM Complex Director
• Fun fact: Rod originally hoped to be a reconnaissance Marine, but in 1980, the service needed pilots, and he had already earned a private pilot’s license. So, in the middle of officers’ basic training, his orders were changed and he was sent to flight school – a turn of events that would shape his career and his passion for flying.