Military Appreciation Month at Microsoft: Supporting those who serve

Every year, Microsoft joins the United States as it celebrates Military Appreciation Month in May. Since its designation by U.S. Congress in 1999, Military Appreciation Month activities and commemorations have served to remind Americans of the important role the U.S. Armed Forces have played throughout the country’s history. I am proud that Microsoft embraces the opportunity to broaden the scope of celebrations to include members of the military community throughout our global workforce.

As an executive sponsor of the Military at Microsoft Employee Resource Group (ERG) and as an engineering leader at Microsoft, I have the distinct honor of working alongside members of the global military community daily. I find military service members, veterans, and their families uniquely equipped to contribute to the work we do at Microsoft. Their entrepreneurial spirit, service-oriented nature, and mission focus make them valuable assets on any team. Microsoft recognizes their value and shows its support by not only hiring veterans, but supporting fellowships, training programs, and providing support for those who serve.

In honor of Military Appreciation Month, I wanted to take the opportunity to highlight two individuals: one, a Microsoft employee currently deployed with the Royal Air Force (RAF), and the other, an Active Duty Officer in the U.S. Navy who has been with Microsoft for the past 10 months as a Secretary of Defense Executive Fellow. Both individuals embody the qualities that set members of the military community apart and offer unique experiences from their time in service as well as at Microsoft. It is my honor to share part of their stories with you today.?

Jonathan Rowley (Jonny), Director, Microsoft Digital, UK and Ireland

While Jonathan had family members who served in World War II, he does not consider himself as coming from a military family and he was not necessarily destined for a future of military service. As a child, however, Jonathan always dreamed of joining the Royal Air Force (RAF). He was in the Air Cadets and wanted to be a pilot, but, like many, that childhood dream was not to be. Instead, 40 years later, and after re-joining Microsoft in 2018, Jonathan discovered there was still a path for him to fulfill that dream and join the RAF. So, in 2020, Jonathan signed up to become a Mechanical Transport Driver for the RAF, driving anything from Aircraft Refueller Trucks to VIP coaches – pretty much anything the RAF has on wheels. Today, Jonathan is an Air Specialist Class 1 - Mechanical Transport and is posted with British Forces Cyprus - RAF Akrotiri as an Aircraft Refueller and Driver. This is his third deployment since joining the RAF and his longest to date.

While many members of the military community at Microsoft served prior to joining the company, Jonathan’s service began two years into his second period of employment with Microsoft. In his experience, Jonathan has felt incredibly well supported by his managers and the UK Chapter of the Military at Microsoft ERG. To Jonathan, the ERG in the UK is a family, providing him with “nothing but love and support” at Microsoft and throughout his deployments. As an active member of the ERG, Jonathan takes every opportunity to share his experiences. He has helped run their biannual “Military Service Leavers” event in London, promoting Microsoft and its support of people transitioning from the military or continuing to serve in a reserve capacity. In his experience, Jonathan shared that “Microsoft, as an employer, is outstanding in terms of the support it gives to military veterans and also reservists who deploy and do active service – I could not have asked for more support.”

Jonathan, along with other former service members, has gained a unique set of skills in the military that he has brought back into his civilian career. He highlights discipline, flexibility, and teamwork as especially applicable to his role at Microsoft. He also finds that the inclusivity that Microsoft values highly as one of its cultural attributes, is also prevalent in the military. In the military, he has not only had the opportunity to work with people from all over the world with different backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences, but also has been thrown into completely new situations where he is living alongside people he has never met. Working with people from all walks of life toward a shared goal has helped Jonathan grow, learn, and adapt to changing environments and circumstances in ways he has not had to in the civilian world. Part of what drove Jonathan to join the RAF was a desire “to be back with a whole different set of people, and to move, travel, and learn new skills with new people,” which is something he has really enjoyed.

During Military Appreciation Month, as a member of the British Armed Forces, Jonathan truly appreciates that Microsoft celebrates people who have served, putting them front and center for recognition and sponsoring activities to support the global military community. It is an important time to highlight what the military community brings to the business. He said, “they are special people, they have special skills and different perspectives to offer coming from a military environment.” He also sees it as an opportunity to raise awareness for allies of the community, encouraging those who might not have direct ties to the military, but who support it, to consider joining the Military ERG. He shared, “Military Appreciation Month allows people to be proud of their service, not something to be hidden away.”

Mark Summerlin, Commander, United States Navy

As a child, Mark Summerlin's grandfathers, who both served in World War II, instilled in him a love of country and a sense of duty to serve. When Mark was in middle school, he toured the United States Naval Academy (USNA) campus in Annapolis, MD. Impressed by the academic prestige, leadership training, and storied history of USNA, it seemed like a perfect fit for Mark’s interests in engineering, serving his country, and aviation. In June of 2001, Mark began his military service when he joined the USNA class of 2005.

After graduation, Mark began his Navy career as a pilot, flying the MH-60S Seahawk helicopter. While serving as a pilot, Mark earned his Executive Master of Business Administration. Ten years later, he was able to combine his love of naval aviation with his engineering and business degrees, making a lateral career-field transition into the Aerospace Engineering Duty Officer (AEDO) community. Mark has spent 8 years as an AEDO serving in multiple different Program Offices, responsible for the lifecycle management – “cradle to grave” – of numerous Navy aircraft and systems. Today, Mark continues to serve as an Active Duty Commander in the US Navy with 19 years of service.

Ten months ago, Mark began an assignment with Microsoft as a Secretary of Defense Executive Fellow (SDEF). This fellowship provides senior officers from the Department of Defense a unique opportunity to work alongside certain corporations, at the executive level, to learn firsthand what makes these companies exceptional – from their approach to innovation and R&D to how they manage talent and everything in between. For Mark, the opportunity to serve as the SDEF at Microsoft has been a fantastic chance to learn not only about the cutting-edge technology, but also to gain unique perspective and better understanding of business considerations and organizational leadership.

Mark credits his success in his fellowship to lessons the military instilled in him during his career. In flight school, Mark recalls being taught that there is “no rank in the cockpit,” which he explains as cultural reality in military aviation, designed to break down barriers to effective communication that may arise from perceived or real differences in position. Inquisitive by nature, Mark has also embodied a tenant from the “Get Real – Get Better” philosophy of the Chief of Naval Operations, which was: “Have a questioning attitude.” This questioning attitude, coupled with the idea that organizational position should not be a barrier to effective communication, enabled Mark to engage deeply and ask probing questions that facilitated deep learning and growth for Mark and those he worked with during his time with Microsoft.

This fellowship has exposed Mark to several different areas at Microsoft, but he shared that one of the highlights for him has been learning about the transformative potential of generative AI, between how AI can be used to improve job performance and efficiency to how to think about and address concerns related to the ethical and responsible use of AI. He anticipates that the knowledge and exposure he has gained during his fellowship will prepare him to serve as a leader during this age of AI transformation.

For Mark, Military Appreciation Month at Microsoft has been a moment where he has reflected with gratitude on the opportunities he has had over the past year. Though, as Memorial Day approaches, his thoughts turn with deepest appreciation to those military members who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Some of those people are former shipmates, classmates from the Naval Academy, and close personal friends – Mark continues to serve, in part, to honor their sacrifice.

While Microsoft gives the global military community special recognition in May, I am incredibly grateful that the company also honors military service through its support of the community every day. Microsoft recognizes the inherent qualities and talent that exists among current and former military service members and their families, supporting military fellowships and hiring initiatives to bring these experienced, innovative, and highly capable individuals into Microsoft. These initiatives bring individuals like Mark Summerlin into Microsoft to gain insights that he will take back into his career in the Navy and allow service-minded individuals like Jonathan Rowley to fulfill childhood dreams and bring back incredible perspectives and an aptitude for team building that make Microsoft better.

I am humbled and honored to work with truly extraordinary and selfless members of the military community every day. Their commitment to continued service, both in and out of uniform, honors the legacy of our fallen better than any words can. You can read about more members of Microsoft’s global military community and how they bring incredible value, infuse different perspectives, and continue serving in my past posts and blogs, as well as in our ongoing Inclusion is Innovation campaign.

As we approach Memorial Day weekend, my personal thoughts turn to the sacrifices service members have made throughout our Nation’s history. I am also reminded that one of the best ways I can commemorate their sacrifice is by supporting our military members and their families in their most critical times of need through charities like The Unit Foundation. I hope your plans for the holiday, whatever they may be, can include a moment of reflection and remembrance in a way that is meaningful for you.