May 19, 2026, 15:24 PM by The HRCI Team

In this HRCI Champion feature, Marine Corps veteran Ashton Nelson, SPHR, PHR, PHRca, shares practical advice on military-to-civilian transitions, why certification is the differentiator in a crowded market, and what HR professionals need to understand about hiring and retaining veterans.

HRCI Champion: Ashton Nelson | SPHR, PHR, PHRca

In honor of Military Appreciation Month, HRCI chatted with Ashton Nelson, SPHR, PHR, PHRca—a Marine Corps veteran and HR executive—to talk about military-to-civilian career transitions, the role certification plays in bridging that gap, and what HR professionals can do better when it comes to hiring, retaining, and supporting veterans in the workforce.

From Combat to HR: Meet Ashton Nelson

Every May, the nation pauses to honor the men and women who have served in uniform. What often goes unrecognized is what comes next—the transition out of military life, and the work of building something new in its wake.

Ashton is one of those people.

He joined the Marine Corps straight out of high school in 1996, serving across multiple duty stations and deploying to Tanzania following the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings. He left active duty in 2000, and was involuntarily recalled a year later after September 11, serving in Okinawa and Quantico before leaving service for good in 2003.

In 2013, UPS recruited him into HR, and his military-to-civilian transition found its footing. It was there that his passion for the profession took hold. He'll tell you plainly that HR's job is to be the CEO's right hand—not to earn a seat at the table, but to lead it. He pursued his PHR, then his SPHR and PHRca, and today volunteers as a subject-matter expert with HRCI.

This May, we sat down with Ashton to talk about his transition, his HR philosophy, and what he thinks organizations are still getting wrong about veterans in the workforce.

Transition Advice for Service Members

You joined the Marine Corps straight out of high school and served across multiple duty stations. Looking back, what did those experiences teach you that a classroom never could?

Always be flexible. The Marine Corps motto is Semper Fidelis, "Always Faithful." We used to change that a little and say "Semper Gumby," meaning "Always Flexible." The constant movement, the requirement to sign out with your location and phone number, and deploying at a moment's notice taught me that life changes fast. Business keeps pace with life. Therefore, "established policies and procedures" aren't truly "established." Change is the only constant. Keep that in mind and you will be okay.

What's the most practical, no-fluff advice you'd give a service member who is 6–12 months out from leaving?

Answer this: "What do you want?" I don't mean just a job or a possession, but rather, what is your main desire? That's what will shape you. People who are surprised by career changes often miss that change usually occurs for our ultimate good. Some of the best advice I have ever received was when someone loved me enough to tell me, "This isn't for you." Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.

Many service members wait until they're out to start thinking about education, but that can mean arriving at your transition with a family and zero credits. What would you tell someone still in uniform about using that time wisely?

Do it now. Don't wait. The GI Bill is great, but the military pays 100% tuition assistance while you are on active duty—I didn't realize this at the time. I earned a bachelor's with minimal out-of-pocket costs and a master's that a subsequent employer paid for. But my wife leveraged the program fully while still on active duty, earning a degree and using the GI Bill for her master's and beyond, rarely reaching into her own pocket.

In 2026, the GI Bill is a bonus, but it doesn't account for everything. While you're on active duty, your housing and clothing are covered—use that tuition assistance now and owe nothing. Even if you can't finish a full program before you exit, every semester counts.

Don't be afraid to consider alternative schools either. Fully accredited institutions designed for working adults, such as WGU or a state university's "Global" campus, are every bit as effective as a "name-brand" college. In the real world, business cares about your education and skill, not the origin or the cost of the degree.

The Case for Certification

The job market is crowded, and everyone has a degree. How do certifications change the equation and which ones do you think give veterans the biggest edge?

Certifications represent the practical. There is currently a lot of chatter asking, "Why should people pursue a certification when it doesn't prove mastery?" The truth is much simpler: Certifications don't demonstrate mastery; they demonstrate competence. College degrees primarily prove academic learning—they make no claims regarding practical application. A certification, by contrast, demonstrates that someone has the competence to function at a professional level and apply what they know. It proves a baseline that a degree simply doesn't. This is why both are important, but certifications are vital in this industry.

How did your HRCI certification factor into your own career?

It was a bridge. I was recruited into an HR supervisory position with no formal HR experience—only operations management. I understood people and leadership, but not routine HR concepts. I asked our district director about certifications because he was the first person I noticed who had one. He told me the company would pay for it, so I pursued my PHR. It immediately opened doors both internally and externally, as colleagues began to look to me as a credible source of knowledge.

The Operational Advantage

When you're hiring for an HR role, what does operational experience bring to the table that a traditional HR background sometimes doesn't?

My first response is always another question: How can you service an operation you don't understand? If you don't know what an ops supervisor faces or the pressures they're under, how can you effectively staff, represent, or advocate for them? This doesn't mean you need experience within the same industry—general ops experience is usually adequate. But HR professionals should always take the time to learn the operational roles of their organization. It's the only way to be truly successful and gain the absolute trust of operations managers.

You've described HR as the CEO's right hand—not just earning a seat at the table but leading it. How does a military mindset support that kind of HR leadership?

The military teaches leadership from the perspective of instant, willing obedience to orders, delegation, organization, and the big picture—all essential in a combat role. As a Non-Commissioned Officer, you learn to lead under a higher authority and accomplish tasks by guiding those in lateral or elevated positions to assist you. This leverages every available resource to accomplish the mission and take care of your people. Simply put, the military is extremely good at indirectly teaching the value of networking. The network ensures things happen, and a leader who learns to maximize that network has no limit on their potential.

Hiring Veterans the Right Way

Many organizations want to hire veterans but aren't sure how to do it well. What are they missing, and what would you tell them?

Many organizations mean well, but meaning well isn't enough. Stop recruiting to a quota or hiring veterans just for the sake of it. Supporting veterans is a great thing, but a military background alone is not a guarantee of high performance.

Hire veterans and source from veteran organizations, but ask yourself: are you hiring the right veterans? The truth is what we've known all along—look for the right candidate for the job. Hire the veteran who demonstrates the skills you need; if they don't, move on. Most veteran agencies and recruiters focus on placement rates rather than Quality of Hire and other meaningful metrics. By and large, veterans represent a disciplined, willing force with a strong work ethic—but that doesn't mean every veteran will work out. Focus on what each person brings to the table, and it will change the way you hire.

What is one practical thing HR teams could do differently tomorrow?

Belonging. Overwhelmingly, people come to an organization, stay, or leave based on their sense of it—the answer to the question, "What is my place in the world?" For veterans, who are accustomed to deep unit cohesion and a shared mission, the absence of belonging in a civilian workplace is often where their workplace relationship begins to unravel.

And it's not just veterans. Most Gen Z and millennial hires report a high level of desire for this as well. So why are we still leading with compensation and benefits? Those matter. If you can't feed yourself or your family, nothing else does. But once you're past that threshold, it's about belonging. It's about fit. Making a difference. Being part of something.

The Mission Is People

Ashton's story doesn't follow a straight line, and he'd probably tell you that is exactly the point. From Tanzania to UPS, from boot camp to the boardroom, the thread running through all of it is the same: be practical, be flexible, and never lose sight of the people in front of you.

What benefits veterans in the workplace—belonging, purpose, mission-driven culture—tends to benefit everyone. It's just good people strategy.

This May, and every month, that's worth remembering.

Ashton has been in management for 25+ years. He served six years of active duty as a US Marine, and has experience in sales, retail, security, operations, and HR management. Ashton is passionate about leadership, strategy, and human resources and volunteers as a subject-matter expert with HRCI. He has five kids and is an avid beekeeper. Ashton holds advanced degrees in theology and business management and has the certifications for SPHR, PHR, PHRca, and SHRM-SCP.

Related Learning & Resources

How HR Can Win with Veteran and Military Spouse Talent

HRCI Certification for Military Personnel (includes information on application fee waiver)

Army COOL Program

HRCI Learning: Equal Opportunity Employment

HRCI Volunteer Opportunities

HRCI Individual Certifications