Eddie Dunn

Eddie Dunn has dedicated his life to service—and to preparing America’s veterans to thrive and lead in their next chapter.

A retired U.S. Army Master Sergeant, corporate workforce leader, and founder of Civilian Ready Foundation and Veteran Ready Corporation, Eddie brings military leadership, private-sector experience, and a deeply personal commitment to transforming life after service. His work is guided by a conviction that has become his life’s calling: when veterans are prepared to thrive, their leadership can strengthen businesses, families, communities, and the nation.

That conviction drives Civilian Ready’s vision: Transform a Veteran – Transform a Nation.

Eddie’s approach was shaped by his experience helping build veteran employment at national scale. As one of the original architects of the Veteran Jobs Mission at JPMorgan Chase, he designed and led a coalition of 120 private-sector companies that hired more than 140,000 veterans in less than three years. Across his corporate career, his work helped achieve three Top 10 Military Friendly® Employer finishes, including a No. 1 national ranking for a Fortune 500 company.

Those accomplishments also sharpened his understanding of what successful transition requires. A job is an essential milestone. Lasting success also depends on identity, purpose, belonging, cultural adaptation, and the ability to build a fulfilling civilian life. Eddie founded Civilian Ready to bring those dimensions together—and to begin that preparation before military service ends.

Through Transition AS Wellness, Civilian Ready approaches military transition as a whole-person transformation. Its nine-week Reboot helps participants rebuild identity, strengthen relationships, translate their value, and establish direction for their next chapter. The program sets a clear readiness standard: each participant and the cohort overall must achieve a “Ready & Confident” score of at least 80%. Its design extends beyond the Reboot through a 36-month commitment to quarterly follow-up, reflecting Eddie’s determination to “follow them all the way home.”

As a Talent Supply Chain Architect and Workforce Ecosystem Builder, Eddie also focuses on the organizations receiving that talent. Through Veteran Ready, he works to help employers prepare to integrate, develop, retain, and advance veterans—and connect that work to measurable business performance. Together, Civilian Ready and Veteran Ready address both sides of the transition: people prepared to contribute and employers prepared to help them succeed.

His Sacred Chain of Custody™ framework calls for continuity and accountability throughout a veteran’s journey—from preparation and employment through belonging, retention, and advancement. It is a vision that calls employers, educators, community organizations, and military transition partners to share responsibility for what happens between programs—and what happens afterward.

Eddie develops the national implications of this work in his forthcoming book, Operation Noble Impact: Transform a Veteran – Transform a Nation. The book presents a vision for veteran flourishing and national renewal, exploring how the leadership, discipline, experience, and service ethic of America’s veterans can help address the country’s most consequential challenges. It calls for a coordinated commitment to rebuilding lives around purpose, financial stability, community, and renewed opportunities to serve.

For Eddie, that vision is grounded in lived experience. He served in the famed 82nd Airborne Division as a young paratrooper and logistician, later continuing his Army Reserve service as