Roadshow: Charlotte

North Carolina Veteran & Military Spouse Talent Roadshow: Charlotte

Date: July 22, 2026

Location: Lowe's Tech Hub, 100 W. Worthington Ave, Charlotte, NC 28203

Guest Speakers

Secretary Jocelyn Mitnaul Mallette

Jocelyn Mitnaul Mallette is the Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and is a third-generation service member. As Secretary, Jocelyn leads the Department in its mission to support the military and veteran connected communities in North Carolina.

As the daughter of Goldsboro natives, Jocelyn received her nomination to the United States Air Force (USAF) Academy from North Carolina Congresswoman Eva Clayton. After graduating, Jocelyn served for ten years in the USAF. First, as an Admissions Officer at the Air Force Academy. Then, she secured a mission critical assignment as an intelligence officer, during which she briefed pilots in South Carolina and in Germany. Jocelyn cross-trained into the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps after graduating from the University of North Carolina School of Law.

Jocelyn served as a prosecutor and general practice attorney in the JAG Corps at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. After ten years of active-duty military service, Jocelyn started her civilian career as an attorney by clerking for the Honorable Barbara A. Jackson of the North Carolina Supreme Court. Following her clerkship, Jocelyn spent six years at the international law firm of McGuireWoods, where she represented Fortune 500 companies in complex commercial litigation and became partner.  

As an active member of her community, Jocelyn currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Southeast Raleigh YMCA. She also is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and the Junior League of Raleigh. She is married to Harold A. Mallette, who is a licensed architect, and she is the proud mother of two hilarious and lively children. 

Kenny Flowers

Kenny Flowers serves as the Chief Deputy Secretary at the North Carolina Department of Commerce, where he leads teams in operational areas and provides strategic leadership for the agency on issues related to economic development and external affairs.

From 2017 to 2025, Kenny served as Assistant Secretary for Rural Economic Development at N.C. Commerce. In that role he provided guidance for the Department in its efforts to support rural communities and help foster rural prosperity. Mr. Flowers led a team of community and economic development professionals that helps communities make the preparations and infrastructure investments needed to increase competitiveness, attract businesses, and spur economic growth. Under his leadership, the Rural Economic Development Division generated more than $715 Million in grant awards that support over 2000 projects and 28,000 jobs throughout the state.

Prior to his employment with N.C. Commerce, Kenny was the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Community and Regional Development at East Carolina University. In that role he provided leadership and direction for the university's state-wide outreach and engagement programs.

Kenny previously served as Director of Rural Development at the North Carolina Department of Commerce, and as Fiscal Analyst to the Appropriations Subcommittee for Education at the North Carolina General Assembly.

Kenny received his Master of Public Policy from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and his bachelor’s degree in Public Policy and Political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

James E. Banner

James E. Banner is currently the Senior Vice President of Administration & Safety of Pike Corporation.  His responsibilities include safety, compliance, and all human resource activities, including the recruiting, onboarding, employee engagement, and overall employee relations for over 12,000 Pike employees.  James reports to James R. Wyche, CEO.

Mr. Banner joined Pike in 1998 as a groundman in Charleston, SC and progressed through the ranks until reaching an A-class lineman status in 2002.  James was brought into the corporate office in 2003 as an Operations Supervisor and promoted to an Operations Manager in 2006.  In 2007, he left Pike to explore management opportunities at Primo Water and the law firm of Brock & Scott, before returning to Pike in 2015 as a Director of Financial Planning & Analysis.  In January 2016, James became the Director of Pike’s Employee Relations and was promoted to Vice President of Human Resources in December 2016.  In January 2018, Government Relations were added to his areas of responsibility and in July 2020, the areas of Safety, Compliance and Leadership Development were included. 

Mr. Banner attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on a John Motley Morehead scholarship and upon graduating with a business degree, obtained a Masters of Accounting from North Carolina State.  He holds electrical contractor license(s) in North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. He is a high school graduate of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics where he was an All-State wrestler and All-Region cross country runner.  He currently lives in Cornelius, NC with his wife Claudia and three children – Blake, Barrett, and Bradshaw.

Nicole Fitz

As the Executive Director of Employee Solutions, Nicole leads a team of 80+ people. She led the implementation of Workday HCM as a key component of a broader HR Transformation that went live September 2023. Through this transformation she stood up Employee Solutions and the HR service delivery model. In this role, she drives the engine that supports the HR function through Workforce Analytics, Shared Service Delivery to support all employees through the Employee Care and HR Advisory teams, Agile Portfolio Management for all of HR, Vendor Management, Digital Solutions that configures and supports our HR systems and Engineering. She has been instrumental in driving continuous process improvement across HR. She is also a key partner in the Finance Transformation strategic initiative driving the cost center optimization effort in Workday HCM and partnering with Finance and Tech to stand up Workday platform governance.

She currently serves on the board of House of Mercy in Belmont, North Carolina, which empowers those living with HIV or AIDS in their transformation toward a more independent life. Fitz is also active in the Charlotte veteran’s community.

Prior to this role she has held numerous leadership roles across HR including the Talent Management function, Talent Acquisition, HR Operations and an HR Business Partner. She led the team that developed Ally’s Employee Value Proposition in 2018 for which she was recognized with the LEAD award. Additionally, she served as the Chair of the Veterans ERG and has held several leadership roles in the Veterans ERG and began Ally’s partnership with Hiring our Heroes.

David A. Lee

Dave is a retired U.S. Army colonel who now leads CVS Health's initiatives for the military and veteran community.

His military experience includes commanding a field artillery battalion, assignments as a Secretary of Defense Corporate Fellow and Strategic Planner for the Secretary of the Army and Army Chief of Staff, and as the Director of Marketing for the U.S. Army, where he led the Army Strong campaign.  

After retiring from the Army, Dave worked at Amazon, leading the development of Amazon.jobs. He also has experience starting and running his own consulting company.

Dave began his service after graduating from the United States Military Academy. He holds three master's degrees, including one from the U.S. Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, the premier institution for strategy. In 2018, he completed the inaugural George W. Bush Institute Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program.

Major General Cristina Moore

Major General Cristina Moore has more than 30 years of military service. She served in the Engineer branch and deployed in 2004-2005 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as part of the 30th Engineer Brigade.
She graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Russian with a minor in Mechanical Engineering from The United States Military Academy at West Point. She also has a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and a Master’s Degree in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.
She is currently employed by Duke Energy as a General Manger leading the Learning and Development Team Fleet across the Carolinas, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Florida.
Her military awards include seven Meritorious Service Medals, the Humanitarian Service Medal for Hurricane Maria Relief efforts in Puerto Rico, as well as numerous other federal and state awards. She is the recipient of the Silver De Fleury from the Engineer Regiment.
MG Moore resides in Concord, NC with her husband MAJ (ret.) Rob Moore and twin daughters Hope and Helena Moore. She has two adult children, Tripp and Katie Moore.

Sean Passmore

Sean Passmore serves as Head of Enterprise Military and Veteran Initiatives and Disability Hiring Strategy at Wells Fargo & Company. He leads the company’s enterprise strategy supporting the military community through housing affordability, financial wellness, small business engagement, and career transition initiatives. Sean oversees strategic partnerships with military, nonprofit, and veteran serving organizations, directs military focused talent sourcing and retention strategies, and is responsible for Wells Fargo’s disability hiring strategy, including the Neurodiversity Program. He is a recognized subject matter expert in military and veteran employment, transition, and workforce integration.

A retired U.S. Army officer with more than 22 years of service, Sean concluded his military career as a senior Presidential Communications Officer with the White House Communications Agency, providing direct support to the President of the United States and leading teams supporting Presidential events worldwide.

Prior to joining Wells Fargo, he held senior executive roles at Perfect Technician Academy and USAA, where he led enterprise wide veteran and military spouse hiring efforts. Sean holds a master’s degree in project management from The George Washington University and maintains SHRM professional and talent acquisition certifications. He serves on multiple national boards and advisory councils focused on veterans, military families, and workforce opportunity.

Michael Piper

Michael Piper is a workforce strategist, veteran advocate, and senior talent leader with more than a decade of experience building national talent, military transition, early-career, and community impact programs.

Most recently, Michael led Early and Emerging Talent strategy at Lowe’s Companies, overseeing enterprise programs spanning internships, entry-level hiring, community college partnerships, high school programs, and military-connected talent initiatives. His work included leading national teams, managing program investments, advising executives, engaging policymakers, and building scalable workforce solutions across corporate, field, and supply chain operations.

Michael now advises organizations through Piper Advisory Group while exploring the right full-time leadership opportunity. He helps companies, nonprofits, and mission-driven organizations strengthen talent pipelines, improve veteran and early-career programs, build strategic partnerships, and design workforce solutions that create lasting impact.

A U.S. Air Force veteran and first-generation college graduate, Michael brings a distinctive combination of lived experience, senior leadership, and practical program-building expertise to every engagement.
 

Maggie Pollard

As a Managing Director with Accenture Federal Services, Maggie currently oversees Accenture’s work with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) where she is a trusted client advisor, introducing data-driven insights, new ideas, industry expertise, and end-to-end solutions from across the Accenture ecosystem.  She has over 18 years’ experience in measurement, software implementation, operations, healthcare, and human services within the Department of Defense, institutes of higher education, state government, and various nonprofits.

Maggie formerly served in a series of delivery leadership roles that include modernizing Air Force’s weapon system supply chain and secure cloud capabilities, the VA’s GI Bill® benefit and advancing the accessibility of civilian health care providers across VA and the Military Health System.  

Prior to joining Accenture, Maggie served as a U.S. Air Force nuclear launch control officer. Attaining the rank of captain, Maggie held roles that required commanding a fleet of 150 missiles, overseeing the health and readiness of hundreds of other nuclear weapons officers, and ensuring that personnel in the entire wing remained compliant with rigorous training standards.

Maggie is an active board member with the nonprofit Veterans Bridge Home. She serves as an Executive Sponsor for Accenture’s Military Employee Resource Group, and she was named as a ’40 Under 40’ recipient by the Charlotte Business Journal (2020).

Maggie earned her Air Force commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She received a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Marist College, where she successfully lobbied for a Military Incentive Scholarship Program for Active-Duty Military students.

Maggie lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband and eight year old twins, Woodson (Woody) and Virginia (Ginny). On weekends, you can usually find her at the starting line of Charlotte’s thriving road race scene. She is most proud that she now gets to line up right alongside her husband and kids, even if she occasionally has to drag them there.