Her Daily Mission Is Paying It Forward for Military Veterans
Honoring the service of military veterans is a personal and professional mission for Katelyn Wilcox, the daughter of an Army veteran who served in the Vietnam War.
Katelyn is a senior talent adviser at Kellanova, maker of snacks such as Pringles®, Cheez-It® and Pop-Tarts®, and generous supporter of Operation Homefront. Her recruitment efforts focus on the veteran population, a career direction she chose as a way of honoring her father’s Army service.
When Katelyn was in high school, her dad began sharing stories about his service that he had long kept to himself.
He recalled being drafted days after his high school graduation in 1971. He talked about being stationed at Fort Knox and Fort Leonard Wood, and he explained his work as a heavy construction equipment operator clearing bush at the end of the war. He also spoke about coming home from Vietnam at a time when service members faced jeers, not cheers, from their fellow citizens.
“I can’t take my father’s pain away, but I can do everything in my power to make it better for another veteran.” – Katelyn Wilcox, Kellanova talent adviser
“He told me stories about changing out of his uniform at the airport” to avoid the scorn, Katelyn said.
Determined to pay it forward, Katelyn focused her career on military veterans.
“I can’t take my father’s pain away, but I can do everything in my power to make it better for another veteran,” she said. “I was able to take my role as a recruiter to help transitioning veterans.”
Katelyn helps service members translate their military experience to civilian roles, and she educates other recruiters and hiring managers about the skillsets that make military veterans an asset to civilian employers.
Through K Vets & Supporters, one of 10 business employee resource groups at Kellanova, Katelyn and her colleagues further the Operation Homefront mission by packing meal kits and school supplies for Holiday Meals for Military® and Back-to-School Brigade® events. K Vets members also hosted military appreciation events for families at Operation Homefront’s Transitional Housing Villages in California, Texas, and Maryland.
In 2024, Kellanova included the Operation Homefront logo on special packaging for Town House® crackers, raising national awareness about the mission of helping military families overcome short-term difficulties so they don’t become long-term hardships. In addition, K Vets teams partnered with Operation Homefront to pack 200 meal kits for military families in Colorado Springs, Colorado.