Episode 85 · Season 1
Salesforce Military Now Covers Gold Star Children, Plus 92,000 Members
A year ago Salesforce Military had gone a couple of years without a leader, the community was vocal about it, and the platform was still sitting on the old Experience Cloud. Tom House, Director of Salesforce Military, returns to Cirrius Talk: The Military Minute for his third conversation to lay out what twelve months in the seat produced: 92,000 members, 1.2 million badges, a full move to Trailhead, and a program that now reaches Gold Star children.
What you’ll learn:
- Why the Gold Star children expansion announced at Dreamforce exists, the Senior Chief who inspired it, and how the white-glove verification will work for families who sign up
- What Salesforce Military is doing in Washington, DC the week of November 9: a Veterans Day walk from the World War II Memorial to the Salesforce K Street office on November 10, with Warrior Canine Connection as the featured organization
- Who the two-day AI Summit on March 15 and 16 is for (transitioning service members, spouses, hiring managers, system integrators, nonprofits, even CRM competitors) ahead of the DC World Tour on March 17
Who it’s for:
Veterans and military spouses weighing a Salesforce career, employers and integrators with headcount to fill, and anyone in a veteran service organization asking whether their benefits reach Gold Star families.
Guest + credibility:
Tom House is the Director of Salesforce Military, a Navy veteran who served both enlisted and as an officer and led the VetForce employee group in San Francisco before taking over the program. In his first year the community grew from roughly 87,000 to 92,000 members, crossed one million Trailhead badges, and narrowed its nonprofit focus to Hire Heroes USA, Hiring Our Heroes, and Blue Star Families.
Primary CTA:
Tom’s own line is a happy sailor is a complaining sailor, so bring your questions and your criticism into the Salesforce Military Slack community, and if you know a Gold Star child, tell them the program is now free for them.
Recommended Links & Resources:
Salesforce Military
Salesforce Military Slack community
Related episode: Tom House, Director of Salesforce Military: Serving Those Who Served
Related episode: Salesforce Military Is Back, Inside the AI Summit with Tom House
Related episode: Dean Robison, What If Veteran Hiring Isn’t Charity, but Strategy
Related episode: Meagan Kut, From Air Force Linguist to Salesforce
Related episode: Travis Manion Foundation, How Veterans Mentor Youth in Over 50 Chapters
Cirrius Solutions (Use this link to find a curated list of resources we promote based on first-hand experience.)
For follow-up questions: CirriusTalk@CirriusSolutions.com
In memory of Senior Chief Jairo Guity:
Senior Chief Jairo Guity served in the United States Navy for more than 24 years, including Operation Iraqi Freedom. Tom says he probably would not have made lieutenant commander without him, and the Gold Star children expansion exists because of him. He leaves behind his wife, Derby, and their three children.
We cover
- Honoring Veterans: A Special Week in D.C.
- Salesforce Military Program and Gold Star Children
- Recap of Tom’s First Year leading Salesforce Military
- How to Find Practical Help from the Community
- Dreamforce Recap
- Plans for Veterans Day Week in DC
Chapters
- 0:00Honoring Veterans: A Special Week in D.C.
- 0:27Salesforce Military Program and Gold Star Children
- 1:08Recap of Tom’s First Year leading Salesforce Military
- 11:09How to Find Practical Help from the Community
- 12:50Dreamforce Recap
- 23:26Plans for Veterans Day Week in DC
- 27:17Salesforce Military AI Summit 2027
- 39:03Honoring Service and Sacrifice
- 39:54Veteran Support Initiatives and Community Engagement
Tom House
Salesforce Military
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