Crowdsourced Mentors Team Up To Help Veterans

Mobile App Connects Veterans to Mentors Instantly

FREMONT - November 11, 2014. Today Throng launched VetMentor, a program to connect veterans who are looking for advice on careers, housing or health with those who can offer advice and mentoring instantly via their mobile phones. A core group of professionals have already committed to provide counseling and mentoring on careers, jobs, housing and health and healing. Professionals who can contribute an hour a week or more whenever they are free can commit to help at http://thronginc.com/vetmentor.

The company's mobile app, Throng, makes it easy for professionals, mentors and counselors to offer help via the Throng app. Within seconds, the app matches those offering help with those desiring help to each other and alerts both sides. Each person can check the other's LinkedIn or Facebook profile and then connect immediately on built-in chat. Neither side needs to share personal information like their email address or a phone number till they are ready to.

Busy professionals can set time aside for mentoring veterans and make connections easily without the need for multiple email and calendaring exercises. The app ensures that mentors only get requests when they are available.

The members of the core group of VetMentors are John Bosch, Herb Deitz, Dottie Guy, David Lane, Rogelio Manois, Jerry Sheridan and Melissa Washington.

John Bosch is the CEO of ProxyIT, a California-based IT managed services company. John is a serial "start-up guy" and a Navy vet.

Herb Dietz runs a recruiting firm that has helped over 200 startups and larger high tech firms search, recruit, and develop technical/marketing/sales teams for their organizations. Herb is committed to helping veterans and is currently providing training to student veterans on how to get a job in Silicon Valley.

Dottie Guy is the Outreach Coordinator for Iraq and Afghanistan era Veterans for the Oakland Vet Center. She was in the Army National Guard and served in Iraq in 2003. Dottie is also a Peer Mentor with the Wounded Warrior Project and sits on the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Commission.

David Lane is a highly decorated US Naval Officer and an experienced leader with thirty years of "hands on" experience solving problems in all aspects of Information Systems, Manufacturing Operations, and Procurement.

Rogelio Manois is an Army veteran and the Director of Veteran's services at San Francisco State University.

Jerry Sheridan is a Vietnam veteran who served in the airborne wing of the US Navy. He has flown in P5M, P3C and Sikorsky Helicopter aircraft. Jerry has worked in the financial services industry for the past ten years. Before that he worked in high technology marketing and sales for Sun Microsystems, The Santa Cruz Operation, Convergent Technologies, and others.

Melissa Washington is a Navy veteran, small business owner (Certified Veteran Enterprise), speaker, author and LinkedIn workshop trainer. She is the executive director of Active Job Seekers of America and board member of Working Women International. Melissa is mentor at Women's Veteran's Connect and is an active member with the local Veteran's collaborative.

About Throng

Throng connects you with those you really want to meet for jobs, causes or what excites you. The Throng app can be downloaded from Google Play and the iTunes App Store. For more information, visit thronginc.com.