Continuing the Mission: Honoring Our Veteran Leaders

The transition from military to civilian life can be a time of uncertainty and profound changes for service members. At Xcelerate Solutions, the transition from military service to civilian career isn’t just acknowledged; it is celebrated. Xcelerate values the unique leadership skills and discipline that veterans bring to the workforce. With Veteran’s Day upon us, we would like to take this opportunity to highlight one of the many veteran employees, Josh Wiley.

Josh is from Boone County, West Virginia, and decided to join the U.S. Army at 22. Before his military service, he worked at his local post office. Like many who join the military, Josh wanted to find a greater purpose in life.

“I just didn’t really have a sense of purpose there,” said Wiley. “I wanted to do something more meaningful, I guess. But not just more meaningful… something I could use my brain on.”

Josh decided to enlist as a 35M, or Human Intelligence Collector. He was tasked with learning a foreign language and became skilled at gathering intelligence through interrogation or strategic debriefing. After completing training, he was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. This unit is the only air assault division of the United States Army.

After his active-duty service, Josh returned home to West Virginia. He joined the Xcelerate team in 2019 and began working on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) contract as a Mid-level Analyst. As a testament to his drive and leadership skill, within two years, Josh became a Senior Analyst/Program Manager on the Xcelerate’s NICS contract.

Josh is a valued leader at Xcelerate. He is starting on his fourth contract with the company.  He worked on NICS, served as a tester with Joint Contingency and Expeditionary Services (JCXS), served as a Senior Program Manager for the Crime Data contract, and is planning to return to the intelligence domain on a new Xcelerate contract. Notably, Josh’s problem-solving and leadership skills have led him to work on many projects across varied disciplines for Xcelerate.

Xcelerate’s commitment to promoting veteran success has helped Josh in his career. He says his leadership roles within the company have given him the greatest opportunity for development.

“I learned the most when I became a PM,” said Josh. “I felt like I had impact.  Of course, there were challenges and no standard operating procedure to overcome those challenges. I liked being able to apply my own brain and principles to solve something.”

Xcelerate not only claims to be veteran-friendly, but there is evidence to back it up. The company earned the prestigious Gold Medallion from the U.S. Department of Labor’s HIRE Vets Medallion Program and is also certified through the Virginia Values Veterans, or V3 Program, a formal recognition of best practices in hiring and supporting veterans. Xcelerate boasts a workforce comprising 21% veterans, empowered to make an impact on the missions they support.

Josh, thank you for your service. We are honored to have you as part of our team.