On March 8, NBCNews.com reported that the unemployment rate among post-9/11 U.S. military veterans was 9.4 percent in February, well above the national unemployment average of 7.7 percent.

Nearly 1 in 10 ex-service members who served in Iraq and Afghanistan is hunting for a job, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The NBCNews.com story mentioned how Cisco is partnering with software developer Futures, Inc. to connect the 200,000 members of the nonprofit Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America to civilian jobs through a free, online tool.

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Tags: Afghanistan, iraq, jobs, military, unemployment, veterans

Last night, Cisco was honored by the World Affairs Council of Washington, D.C. for its leadership role in worldwide education. Cisco Chairman and CEO John Chambers received the “Global Education Award“ in recognition of Cisco’s “worldwide commitment to social responsibility, knowledge transfer, learning, and education.“

Tae Yoo, Cisco’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs, accepted the award on John’s behalf. Tae leads Cisco’s social investment programs in education, healthcare, critical human needs, and economic development.

Dr. Steven Knapp, President of George Washington University, presents the World Affairs Council Global Education Award to Cisco Senior Vice President Tae Yoo on behalf of Cisco Chairman & CEO John Chambers

More than 1000 guests attended the Global Education Gala award ceremony, including 60 ambassadors from the Washington diplomatic corps and White House; cabinet and Congressional members; business and civic leaders; and students, parents and educators.

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Tags: Cisco, global education award, john chambers, leadership, world affairs council

Cisco Senior Director of Corporate Affairs Yu Yi

It is well known fact that pediatric specialists are in high demand but short supply in the United States and around the world. Sixteen U.S. states have fewer than one pediatric subspecialist under age 65 per 100,000 residents, according to the National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions.

As a result, many children and their families are forced to travel long distances to get adequate care. In some regions, patients may wait as long as three to six months for an appointment.

Today on the Huffington Post ImpactX, Cisco Senior Director of Cisco Corporate Affairs Yu Yi explains how this shortage of healthcare professionals can lead to significant complications in adulthood.

“The current system can also lead to inconsistent knowledge and information exchange between patients, primary care pediatricians, and pediatric specialists,” Yu Yi wrote. “Consequently, children with complex care requirements receive less effective care and experience poor outcomes.”

Please read Yu Yi’s full blog on the Huffington Post.

Tags: healthcare, pediatrics, shortage

This blog was originally published on the Huffington Post on March 7, 2013.

Today, I would like to reflect on the progress women are making in the global economy by highlighting the work of one woman who has been a source of inspiration for many: Randa Ayoubi. Randa is a woman entrepreneur from Jordan who had a dream of enhancing the lives of children by raising educational standards through multimedia learning.

Nearly 20 years ago, after her studies in computer science at Texas Tech, Randa returned to Jordan to work at a bank. However, Randa wanted a different path and aspired to be her own boss and contribute to society. She started a software business called Rubicon where she became one of Jordan’s pioneers in multimedia software for education at a time when rural poverty and the lack of teachers in villages was a big issue.

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Tags: gender equality, International Women's Day, Randa Ayoubi, Rubicon

On 8 March, thousands of International Women’s Day events have been planned throughout the world. The focus of the day generally expresses respect for ,and appreciation towards women who have achieved greatness on the public stage. More often than not it is to acknowledge their accomplishments in economics, political and social change.

I’d like to take a moment today to thank several remarkable women colleagues that I work with every day who move the ball forward, inch by inch, to make sure that the impact of our efforts to improve the world do not go unseen.

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Tags: connected women, corporate affairs, corporate social responsibility, CSR, employee satisfaction, employees, International Women's Day, marketing, women, Women in IT, Women in Technology