Vernon and Monique discuss Our Opportunity Nation, the 2017 Opportunity Index and other research and reports being used to close the opportunity gap in America. Since September of 2015, Monique Rizer has been the Executive Director of Opportunity Nation. Under her leadership, the team has grown supporters by 35 percent and developed Our Opportunity Nation, a national opportunity plan that was featured in the Washington Post, and garnered the endorsement of more than 130 organizations. Prior to joining Opportunity Nation, Monique served as the Chief of Staff for Be The Change, Inc., Opportunity Nation’s parent organization. She also served as deputy director of military spouse programs for the Military Officers Association of America, where she founded Keeping a Career on the Move®, which earned the American Society for Association Executives (ASAE) ‘Power of A’ Silver Award. Monique is a national spokesperson on opportunity. She has been interviewed by the Wall Street Journal, Black Enterprise and NPR. She has also served as a speaker of choice for the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She has also testified before the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, about the impact of deployments on military spouse careers. Monique is a proud first-generation college graduate, who frequently speaks about her experiences as a young mother, and the obstacles faced growing up in a low-income family.
