The MOAA Foundation has been named a finalist for the U.S. Chamber Foundation's Annual Hiring our Heroes Awards.

The Military Officers of America's charitable arm for career development and community outreach is nominated for the USAA Military Spouse Employment and Mentoring award alongside Bank of America, Microsoft and Wittenberg Weiner Consulting.

“We are humbled and honored to be included among these outstanding finalists, all of whom are making significant moves to support military spouse employment,” said MOAA's President and CEO Lt. Gen. Dana T. Atkins, USAF (Ret.). “Thank you, Hiring our Heroes and USAA. With an unemployment rate four times higher than the national rate, military spouses need our support. Their personal service to our nation warrants a team effort, across business and industry, veterans service organizations, elected officials and the American people.”

Among the foundation's primary missions is a goal to support military spouse professional development. In the last four years MOAA subject-matter experts have had more than 10,000 one-on-one engagements with military spouses and provided more than 200,000 spouses with tailored professional development content and resources

“When MOAA began prioritizing professional development support for military spouses almost 10 years ago, there were only a handful of organizations in the space” said Amanda Bainton, Executive Director of The MOAA Foundation. “Now, I'm happy to say, we are among hundreds of organizations, corporations, and influencers providing professional development support, resources, and opportunities to our nation's military spouses. If we want to retain our all-volunteer force, it is critical we address the needs of modern military families. Hiring Our Heroes, and our fellow nominees in this category, understand this and we are proud to work alongside them in this effort.”

The MOAA Foundation's other key roles including providing career transition for servicemembers, professional education outreach and community outreach through MOAA's council and chapter network.

Hiring Our Heroes, with support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is a nationwide initiative to help veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses find meaningful employment.

The Hiring Our Heroes Awards Winners will be announced Nov. 14 during the 8th Annual Lee Anderson Hiring Our Heroes Awards Gala, presented by USAA, at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C.

The other award finalists are:

Lee Anderson Veteran and Military Spouse Employment Award, for overall excellence in hiring and retaining veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses in the private sector: Capital One; CarMax; Deloitte; Werner Enterprises

Steve Robinson Post-9/11 Veteran Employment Award, for effective and sustained efforts to enhance the ability of post-9/11 veterans and transitioning service members to find meaningful employment: Amazon; Boeing; Cushman & Wakefield; UPS

Wounded Veteran and Military Caregiver Employment Award, for demonstrated leadership in addressing the unique challenges and demands for wounded, ill, and injured veterans as well as military caregivers in their search for meaningful employment: Dog Tag Inc.; PyschArmor, Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA)

Small Business Award for Veteran and Military Spouse Employment, for demonstrated leadership by a small business or organization (less than 500 employees) in hiring veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses: Flags of Valor; Operation Gratitude; R.Riveter; She Swank Marketplace