DEI@Cadence: Spotlighting Cadence Veterans and Their Transitions to Tech

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are not just words but values that are exemplified through our One-Team culture at Cadence. In the DEI@Cadence blog series, you’ll hear the many unique perspectives and experiences of our global employees.

During November, Cadence is showing appreciation for our Veteran employees, commemorating their service, and recognizing their contributions to our business success. Cadence has a Veterans Inclusion Group with members across our U.S. sites who are helping to plan fun and educational events in celebration of Veterans Day. Additionally, our group members and Veterans Inclusion Group leaders collaborated on selecting two organizations that are committed to supporting U.S. Veterans and their families to which Cadence will make a donation.

Speaker Showcase

Cadence employees will hear from Dr. David Smith, PhD, and former Navy pilot, a Veteran who is doing his own work to support inclusion in the military. During Dr. Smith's 30-year military career, he led a combat squadron and accumulated more than 3,000 flying hours, about four months' time. Now, as an associate professor at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, he uses his training in sociology to study gender biases surrounding performance evaluations, retention, and dual-career and military families. He has also researched and authored books on gender bias and workplace equity and speaks on this topic around the world. We are looking forward to hearing about his experience in the military and learning how we can become better allies.

Veteran Employee Spotlight

We had the opportunity to connect with Veteran employees and hear their stories of accomplishment in education, extraordinary circumstances, and applying skills acquired in the military when transitioning into the technology industry. Read more about their journeys:

Bob Jolly, Application Engineer Architect

“My four years of active military service provided me with a jump-start into a career working with electronics. The transition from military service through college, and ultimately into the EDA world, has been more rewarding than I could have imagined. Now, I get to work on leading-edge technology and help bring innovation into our daily lives.”

Gary Lytle, Product Management Director

“I served in the U.S. Navy as an electronics technician for five years on submarines and as a mineman in the Reserves for another three. I followed that with a small break in service and joined the US Coast Guard, where I am currently in the reserves and am just completing my 15th year. A few interesting things from my experience: I’ve called my wife from 400 feet underwater in Alaska, traversed the Panama Canal, and I have been in three underwater fires—not fun! All of these and other adventures have helped me stay cool, think under pressure, and avoid getting rattled. I have seen tech used in the field and have “MacGyvered” some to produce unique solutions, which is a skill that I have leveraged throughout my professional technology career.”

Shawn Mills, Principal Application Engineer

“Four years of active service and six years of part-time service with our military, focusing on RF communications and music, provided me with the skills to earn my master’s degree in electrical engineering from Arizona State University, a bachelor’s in guitar performance from Berklee College of Music, and a rewarding career at Cadence. The transition from military service to the technology industry equipped me for success and has allowed me to accomplish incredible things. I am proud to continue to support our military and defense customers through my work as a civilian.”