VETRN announces the start of its October 2025 VETRN MBA Online program on October 18, 2025. The 2025 online cohort includes 10 veteran small business owners, service-disabled veterans, and family members from 9 states across the USA. VETRN is now in its 12th year of teaching the VETRN MBA program, which trains veteran participants in how to successfully grow their veteran owned small businesses. More than 135 veteran small business owners and family members have now graduated from the VETRN program to date, with many success stories. The VETRN Program is free of charge to the veterans and family members accepted into the program.
Due to a substantial increase in VETRN applications from veteran small business owners this past year, the October 2025 program will be the second VETRN program being taught in 2025.
Thank you to the Small Business Administration (“SBA”), where VETRN is now an SBA Resource Partner and OVBD Grantee, and to our Sponsors, who have supported us with Grant funding.
VETRN is proud that it is one of only a few programs nationally that receives funding for its VETRN Program to train veteran and service-disabled veteran small business owners in entrepreneurship and how to successfully grow their veteran owned small business.
As the VETRN Program is a national online program, it is critical that VETRN be able to identify both local professional resources and experienced mentors for each of our class participants. In addition to our own list of mentors, thank you to the Seacoast NH SCORE for working with VETRN to help secure outstanding mentors. Our heartfelt thank you also goes out to our outstanding guest experts, instructors, panel judges, and substantial list of professional resources, who have selflessly volunteered their time, and to the SBA VBOC regional chapters, the regional SBDC Chapters and the SBA District offices so that all VETRN participants across the country have access to their valuable local SBA resources.
VETRN also wishes to thank Jeff Marquez, Walter Schuppe, Steve Awtrey and Kathleen Kelly, each of whom has agreed to take on a larger role as instructors for the VETRN program. Jeff Marquez is a retired U.S. Army Colonel and VETRN graduate and operates a leadership development consulting business. Walter is a seasoned commercial credit officer, most recently as SVP with Pacific Western Bank. Steve is a sales and marketing professional with Compelity Consulting, and Kathleen is a highly experienced SBA lender and SVP with Webster Bank.