How HX5 and Margarita Howard Support Veteran Career Transitions
Defense contractor HX5 has participated in the Hiring Our Heroes Corporate Fellowship Program since 2021, hosting eight transitioning service members over four years. Behind that number is a deliberate philosophy shaped in large part by the company’s founder and CEO, Margarita Howard, herself a service-disabled Air Force veteran.
The Fellowship as a Structured Pathway
The Corporate Fellowship Program operates as a Department of Defense SkillBridge initiative. Active-duty members within 180 days of separation work at host companies four days a week for 12 weeks, with the fifth day reserved for professional development. Participants continue drawing military pay and benefits throughout. Since the program launched in 2015, more than 500 fellows have completed it nationally, with 80% receiving job offers and average starting salaries of $70,000.
HX5 accepts two fellows per year. For a company with roughly 1,000 employees, that pace allows for genuine integration rather than a revolving door. Larger defense contractors like Lockheed Martin and Booz Allen Hamilton can absorb far more fellows through dedicated military recruiting teams. HX5 works within different constraints but maintains consistent annual participation a distinction Margarita Howard views as meaningful in itself.
The work HX5 offers can be a strong match for veterans. “The work we do is very exciting. Some of it is not being done anywhere else in the world,” Howard has noted. HX5 supports advanced weapons research, production readiness reviews for sensor systems, and modeling and simulation for defense and space programs across more than 20 states and 70 government locations.
Mission Alignment and Cultural Continuity
Howard’s Air Force background gives her a particular lens on what veterans need from a civilian employer. Government contracting environments often mirror military workplace norms around accountability, documentation standards, and security compliance. That overlap can reduce the culture shock many veterans describe during their first years in the civilian workforce.
The fellowship also introduces participants to the business side of contracting procurement processes, contract structures, and the administrative requirements that differ from anything covered in military training. This context matters for veterans who understand operational execution but are newer to how government contracts are awarded and managed.
Margarita Howard‘s own career arc, from service member to defense contractor to CEO, gives HX5 a visible example of what that path can look like. For fellows considering government contracting careers, that example carries weight. Refer to this article for additional information.
Find more information about Howard on https://dataconomy.com/2026/02/23/infrastructure-as-competitive-advantage-margarita-howards-early-investment-philosophy-at-hx5/