For Eduardo Garza, there is power in being present as a leader. “Words do not mean anything if there is no action behind it and a titan might not have the answers to everything but knowing where to find it and surrounding ourselves with people who believe in your success is vital,” he said. “Many speak about teamwork, but if they don’t demonstrate that teamwork at a high level of performance with positive results, that’s not a team.”
Building dynamic teams and powerful community engagements is a key part of Garza’s role as the president and CEO of The Centers for Veterans Issues.
The Center for Veterans Issues (CVI) is a non-profit organization with a mission to provide supportive services and resources to the Veteran Community to individuals in need or find themselves homeless or at-risk of becoming homeless. The organization provides housing and supportive services to help improve the quality of life for all veterans, their families and the communities in which they live and serve.
Over the past three years, CVI has experienced significant growth in providing social services to the Veteran Community across Wisconsin. New programs, such as the SSG Fox Veteran Suicide Prevention Grant, the Heroes Market Food Program and two major construction projects to support mental wellness, are just a few examples of what has developed under Garza’s leadership. In addition, the organization has made progress acquiring funding for a new building for the Vets Place Central flagship program, a homeless veteran’s shelter in Wisconsin. All new initiatives are projected to increase daily services from 300 veterans to 425.
“The future of CVI is not only growing in the programming we provide to the Veteran Community, but for our employees with additional training and competitive salaries,” said Garza. The organization has initiated more comprehensive retirement plans for employees that will help with retention while offering development and training opportunities to have more subject matter experts in a variety of fields in the work the organization provides.
“If we do not take care of the employees within our organization, we will not be ready to provide the same care to those who need our help the most,” said Garza. “Our employees come first, and once we give them all the tools they need to be successful, then we can provide the same care to those who need us.”
For his continuous dedication to supporting his staff and the veteran community, Garza has been named a Titan 100 for a second time.
