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Elizabeth OBrien

Chief Executive Officer, Freedom Learning Group

Elizabeth L. O'Brien is the Chief Executive Officer and Board Member of Freedom Learning Group, a global educational content provider supporting military spouses and veterans.

She leads initiatives aimed at bridging the skills gap for military spouses through the Training Hub model, offering remote upskilling and reskilling pathways.

O'Brien is actively involved with various advisory councils and committees, including The Blue Star Families Advisory Council and The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Council.

With a background in workforce development, she played a significant role at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's Hiring Our Heroes program and chairing the U.S. Small Business Administration's Advisory Committee on Veterans Business Affairs.

Before her corporate roles, O'Brien spent years coaching college basketball at prestigious institutions like the United States Military Academy at West Point and Hofstra University.

She holds a BBA in Marketing from Hofstra University and is a proud graduate of Sacred Heart Academy High School.

An active member of the community, O'Brien currently resides in the Washington, D.C. area and is known for her love of the New York Yankees.

Highlights

Sep 11 · linkedin

On September 11th, 2001, the world changed on the most beautiful fall day. The first plane hit, then the second and I called my brother, Pat, who was on the job at the 102—one of the busiest houses in the city at the time. I could hear the chaos behind him and asked, "Pat, what the hell is going on?" His response was brief but devastating: "This will be a terrible day. Tell Mom and Dad I love them." Thirty seconds later he threw his flip phone in his locker and jumped on the rig, racing toward the Trade Center, just over the bridge.

Shortly after, the towers fell, and we knew he had been among the first to arrive. And then we waited. We waited in his small house in West Hempstead, filled with some of the best and most chaotic humans I've ever known. Phone lines were down, and all we could see was the smoke rising from the city. Late that night, word finally came—someone had seen Pat alive. The relief was overwhelming, but it quickly turned to grief as the hours passed, and we realized our other friends weren’t coming home.

The mixture of relief and loss is something I can't fully describe. For those that lost loved ones, they live with loss daily—not just on 9/11. For so many, the day after 9/11 is remembered for the nationwide unity. But I don’t miss a damn minute of that day. It was pure hell. And the hell continued for months as family and friends returned to the pile daily. Our country shouldn’t have to wait for a catastrophic event to demonstrate unity.

Unity should be part of our daily lives—how we treat our neighbors, colleagues, and those needing a helping hand. Today, on this National Day of Service, I encourage you to ask yourself: Why only one day? Why not every day?

My brother is the humblest person I know. He never wore his medals over two decades of service, having served in the 102 and R4. "Why would I? If I’m there, it’s someone’s worst day." He now lives a life focused on his children, his community, and the simple joys of being on the water. We are so grateful for the time he was granted, while so many others have only memories where their families still wonder if it was real and miss their loved ones every day.

There’s joy in the small moments. And I hope we can live lives filled with purpose, joy, and—most importantly—unity, every day. #NeverForget #DayOfService #UnitedWeStand

Feb 2 · linkedin

🌎 Passionate about traveling and creating economic opportunities for military spouses? Here's an exciting opportunity for you! Our HOH Military Spouse Program is seeking a Workforce Development Leader to join our team and lead AMPLIFY.

The Military Spouse Program at Hiring Our Heroes is a multifunctional ecosystem of events and programs designed to build pathways to sustainable employment for the military spouse community. Our Workforce Development team is a crucial pillar in this work, providing career readiness services to prepare constituents to effectively communicate skill sets and career goals through all job seeking apparatus tools.

This remote role is portable within the United States, so you can work from anywhere. If you're a rockstar team player who can help lead this important work into the future, read the job description below in detail.

If you qualify and are interested, please send your resume to [email protected].

Let's work together to create economic opportunities for military spouses and make a positive impact in their lives. Apply now!

#militaryspouses #workforcedevelopment #jobopportunity #remotejobs #economicopportunities

Elizabeth OBrien
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Location

Washington DC-Baltimore Area