A vocal advocate for the public support of our military community, Mr. Teravainen assumed his position as President and CEO in February 2014 after serving as a board chairman, director and volunteer since 2009.

​In this role, Tony oversees the positioning of STEP as a successful, trusted and viable partner to Southern California and Washington State’s military population. Under his guidance, STEP has assisted more than 5,100+ military and veteran families in financial crisis move to self-sufficiency through financial counseling and $2.2 million in issued grants – with a 90% effectiveness rate.

​Being the son of a career Air Force father, Tony knows firsthand the hardships young military families endure. Additionally, a medical condition abruptly ended his career as a U.S. Navy submariner, thrusting him into a difficult transition to civilian life. Tony is driven to serve our young military families as in them he sees himself, his parents, and his veteran brother.

​Mr. Teravainen left his consulting position at Booz Allen Hamilton to become STEP’s full-time CEO, where for five years he consulted on strategy and process improvement. Prior to that, he spent seven years running his portfolio of small businesses, 12 years in manufacturing leadership at Sony Electronics, Inc., and eight years in the operations, repair and project management areas of the U.S. Navy’s Submarine Nuclear Power Program.

​In addition to his representing Disabled Veterans as a Commissioner on San Diego’s Citizens Equal Opportunity Commission, he serves as Chairman of San Diego County’s Military & Veteran Advisory Council. He also currently sits on the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce Defense, Veteran and Military Committee, and held past leadership positions with San Diego Military Family Collaborative, Veterans Community Connection, San Diego Veterans Coalition, and the San Diego Coast Guard City Committee.

​Mr. Teravainen holds undergraduate degrees in business management and nuclear engineering, a master’s degree in Executive Leadership from The University of San Diego and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Public Policy from Liberty University. Tony has received multiple awards and recognition for his efforts to serve his community, including 2018 Top Veteran Nonprofit CEO and 2020 Top 50 CEO’s in San Diego. He holds professional licenses in Six Sigma, Project Management and Change Management, holds one U.S. patent, is a TEDx speaker, and frequent panelist discussing military and veteran policies and issues.

​Married to Jaclyn with two daughters and a son, Tony resides in the Highland Valley area of San Diego County where he enjoys ranching his livestock and tending to his orchards

The PsychArmor resource for this week is the course series, Courses for Financial Wellness. Thanks to PsychArmor’s partnership with Prudential, this portfolio of Financial Wellness courses covers key consideration factors, manageable budgeting best practices, and engaging resources to help military-connected individuals progress towards financial wellness. Explore the range of topics strategically designed to span across generations: kids, adults, and retirees.  You can see the courses through the link in the show notes. https://psycharmor.org/courses-for-financial-wellness/

 

 This Episode Sponsored By:

 
This episode is sponsored by PsychArmor, the premier education and learning ecosystem specializing in military culture content. PsychArmor offers an online e-learning laboratory with custom training options for organizations.

Our theme music Don’t Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.

Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families.  You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com