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As Evon rose through the leadership ranks during his 40 years of service, his early foundations in selfless service as both a cadet and student proved vital to his success.<\/p>\n
UConn, largely through its Office of Veterans and Military Programs<\/a>, has built a culture of support for both active and retired servicemen and women seeking to pursue academic opportunities at the University. Currently, seven UConn students are also active Connecticut National Guard members on deployment overseas, according to the office.<\/p>\n That\u2019s one of the unique aspects of service in the Guard, says Evon.<\/p>\n \u201cThat experience they bring from their civilian career, they apply to the military, and vice versa,\u201d he notes.<\/p>\n In a recent conversation with Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Pamir Alpay<\/a> at the State Armory, Evon said his own time at UConn, particularly in the University\u2019s ROTC program<\/a>, helped to kindle the sense of purpose and build the leadership skills he\u2019s carried with him through his own career.<\/p>\n Alpay<\/strong>: What attracted me most about your background is that you\u2019ve been through the ROTC program and studied finance. I want to get your thoughts on, first of all, what stood out from that education that you received at UConn. And how did that help you through your career, which is really amazing, now leading our National Guard in the state of Connecticut.<\/p>\n Evon<\/strong>: It goes way back. I was the oldest of four, looking for a way to get to college. And thanks to the legislature back in the early \u201980s, we had the tuition waiver. If you joined the National Guard, you got the tuition waiver, so that got me into UConn.<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t want to burden my parents. Mom and Dad had three others to figure out what their destiny was going to be. I\u2019m from Connecticut, born and raised in the valley. I had seven friends, I was number eight \u2013 they dragged me over to the recruiting station that was literally on the other side of the high school. I was eight of eight, and I think I\u2019m the last one still in service, in boots. But it\u2019s been a great ride.<\/p>\n The education experience, back in the mid-80s, was maybe a little different than now. I lived up in Towers, and campus was different, but it was a great experience. Freshman year was probably my first time away from home, and I think that experience set me up for the military success and basic training later on. Back then, when some of the soldiers went to basic training, that was probably the first time that they had been away from home. Between freshman and sophomore year, I went to basic training and advanced individual training [AIT], so I had at least a year of independence.<\/p>\n The curriculum back then was pretty much wide open, large classrooms, and I think that also helped refine a couple of things, because you quickly had to figure out how to stay engaged.<\/p>\n After the summer between freshman and sophomore year, I went away to military training, and then I came back, had a fresh-skin haircut, and saw an individual in the old uniforms \u2013 the BDUs [battle dress uniforms], we used to call them \u2013 and this individual had a tail, like one of those hair tails. Walking by, I\u2019m trying to figure out which army are you in? Because I just came from Fort Benning, and that kind of hairstyle wasn\u2019t allowed, was not acceptable.<\/p>\n But that cadet got me to the hangar, and I\u2019d never thought I\u2019d really be an officer. But I got to the hangar, talked to the PMS [professors of military science] at the time, and said, \u2018Hey, why don\u2019t you give this a shot?\u2019 And that\u2019s what started the ROTC, the leadership piece.<\/p>\n The idea of \u2018selfless service\u2019 got back to my dad in Vietnam. Through him, there was a little bit of military history in my family, military exposure. But I think the majority of it comes from the experience at UConn, and I credit that to ROTC. ROTC kept me on a path that I could have easily gone off of. I don\u2019t want to say that I looked forward to those early morning PT [physical training] sessions, but I think it held me accountable. I needed the structure at that point. Structure and discipline are definitely part of the equation for me.<\/p>\n Alpay<\/strong>: Have you been to campus recently?<\/p>\n Evon<\/strong>: Probably eight months ago now, I think.<\/p>\n Alpay<\/strong>: So, you\u2019ve seen a lot of the new buildings, new capabilities…<\/p>\n Evon<\/strong>: Absolutely. It\u2019s amazing. It was much smaller back in the \u201980s, but yeah, it\u2019s a robust campus. And Stamford \u2013 I was at the ribbon cutting down in Stamford when they initiated the housing down there, and it\u2019s great.<\/p>\n Alpay<\/strong>: For those who might not know, how would you describe your responsibilities as adjutant general?<\/p>\n Evon<\/strong>: I\u2019m humbled and honored and have the privilege of leading 5,000 men and women in the Connecticut Army National Guard and the Air Guard. We also have the Governor\u2019s Guard \u2013 two Horse Guards, and two Foot Guards.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s an immense responsibility. We have a great team of dedicated individuals who raise their right hand to be part of something larger than themselves.<\/p>\n We currently have 650 members deployed overseas in just about any capacity, and we take that very seriously. We take their families and how we engage with them very seriously. We take the interaction with their employers very seriously as well, because we have the service member, the family, and their employer \u2013 none of this synchronizes within the enterprise unless all three are working together. If the family is not comfortable with what\u2019s going on at home, then the soldier or airman deployed can\u2019t focus on the mission at hand.<\/p>\n So, it\u2019s great \u2013 I wouldn\u2019t trade it for anything, honestly. We have a great team. They\u2019re super innovative. Every single time they\u2019re given a task and a purpose, what they come up with is just amazing. We started the Innovation Challenge<\/a> a couple of years back \u2013 it\u2019s a competition and a great way for them to offer input, and some things are just amazing, refinements on how to make the organization better, highlighting and helping to cut down some of the red tape that we may have in the organization, and just some simple ideas on how we recruit, how we interact with potential candidates, and showing them what this opportunity is to join the Connecticut National Guard.<\/p>\n Our guardsmen live in Connecticut, they serve here, they represent their community. We think we\u2019re all better citizens because we interact like that, and we think that\u2019s really what sets us apart from our active-duty components, because we have a state mission and a federal mission.<\/p>\n Alpay<\/strong>: Going back to your ROTC time, what is it like being not just a student but also a cadet at the same time?<\/p>\n Evon<\/strong>: I think a big part of it is that selfless service, that being part of something larger than yourself. In addition to your normal curriculum, you\u2019re part of the ROTC program, a decades-old program that is producing leaders for the Army, the Army Reserve, and the Connecticut National Guard.<\/p>\n For me, it really kindled my leadership spirit, my sense of responsibility. I think if you were to talk to any of UConn\u2019s coaches, for example, they\u2019d say that a sense of belonging, a sense of purpose, would be key. And for me, I think Army ROTC gave me that right from Day 1.<\/p>\n Alpay<\/strong>: What would you advise UConn students, or potential students, who are considering a career in military service?<\/p>\n Evon<\/strong>: I think it\u2019s a great opportunity. I don\u2019t think we, as a nation, should consider mandated service. But you can truly give back to your country. You can truly lead. You can serve active duty and then come to the Guard. You can serve in the Guard and live in Connecticut and serve here. If someone is thinking about a gap year, the Guard could be a great opportunity. They can come and have a different experience. They can contribute to the workforce. They can travel.<\/p>\n And they can build some camaraderie. The National Guard didn\u2019t telework during COVID. We were there, here, in this room, in many offices around our building, trying to figure out what was next, working with public health, working with emergency management, and the governor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n I think it\u2019s a great experience, an opportunity to grow leadership skills. I\u2019m amazed at the service members that I meet. We have doctors in their civilian careers who want to be infantrymen on the weekend, because they want to get out and be in the woods. We have members that joined, whether they\u2019re in the medical field or in the cyber field, that have gained this experience and are now adding value to the workforce.<\/p>\n And I think that\u2019s a key component that makes us stronger when we mobilize, whether stateside or overseas. There are a lot of people like Alyssa Kelleher [director of UConn\u2019s Office of Veterans and Military Programs<\/a>], or we have a command sergeant major who\u2019s the superintendent of the West Hartford school system, or we have our infantry command sergeant major who\u2019s a state trooper deployed overseas right now. That experience they bring from their civilian career, they apply to the military, and vice versa.<\/p>\n I think Connecticut, as a whole \u2013 UConn is the flagship institution, and the Connecticut Guard is Connecticut\u2019s home team \u2013 is growing into a very positive, innovative environment. We\u2019ve got a lot of positive interaction going on with industry and innovation, the defense industrial base, and I think some days we don\u2019t get enough credit.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a lot of great things going on in Connecticut, and it\u2019s super exciting.<\/p>\n Alpay<\/strong>: General Evon, thank you for your time. And thank you for your service to our nation and Connecticut. We are very proud of you and your achievements.<\/p>\n