I am Owner and Founder of Cappellos - HR Solutions

As an Italian American, I grew up in Rome, NY. Italian slang was common where I grew up and I always wondered why people called the plural form of hats (cappelli), cappellos. As I grew up and Italian slang became second nature, I still call "caps" - cappellos. Why the obsession with hats you ask? To me, a ball cap is the ultimate sign of a "team" and "partnership". Whether it is a newcomer to professional team at the NFL Draft donning their new team's ball cap, or a person wanting to wear and represent a ball cap identifying their favorite team, everyone can appreciate the unification and brand ambassadorship of a "CAP". In the business of people (human resources), it is more vital than ever that organizations partner and represent the right people and the right teams. To me, the cappello is the ultimate representation of a team and partnership. This is the mindset I will have working with your organization. And so, Cappellos, LLC (Cappellos HR Solutions) was born!

Cappellos HR Solutions Vision is to provide any organization, “custom fit” HR solutions that promote inclusivity of the military community

Very few can comprehend what it takes to be a career hopper like I can. A bold statement, right?! I started my professional journey as a Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps Scholarship recipient out of high school, where I embarked on an educational journey to attend the University of Tampa and University of South Florida in pursuit of a nursing degree. For three years I battled "is this what I want to do for the rest of my career?" The short answer was -NO-. I couldn't imagine seeing my scholar ship money go to waste, so to truly confirm my doubts I started working at the local Level 1 Trauma Center, Tampa General Hospital where I worked as a Float Pool Nurse Technician largely doing what Registered Nurses do. When I reached my senior year o f college, I finally made the call. It was time to career pivot. I surrendered my scholarship, and the Navy was fortunate to not make me pay it back. Instead, I pursued a degree in International Cultural Studies and a minor in Naval Science. I loved my new course work, and I continued doing NROTC and paying my own way through school funded through other scholarships and Tampa General Hospital. After my first semester of my senior year, I selected the job path of becoming a "Surface Warfare Officer", aka a Warship Driver and Fighter. After embarking on the USS NEW YORK during my senior year Midshipman Summer Cruise, the Commanding Officer "Blue Chipped" me. Basically, that is a fancy way for saying, I knew what ship I was going to following graduation.

After a complete career track shift (my first of many), I commissioned and served a board USS NEW YORK from 2017-2020. While onboard, I became a jack of all trades. Engineering, combat systems, navigation, administration, anti-terrorism and force protection, small boat operations, visit board search and seizure, and more. Not to mention, drinking through the fire hose of knowledge to get qualified in key watch stations and figure out what kind of leader I was going to be. I must have done something right, because I was peer selected as "Junior Officer of the Year" in the 2018, was a number 1 ranked Ensign in a class of 18, and quickly rose to be hand selected to be a combat trained, non-compliant boarding certified boat officer. A position of extreme trust from senior leadership. During this 3-year window, I deployed on two 7.5-month deployments, conducted boat operations in the Fjords of Norway for 3 months during Joint Exercise Trident Juncture, and executed 2 Disaster Relief Support Operations to the Caribbean following some severe hurricanes devastating Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. Towards the end of this deployment, I realized I wanted to pursue a more tactical career than what I was currently assigned to do. I shopped a round for a new career and wanted to circle back to a childhood dream of becoming a Special Agent with the FBI.

During my second career hop, everything that could go wrong went wrong. I was medically disqualified from the FBI two weeks away from shipping to Quantico because I had suffered two back-to-back hamstring blow outs. Ouch. My saving grace, I had joined the Reserves immediately following Active Duty and knew I wanted to go to the expeditionary boat officer route. Unlike Active Duty, the Navy Reserves offered ample opportunity for small boat team style operations, so I ate it up! During this tour I was a liaison for a 2-Star Major General Turner, during the largest Pacific Exercise Dawn Blitz, I deployed boat teams around the globe, and had helped with a mass consolidation of Assault Craft Units nationwide. All the meanwhile, I created my Resume Template and Skills Gap Analysis Worksheet. I started off voluntarily sharing it with every Officer transitioning from the military. I used my platform as a Reservist to foster continued service, while affording a fall back as Junior Officers transitioned back to civilian life. My Resume template spread like wild-fire and I realized I was on to something.

Realizing I was on to something, my entrepreneurial spirit came out yet again (A story for another time) and thus thwarted me into my 3rd career pivot. From Nurse Technician --> Surface Warfare Officer --> Reservist / FBI candidate --> Recruiter. I took my network I had developed from my Resume shenanigans and paired it with a Navy Reserve Recruiting opportunity, taking a set of Canvasser Recruiter orders to Morgantown, WV. Recruiting is NOT for the weak. Come to find out, I LOVED everything about it. I quickly became a dominant force in Navy Recruiting winning awards for Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate Program Recruiting, Baccalaureate Degree Completion Program Recruiting, overall regional accessions, and became a prominent face of Navy Recruiting in Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, D.C. and West Virginia. As a Navy Recruiter, you are responsible for Full-Desk/Full Life Cycle Recruiting. The independent operations, community involvement, and sales acumen I developed were blowing my competition out of the water.

After quickly rising to an Officer-in-Charge of regional Recruiting, I decided to a gain make another career pivot and this time more permanent. I completed a Master of Science in Human Resource Leadership from West Virginia University and started my business Cappellos, LLC aka Cappellos HR Solutions. All the meanwhile, the Navy Reserve stood up a new opportunity called a Permanent Professional Officer Recruiter designation (1287). I was selected to be the face of my area of responsibility for the rest of my Navy Reserve Career!

As an HR Entrepreneur, I have a decade relevant HR function experience from my service in the Navy, while also providing services and product support to my clients. I have successfully bridged the remaining skills gaps I had in benefits administration and payroll and now can provide the complete full scope HR support role to any growing organization.

I am ecstatic to bring my years of hard work, public facing and announce I am OPEN FOR BUSINESS!