GCSEN Launches New Program with the Hudson Valley National Center for Veteran Reintegration

September 17, 2025- This Fall, GCSEN is launching our national pilot FastTrack Vet Ventures Program with HVNCVR- the Hudson Valley National Center for Veteran Reintegration.

Led by HVNCVR’s Executive Director Kevin Keaveny, US Army Afghanistan combat Veteran, the co-launched pilot Program is open to a cohort of up to 50 Veterans or family members. 

GCSEN’s new FastTrack Vet Ventures Program was developed from its highly
regarded Social Entrepreneurship curricula, taught at institutions such as Babson
College, SUNY New Paltz, Wheaton College, Vassar College, etc., and utilized at
numerous adult entrepreneur workshops and bootcamps in the USA, Ireland and the
Caribbean. The 4-week Program takes into consideration Veterans’ skills, passion and
aspirations, as participants are introduced to basic concepts of social entrepreneurism,
business readiness and best practices, venture start-up, pitch development,
presentation and actualization. Program graduates receive GCSEN Certificates of
course completion and can access life-long GCSEN Business Venture Counseling.
Offered both live and virtually, this Program is FREE to Veterans, active service
members and their spouses. Developed by GCSEN from its Social Entrepreneur 101
curriculum and its published Get To Wow book, all available at gcsen.org, we
invite you to join us and support our US Military Veterans.

Above, Kevin Keaveny speaking at SUNY Ulster

Kevin Keaveny served in Afghanistan, for 15 years on and off from 1991 to 2011, as part of Army National Guard units in New York and Vermont. His guard unit was among the first to arrive on 9/11 after the Twin Towers fell. The PTSD he developed from these experiences became the catalyst for the Hudson Valley National Center for Veteran Reintegration, which started as a kayak-building workshop for Veterans and has since grown to become a hub of activity, honor and special events for Veterans across the Hudson Valley region, and has now been a 501(c)3 since 2019. HVNCVR is dedicated to the well-being of Veterans and Community through purpose, dignity, respect, and honor.

From the HVNCVR opening
“As a Vet, when I’m building out my venture ideas for Vets, I’m always talking about what’s next and what I have to do to help my brothers and sisters with true healing vs. offering bandaids.  

At our Hudson Valley National Center for Veteran Reintegration (HVNCVR) - a network of 500+ Vets and Military Family Members, we have three enterprises underway.  

These include our non-profit HVNCVR along with two veteran-owned for-profits- Veterans Wooden Boat Workshop, LLC - specializing in creating high-quality kayaks, heirloom furniture, cutting boards, wooden USA flags, custom orders and Valor Woodwork, LLC - for dignified and personalized memorial tribute urns and coffins Veterans and Military Family Members offered by funeral homes and cemeteries.

All Vets cherish their freedom and being of service to others.  

We have found at HVNCVR that struggling vets have lost that key sense of purpose.  

So, we need to increase our ability to know what we want to do and then do it!  

It makes sense for GCSEN to help Vets explore and develop new sources of opportunity, remind us who we are in service to others thru our vet ventures while building-up our confidence in using GCSEN’s key social entrepreneurship curriculum and tools so we can unleash our individual and shared strengths on the homefront for the good of our families, communities and nation. 

GCSEN’s 4P’s grads and ventures focus on People, Profit, Planet and Place to make meaning, money and move the world to a better place and this offers an opportunity for HVNCR to develop a shared mission and vision which empowers the inner drive of our Vets’ 4P’s- Passion, Purpose, Peace and Prosperity.”



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