Bridget Nunmaker

Bridget Nunmaker is the North America and Latin America deployment lead for human resources innovation at Chevron Corp., where she and her team are implementing digital innovation across the enterprise and changing how HR services are delivered.  

It is an exciting and fulfilling role, Nunmaker said, but working for a large international company, like her service in the military, has taught her that life does not always go according to plan.

Nunmaker was 17 years old when she joined the Army National Guard. She found out during her senior year in college that she was being deployed. “My plan was derailed,” she said. “I was devasted at the time, but it was an enormously impactful life experience. It challenged me to achieve things I never imagined in my life.”

During Operation Iraqi Freedom, Nunmaker was the platoon sergeant responsible for supplying 13 radio relay points across the main supply route in Iraq with food, fuel, bulk water, construction material and mail. These were small bases manned primarily with infantrymen responsible for patrolling and clearing the main supply route of improvised explosive devises. Over her 22-month deployment, she and her platoon conducted more than 350 convoys with no fatalities, moving security vehicles and large trucks caring water fuel and mail.

“This was humbling,” Nunmaker said. “I saw firsthand the impact of the war and developed enormous respect for everyone involved.”

Like the disruption of her college career, her experience in the military set her on a different path that regularly took her out of her comfort zone. “That discomfort truly helped me grow. I learned that there really are no boundaries for my goals and dreams. While I may be ‘uncomfortable,’ I recognize that is the state that helps me grow.”

Military service also taught Nunmaker the value of the team. “I learned in the military to be the best team member I could be and that we add greater value as a team than individually.”

The lessons Nunmaker internalized became the values she has lived by since she left the military. Upon her return from Iraq, Nunmaker served as a member of the VA medical centers advisory board in Minneapolis, and she has filled multiple roles within Chevron during her decade of service. The flexibility she has learned in the military, in life and in the workforce has broadened her perception, and today, she is open to any opportunity that comes her way.

“I have been assigned a number of roles that I did not originally have in my career development plan, but I have learned to take each role and do the best I can, to make it my own, learn from it, and use that to make me a better professional who can add greater value to Chevron,” she said.

One of the ways Nunmaker is adding value outside her official HR role is through veterans’ advocacy. There were no veterans organizations at Chevron when Nunmaker joined the company, but a global veteran’s network was established in 2015.

“I have been a member of the veterans’ network since it was established and have participated in events over the years,” Nunmaker said. One of the recent events was a Dress for Success recruiting event for veterans that was held in Houston in November. “My role at the event was to help veterans’ transition into the workforce by translating their military experience into something the civilian world understands.”

Nunmaker is thankful for the experiences and opportunities she has been given. “I got a wonderful foundation from the military early in my life, but Chevron and my colleagues also have had a big part over the past 10 years in developing me into the leader I am today,” she said.

In the workplace and through her involvement in outside organizations, Nunmaker is committed to giving back.

“Being a veteran has really put life and all that comes with it in perspective,” she said. “After being to war, there is rarely a problem in civilian life that has the same level of severity, and I can draw on my experience to focus on finding answers, help others see the issues and the solutions clearly, and be instrumental in effecting positive change.”

--Judy Murray