John F. Nickerson CTR (USA) began his internship with the Purple Knight Initiative program in December 2018. Before that time, he had never heard of the Purple Knight Initiative or the program’s mission. After speaking with Shawn Lopez, Nickerson was invited to attend a Knight Federal Meet and Greet social. He was very impressed with the presentation and the program’s mission. “I believed the program was spectacular. As many know, it is very hard to get a foot in the door (being an outsider) at the Joint Staff community and without the Purple Knight Initiative I would not have had the opportunity to find this type of employment and hold the great position I have today,” says Nickerson.
Nickerson recently graduated from the internship program and is currently working in the data department where he is responsible for updating specific software systems within Joint Forces Command, Suffolk, VA. The data he inputs is then integrated into Joint Training Data Services (JTDS). JTDS supports the Joint Live, Virtual and Constructive (JLVC) Federation and the Joint Land Component Constructive Training Capability-Entity Resolution Federation (JLCCTC-ERF). Users include Department of Defense (DOD) and interagency personnel.
For more information about the Purple Knight Initiative program, please view our page.