The City of Colorado Springs has been recognized as a 2026 Silver Military Friendly Employer and a 2026 Military Friendly Spouse Employer. The Military Friendly designation is awarded to organizations that demonstrate a commitment to supporting veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses through career opportunities and workforce initiatives.
Currently, nearly one in five employees at the City of Colorado Springs are veterans. The City is also part of the Employer Roundtable, which includes Colorado Springs Utilities, Deloitte, USAA, and UCHealth. This group collaborates with local military installations such as Peterson and Schriever Space Force Bases, Fort Carson, Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station, and the U.S. Air Force Academy to address employment issues faced by military spouses and to connect them with job resources. The coalition’s work includes legislative advocacy, data collection, job fairs, and other employment support activities.
Jessie Kimber, Commander, U.S. Navy (Ret.) and Director of Economic Development as well as Senior Military Advisor to the Mayor stated: “As a veteran and a military spouse, I appreciate working for an employer that truly understands military service. The City of Colorado Springs values the skills we bring — leadership, mission focus, and teamwork — and backs it up with real support and opportunity. It’s not just veteran-friendly in name, it’s part of the culture here.”
In addition to its internal efforts, the City partners with local organizations like Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center to provide workshops and job fairs aimed at helping veterans transition into civilian careers. Collaboration with groups such as the Military Spouse Community Coalition further supports career advancement for military spouses in the Pikes Peak Region.
Military Friendly designations are determined by consulting with an advisory council composed of independent leaders from the military recruitment sector. Organizations are evaluated based on criteria including recruitment practices, new hire retention rates, employee turnover rates, promotion rates for veterans and military employees, along with survey results.
According to Military Friendly’s published methodology available at https://www.militaryfriendly.com/mfcguide/, more than 2,900 organizations compete annually for these distinctions using a rules-based algorithm that combines survey scores with additional assessments. Military Friendly is operated by a service-disabled veteran-owned small business but is not affiliated with or endorsed by any government entity.
