“Bring people with you”: Walt Pikul’s commitment to veterans transitioning from military to civilian life

For Walt Pikul MBA ’75, the transition from military service to civilian life was never a single decision. It was a process shaped by experience, uncertainty, and, ultimately, perspective.

Today, decades after earning his MBA from William & Mary’s Raymond A. Mason School of Business while serving on active duty, Pikul is helping to ensure that others navigating that same transition do not have to do it alone.

His support for the university’s Center for Military Transition’s “Flourishing Through Transition” program’s pre-orientation is not only because of the path he followed, but in a deep belief about what education and opportunity should do.

“You owe that to the next person coming up the line,” Pikul said. “Education and opportunity betters them, their family, and the country as a whole.”

A transition earned in real time

Pikul completed his MBA while in command of military units at Fort Eustis, balancing his leadership and service responsibilities with the demands of graduate education.

“There were many nights I was up there every single evening,” he recalled. “We didn’t have an option to not meet in person, and we had group work and presentations. You had to be there. It took time, and it took effort. But it was attainable, and it was worth it.”

What stayed with him most, however, was the exposure to an entirely new way of thinking.

“I had command experience, I had Vietnam experience, but I didn’t have business experience,” he said. “Listening to those individuals gave me a better view on how to handle things.”

The MBA helped bridge that gap.

“It makes what you learned at the undergraduate level understandable,” Pikul said. “It allows you to apply it to real-world challenges.”

The ability to translate their experience into a new context is exactly what many veterans must do when they enter civilian life.

Jonathan “JD” Due, director of the Center for Military Transition explained, “Crafting a new professional identity is one of the more difficult gaps transitioning service members must navigate.” “Anyone can craft a resume or a LinkedIn profile,” Due continued, “but the truly challenging shift is ensuring that those documents align with an individual’s values, interests, motivations, and strengths.”

The pre-orientation program is designed to help students begin that process early, aligning their military experience with both academic and career pathways.

From uncertainty to purpose

Pikul’s own transition was shaped by a moment of clarity that redefined how he thought about risk, his career, and the future.

After returning from Vietnam, where he served as a combat helicopter pilot, he learned of a devastating crash involving soldiers he had recently served alongside.

“That’s when I realized I wasn’t invincible. I was just lucky,” he said.

That realization led him to consider a different path, one that would allow him to build a sustainable career beyond the military. After leaving active duty in 1979, he went on to found his own accounting firm, a decision he still views today as life-changing.

“For the last 40-plus years, I can’t remember a day where I’ve gone home dissatisfied,” Pikul explained. “It’s not work to me. It’s a career that the MBA program helped me find.”

That difference now influences how he thinks about education. “The purpose of school is not just to get you a job,” he said. “There are plenty of jobs. It’s to help you find something you’re comfortable with for the long term.”

Why transition matters

It was that understanding—how difficult and personal the transition process can be—that drew Pikul to the “Flourishing Through Transition” program.

“I know how hard it is sometimes,” he commented.

Even with strong experience and education, veterans often face challenges that aren’t immediately visible, including translating skills, rebuilding confidence in a new environment, and identifying a path forward after service. The pre-orientation program was designed to address exactly those gaps.

“More than anything, this orientation addresses identity, confidence, communication, and relationships,” Due explained. By focusing on those elements early, the program helps veterans not only integrate into the academic environment but begin shaping their next chapter with intention.

For Pikul, that focus resonated immediately. “It takes a while to really feel what you’re comfortable with,” he said. Through his support, he hopes to give students the time, tools, and perspective to start that process sooner, and with greater clarity.

Recognizing what veterans bring to the community

Pikul also sees the program as an important acknowledgement of the distinct perspective veterans bring into the classroom.

“They come in with a different set of experiences,” he said. “Command experience, staff experience, working with organizations, it’s very similar to business in many ways.”

Recognizing those differentiations allows faculty to better relate coursework with real-world application. “It helps instructors tailor how they teach and how they connect the material,” Pikul said. “The book is just a guide. It’s how you apply it that matters.”

The pre-orientation also helps build another critical component of success: relationships. Participants move through the experience as a cohort, forming connections that they carry into their academic and professional journeys.

“These relationships are critical,” Due noted.

For Pikul, the impact of the program extends beyond individual outcomes. He believes initiatives like this strengthen the entire Mason School and contribute to a broader mission of developing leaders prepared to meet complex future challenges.

“The business school is critically important to improving society as a whole,” he said.

That belief is grounded in his own experience. The education he received at William & Mary gave him the tools to build a career advising small businesses and nonprofits, and to create long-term value for others.

But success, in his view, is measured by more than personal achievement. “If you’re sitting there with millions in the bank and you didn’t bring anybody with you, you’ve kind of failed,” Pikul said.

It’s a philosophy that continues to shape his involvement with the university, including his ongoing support for the Center for Military Transition.

A legacy that continues

As Pikul looks to the future, he hopes that the program will continue to grow, expanding its reach while maintaining its focus on meaningful impact.

For the Center, that long-term vision includes not only strong career outcomes, but a lasting sense of connection and purpose among participants. In time, Due hopes those alumni will return as “mentors, coaches, and advocates for future participants and future iterations of the program,” creating a cycle of support that extends far beyond a single program.

For Pikul, that outcome would reflect something even more fundamental. “You’re not here forever,” he said. “So you do what you can to help the next generation.”