Neighborhood and Community Services

In honor of November's Military Family Appreciation Month, meet NCS Organization and Training Manager Chris Karayannis. Chris served in the U.S. Army for 21 years before eventually finding a third career at NCS.  Learn about how Chris' time in the military impacted his career path and his current work at NCS.  Name: Chris Karayannis Job Title/Unit: NCS Organization & Training Manager Years with Fairfax County: Two Military Service: Retired from the United States Military Police Corps after 21 years (1979-2000). I retired as a First Sergeant. What inspired you to serve? I knew that I wasn’t ready for college, and I didn’t understand how it all worked anyway since no one in my family had attended college. I was enticed to sign up for the GI Bill, the opportunity to serve my country, and to travel the world. I loved the motto of the Military Police: Assist-Protect-Defend Where did you serve? Were you deployed? I spent the first six years at Fort Bragg, NC, jumping out of airplanes. It’s also where I served my first combat tour (Grenada – Operation Urgent Fury). I served two tours (seven years total) in Germany, four years at Fort Stewart, GA, where I served my second combat tour (Operation Desert Shield/Storm).  I was then stationed at Fort McClellan where I served as the First Sergeant of the 209th MP Company and then as the Assistant Commandant of the Military Police Noncommissioned Officer Academy. The 209th was selected to perform security duties for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, which was such an honor. In all, 18 of my 21 years in the Army were spent in deployable units, and I performed missions all over the world.  How did you make the transition from the service to working for Fairfax County Government? I made a brief stop in Fairfax County Public Schools and taught for 22 years at Edison High School in Alexandria. I obtained my graduate degree in education and taught special education for three years. After that, I taught an advanced academics course, History of the Americas, in the International Baccalaureate Program; Virginia and United States History, United States Honors Government, and Leadership I & II over the 18 years. The transition to my current role as NCS' training manager was a natural extension of leadership, training management, lesson design and organization development skills honed over 40+ years.    What was the greatest lesson you learned from your military service? How do you apply that lesson in your work with NCS? It’s the same lesson I shared with my students as soon as I became a teacher…” Don’t be sorry, be right!” It means you should take the time and make the effort to always put your best foot forward on every single task since your work is a reflection of you. I had many leaders who reinforced this concept. They were invested in making me a better version of myself so I decided it made sense that no one should be more invested in my success than me. So, if you want to earn a promotion, if you want to advance your professional career, if you want an excellent reputation, if you want to build strong personal relationships … you have to act like it! What do you want others to know about veterans? That veterans CHOSE to serve, that is to say, they volunteered. In some cases, they volunteered more than once. They understand what accomplishing a mission is all about. They made sacrifices, many risked their lives, and that kind of life can leave scars; physical, mental, and emotional ones. Most will willingly talk about their service, share personal accomplishments or interesting experiences, and all the ones I’ve met, are proud of their service. To see more information on Fairfax County resources for service members, veterans and their families visit the county Military and Veterans page.