The MILITARY STAR Team Leader Talks About What’s Next

In July, Joseph Todd was named senior vice president for the Exchange Credit Program, leading the Exchange’s efforts to expand and promote the MILITARY STAR card.

Which he knows well, having been a cardholder since 2007, three years before he joined the Exchange.

Todd enlisted in the Army in 2001, serving four years on active duty and five years in the Reserve as a medic, achieving the rank of sergeant. He deployed to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Egypt during Operation Enduring Freedom.

After leaving the Army, he joined the Exchange in 2010 as a Finance and Accounting intern, working in the Treasury department.

“Walking in the building, I thought, ‘I remember this. I can do this,’” he said. “It felt like a place where I could contribute and it felt comfortable.”

After two years, he moved to the Exchange Credit Program. He rose to the vice president position, where he spent two years working on a MILITARY STAR expansion project, a collaboration with Discover Global Network that resulted in the 2024 rollout of a new card with expanded features and access.

The Exchange Post talked with Todd about his new role and his career.

Last year was a big year for MILITARY STAR. What’s next?

There are a lot of exciting things ahead. We’re continuing to improve, ensuring all customers understand the card can now be used at thousands of additional on-installation concessions and MWR partners.

Our goal is to make sure that the card is in the hands of Veterans and Reservists as well as active duty, so they can continue enjoying the benefit that they’ve earned. We’re also exploring opportunities to allow the MILITARY STAR card to truly go where cardholders go, including  off-installation.

We’re going to further our partnership with the Discover/Capital One group, bringing new capabilities andincreasing offerings as we can. We’re also working on new developments with our mobile app.

What do you hope to bring to your SVP role?

My goal is to make sure that we not only have the infrastructure in place but that we also have the customer experience in place. We’re looking to advance technology and infrastructure and grow the stability and usage of the program.

I want the cardmembers to feel like this is a true benefit for them—that they have pride in pulling out our card. I want our messaging to be true—what we earn from the card goes directly back to the military community and the military family. I hope to drive that message further.

When did you know you were going to stay with the Exchange?

When I started, I thought it was just going to be an opportunity in Finance and Accounting. I thought it was going to be an internship and I would move on.

At the time, the treasurer was Renee Figge, who eventually became the chief financial officer. She told me that I should enroll in the Financial Management Trainee Program after my internship was over. I applied and got in.

After about a year or so in my job, and understanding what I did and what it meant—I wasn’t just doing numbers to grow stock investments or making shareholders money, but doing work that benefited my brothers and sisters in arms—that connected with me. That has kept me grounded and kept me connected. I’m still here and happy to be here.

What are your memories of Exchange support during your service?

When you’re overseas, the PX gives you that taste of home. When you’re in a wartime environment, just being able to get a Snickers bar is a comfort. I’d pack Snickers bars into my vest and they just gave you a taste of home that you could not get anywhere else. That’s why I work hard here, because I know other service members have similar connections.

In 2007, when I was getting ready to deploy to Egypt, I applied for my first MILITARY STAR card. I bought my very first laptop as my first purchase using the MILITARY STAR card. It’s incredible that almost 20 years later, I’m part of the amazing  MILITARY STAR card team, providing powerful financial readiness tools for the benefit of the heroes we serve and our Nation’s military mission.

Did you have any jobs before the Exchange?

I’m from Longview, Texas, which used to be a small East Texas town and very rural. My first job was mowing lawns and doing yardwork and landscaping with my uncle, who had a small landscaping business. My first commercial job was working at a movie theater.

What do you do in your spare time?

I have three young children, two boys who are 11 and 10 and a little girl who’s 7. And I have five siblings. So I love spending time with my family. My wife and I have been married for 17 years and been together more than 20. I’m a big family guy and that’s what brings me joy—my immediate family and my extended family, my aunts, uncles and siblings.

What does ‘family serving family’ mean to you?

I feel directly connected to the military family because I’m a Veteran. So to me, it means serving those who serve and have served. I was once there, and now I get to serve my brothers and sisters in arms. That means a lot. I understand where they’ve been and where they’re going, and I do my best every day to make sure we’re supporting them.

One of the things that makes the Discover partnership so great is that one of the Discover senior executives, his father was retired military. With the whole partnership, and coming to this building and seeing what we do, he feels like he’s serving, too. It’s a very strong connection.

We get phone calls and messages from cardholders who say thank you for even a small credit-line increase. So many people keep MILITARY STAR in their wallets for years, because it’s the first credit card they had. My job is to make sure that connection stays meaningful.