Wave Systems Corp. has announced that William Solms ‘85 has been appointed by the board of directors as CEO, replacing Steven Sprague. Solms served as the company’s vice president of North American sales, and will now be responsible for ensuring a smooth transition and leading Wave’s executive team. Solms served a distinguished career as an active duty Army officer, capping his 20+ year military career as a member of the Joint Staff. After his military service, Solms joined Microsoft as a sales executive, directed the federal sales team for Oracle-on-Demand at Oracle, and held executive positions in business development and sales at A-T Solutions and Intellidyne, LLC.
COL William Huff ’91 has maintained a strong bond with his son while stationed at International Security Assistance Force headquarters in Afghanistan. Sports have always been a common bond for father and son, and Huff’s four tours in Afghanistan and two-plus years in Iraq haven’t changed that. Read more.
Shad A. Madsen ’98 has been named Chief Financial Officer of Mentoring Minds, a leading national publisher of K-12 educational resources. Shad brings diverse, hands-on experience and leadership to his new role as CFO. Leading and developing future generations to serve the country has been a dominant theme throughout Shad's 16-year career. Shad was a captain in the U.S. Army, leading teams of soldiers in both peace and wartime operations, including two tours in the Middle East. After serving in the Army, Shad worked at Boeing and Sabre Holdings, progressing from analyst to business unit controller and then finance director. While at Boeing and Sabre, he contributed to a wide variety of financial and operational functions including financial planning and analysis, accounting, financial reporting, risk management, mergers and acquisitions, due diligence, business unit strategy, and resource management.
Phil Bardos ’50 highlights the achievements and leadership of the West Point class of 1950 in his new book Cold War Warriors. In this compelling story, Bardos describes in great detail how many of his classmates became leaders of industry, government and educational institutions throughout the United States, and performed leadership roles in key functions of the U.S. military. This book singles out the West Point class of 1950 because collectively, their leadership roles were instrumental in assisting the nation to win the Cold war. Appealling to Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion and the men and women who have served in the armed forces since World War II, Cold War Warriors depicts a group of men from a distinctive educational institution whose sole purpose is "Duty, Honor, Country".
Lee R. Anderson Sr. ’61, owner and chairman of APi Group, Inc., will be inducted as a Member of The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans. This prestigious award recognizes exceptional leaders with a commitment to philanthropy and higher education who have overcome significant personal challenges to achieve success. The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans is a nonprofit educational organization honoring the achievements of outstanding individuals and encouraging youth to pursue their dreams through higher education.
Upon receiving a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, Mr. Anderson launched a highly promising military career. However, his military career was cut short when his father suffered a serious heart attack. In the four decades since he returned home to Minneapolis to run his family’s construction business, Mr. Anderson has successfully grown the company into what is now APi Group, a multi-billion dollar company with more than 10,000 employees throughout North American and Europe.
Mr. Anderson and his wife, Penny, have given more than $60 million to the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul and are recognized as the largest donors in West Point’s history. In 2010 Mr. and Mrs. Anderson were honored with Minnesota’s Outstanding Individual Philanthropist Award. Together, they also financed the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s “Hire Our Heroes” program aimed at encouraging businesses to hire military veterans.
Mr. Anderson is also a recipient of the 2013 Distinguished Graduate of West Point award.
Mike Fisher ’90 and Marty Abbott ’90, co-founding managing partners of growth and scalability advisory firm AKF Partners, have co-authored their third book together, The Power of Customer Misbehavior (Palgrave-MacMillan).
The Power of Customer Misbehavior explores the importance of customer driven innovation for top line and bottom line growth. It shows how companies should not only learn to identify how their products are being misused, but also how to use this knowledge to innovate new products and services that better meet customer needs and promote viral growth. These techniques also promote long-term customer loyalty and growth even in hypercompetitive environments.
This unique new book is the first to explore the idea of 'customer misuse': when customers modify features or expand the usage of products and services in ways that were never intended. Reacting appropriately to customer misuse will allow companies to enter new markets, create more loyal customers, and encourage customers to tell others about the company's products, all of which foster faster growth. These compelling concepts are presented in the form of simple actionable principles and illustrated with rich case studies from successful companies such as Twitter, Intuit, eBay and Coca-Cola, to offer the first practical guide to harnessing this new source of strategic innovation.
Their first 2 books, The Art of Scalability and Scalability Rules (Addison-Wesley) addressed how to build products to meet the needs of hyper growth, while The Power of Customer Misbehavior is their first in defining how to achieve viral growth.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Matthew J. Geraci ’94 recently completed a project for NASA’s Payload Operations Integration Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Geraci’s small business, TheBlastingCabinet, created microelectronic engraved glass signs that change color, giving NASA’s Mission Control Room in Huntsville a unique and innovative new look. Mission controllers will now have a new way to communicate with the International Space Station.
After Geraci received a Baccalaureate of Science in physics and nuclear engineering, he was commissioned as an active duty Army officer with deployments to Kuwait and Kosovo. He served as the Commander for the Army's 62d Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Company and is one of the few EOD officers with hands-on experience dealing with live mustard and nerve gas weapons.
In 2006 he earned his Doctorate of Pharmacy from the University of Utah and later completed a post-graduate residency at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. He currently serves as a clinical pharmacist in emergency medicine with Baptist Health in Jacksonville, Florida.
Watch the unveiling of Geraci’s NASA project here.
Texas litigation boutique Weisbart Springer Hayes LLP has added trial and appellate lawyer Kevin Terrazas ’99 in the firm’s Austin office.
Selected this year to the Texas Rising Stars list of the state’s top young lawyers, Mr. Terrazas earned his law degree, with honors, from Harvard Law School in 2007. He completed his undergraduate degree in 1999 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he was named a Distinguished Cadet.
Prior to law school, he served as a captain in the U.S. Army's Field Artillery branch, including service with the 101st Airborne Division during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal and Army Achievement Medal, among other military honors. He also is a graduate of the U.S. Army's Ranger, Airborne and Air Assault schools.
Joining the firm from the Austin office of Yetter Coleman LLP, Mr. Terrazas provides experience in a wide range of complex trials and appeals involving antitrust claims, intellectual property, contracts, torts and constitutional law. He is also a former law clerk to Judge Priscilla R. Owen of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Terrazas currently serves as a director of the American Red Cross of Central Texas and an officer for the Hispanic Bar Association of Austin.
McGraw-Hill recently published Geoffrey Tumlin’s ‘94 book of counterintuitive insights for business and personal success in the digital age, Stop Talking, Start Communicating. The book draws on Tumlin’s work as an organizational consultant and offers practical solutions for improving communication at work and at home in an age of smart phones, message overload, and constant contact.
Tumlin’s book warns that meaningful communication—the lifeblood of civilization and the backbone of successful relationships—is at risk, threatened by the avalanche of quick, cheap, and easy communication made possible by the digital revolution. Our increasing reliance on, and preference for, communication that is expedient and convenient, like email, text messaging, or social media posting, is dangerously eroding more difficult and time-intensive higher-order communication abilities, such as arguing sensibly, resolving conflict, persuading others, bargaining, and providing emotional support. The steady deterioration of our higher-order communication abilities results in more error-prone interactions and chronic misunderstandings that multiply our communication problems, degrade our productivity, and diminish our quality of life. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Stop Talking, Start Communicating balances research, experience, and humor to draw attention to the increasingly problematic disconnect between our higher-order communication needs and our lower-order communication practices, while pointing a straightforward and compelling path to more productive and meaningful conversations. Stop Talking, Start Communicating combines scientific knowledge with proven practices to deliver counterintuitive—but highly effective and immediately usable—communication strategies.
On November 5th the White House honored 12 local heroes as “Champions of Change.” Among those selected for the program were Drew Sloan ’02 and Kevin Johnson ’02 – American veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who are doing extraordinary work to advance clean energy
Drew Sloan, ‘02 serves as a sales executive with the energy efficiency and smart grid software company, Opower. In this role, Drew works with utilities to provide customers better insight into their energy usage, helping families make smarter, more efficient energy choices. Prior to joining Opower, Drew served as an Army officer, completing tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He received the Purple Heart medal for wounds suffered during a Taliban ambush in 2004 as well as two Bronze Stars. Drew is co-author of the book, Let There Be Light: Electrifying the Developing World with Markets and Distributed Energy. Drew is a founding member of Operation Free, a nationwide coalition of veterans and national security experts who advocate for securing America with clean energy.and increase climate resilience and preparedness in their communities.
Kevin Johnson, ’02 is the Senior Manager of Mergers & Acquisitions and leads Federal Market Business Development for the Acciona Energy North America Corporation. Kevin manages Acciona’s federal market team, which works closely with the Department of Defense to achieve its goal of 25 percent renewable energy by 2025. Prior to joining Acciona, Kevin served as a Captain in the United States Army and was deployed to Iraq in 2004 with the 1st Battalion, 33rd Field Artillery Regiment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. As an advocate for the Truman National Security Project and Operation Free, he continues to lead the charge for a more sustainable and secure energy future.
Upon returning home from service, many veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan have continued to utilize their specialized skills and experiences to advance energy efficiency and renewable energy, make communities more resilient to the effects of climate change and improve our nation’s energy security.
The Champions of Change program was created as an opportunity for the White House to feature individuals, businesses, and organizations doing extraordinary things to empower and inspire members of their communities.
To learn more about the Champions of Change program, clicke here.
Elisa Basnight ’91 was appointed Director of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Center for Women Veterans in October 2013. In this role, she is the primary advisor to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on programs and issues related to women Veterans.
Prior to her appointment, Ms. Basnight, Esquire, was an associate with Debevoise & Plimpton LLP in New York, NY, and most recently with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney in Philadelphia, PA. Prior to her legal work, Ms. Basnight served as the Director of Resource Center for Workforce Essentials, Inc. in Clarksville, TN, where she developed and led the conception and implementation of an innovative career development center to assist downsized U.S. Servicemembers with redeployment as Veterans into civilian employment.
Ms. Basnight graduated from the U. S. Military Academy 1991, making her the first African-American woman graduate from the state of Wisconsin. As a newly commissioned military intelligence officer, she completed Airborne School and other trainings, and received a Joint Chiefs of Staff appointment. Ms. Basnight served both overseas and in the United States, on active duty with the U.S Army and in the U.S. Army Reserves.Ms. Basnight’s lifelong passion for helping others is evident in her public service and private sector activities. She is a member of the U.S. Army Philadelphia Community Advisory Board and a former term member of the Council on Foreign Relations; authored the 2008 Veterans Day op-ed “Remember the Veterans;” and in 2005, was appointed by New Jersey’s governor to serve on its Military and Veterans Affairs Transition Policy Task Force, where she served as co-chair.
Ms. Basnight is the founder of Girls Action Network, Inc. a nonprofit with the mission to shatter stereotypes and expand opportunities for girls and young women, especially those from underserved communities. In 2009, she was recognized as a Woman of Distinction by the Philadelphia Business Journal and has received special recognition and awards for her service to girls, women and Veterans.
Ms. Basnight is also a graduate of Boston University-Brussels, Rutgers Law School-Newark and Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government--earning a master's degree in public administration and selected to be a Zuckerman Fellow 2006-2007.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.For Us All: The Campaign for West Point will ensure that the Academy has the resources available to fully prepare the next generation of leaders for the Army and the Nation.
The West Point Superintendent and other Academy leaders have determined what areas of support are needed for preparing ethical and agile leaders of character and will best complement the core mission of the Academy. With your help, West Point cadets – those on whom we will all rely to defend democracy everywhere—will have everything they need to succeed and serve with honor in an uncertain and volatile world.
Each year approximately 10% of the resources available to the Academy comes from private funding. Federal dollars fund 90% of West Point's budget, to include Margin of Excellence programs when available. However, in an era of reduced funding across the board, it is no longer possible to grow the Margin of Excellence needed to attract, yet alone develop, the caliber of people we expect to lead our Armed Services. Already the Academy has experienced a cut of 10-20% in operating dollars, some of which went to support Margin of Excellence programs. Future federal funding deficits will affect the core and, in turn, Margin of Excellence opportunities will be significantly diminished.
Show your support with a tax deductible gift and support West Point and it's future leaders.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Bob Celski's son, J.R. Celski, is heading to Sochi as America's best hope at the short track.
Celski won the 1,000 meters at the U.S. Olympic trials Sunday, assuring he'll compete in all three individual events in Russia. This will be the young Celski's second Olympics, and he is looking to add to the pair of bronze medals he won at the 2010 Vancouver Games.
William Orlando Darby, Class of 1933, will be recognized for his many contributions to the U. S. Army and in particular for his formation and leadership of the first Army Ranger Battalions to be activated during World War II. BG Darby received many awards including two Distinguished Service Crosses, Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, three Purple Hearts, as well as the British Distinguished Service Order.
A new statue in his honor is to be unveiled in his hometown of Fort Smith, Arkansas, in 2016 after funding has been completed. This statue in the local Cisterna Park will depict BG Darby on his typical mode of transportation while checking on his Ranger Battalions in North Africa and Italy – a 1942 Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
Those interested in more information on BG William O. Darby and this memorial monument can visit the website for the project or contact the local project manager Liz Armstrong at (479) 561-0493.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.On Wednesday, Jan. 7, 1LT Chuck Nadd ’11 arrived home to Winter Park, FL after an 8-month tour in Afghanistan. But this was no ordinary homecoming. After Nadd’s fiancée picked him up from the airport, she drove him directly to downtown Winter Park, where he was greeted by surprise with a spectacular welcome home parade. Hundreds of local residents lined the streets of New England Avenue, waving signs and sprinkling confetti, as Nadd and his fiancé climbed atop a Budweiser wagon pulled by the legendary Clydesdales.
Nadd’s homecoming was sponsored by Budweiser, and numerous camera and sound crews followed the parade route to capture the event on film. Nadd – a Blackhawk helicopter pilot – was selected by the Department of Defense to be featured in a documentary about veterans. However, he was completely astonished by the welcome parade his fiancée and Budweiser had arranged for his homecoming.And with the Clydesdales in attendance, one can only speculate that this surprise welcome might be seen in a commercial during Super Bowl XLVIII, which airs Feb. 2 on Fox.
Budweiser representatives would not specify where or when the footage may be used.
Many service men and women were in attendance, including Dave Carroll, a 69-year-old Vietnam veteran from Winter Springs.
"It makes me tear up," said Carroll, who stood in his Marine Corps dress blues.
"We should never forget our soldiers that are still serving," added Master Sgt. Amy Lugo of Ocala, who attended the parade with three Army colleagues. "We should keep supporting them until the last service member returns home."
As Nadd got the surprise of a lifetime, it was clear that he was truly moved by the welcome he received from his community.
"So many have given so much more than me," said Nadd. "They're the real heroes."
On December 26, Things We Read co-founders Christopher Molaro '10 and Garrison Haning '09 had the honor of ringing the NASDAQ closing bell in Times Square, New York. Things We Read, Inc. is a nonprofit that provides an intimate look at the bookshelves of the most influential and interesting people of our time. Things We Read aims to reinvigorate the modern reader with collections of people’s favorite books. As a dedicated non-profit, their proceeds go towards donating these books to soldiers deployed overseas and communities in need.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view."You remembered your first day [and] your last day. Everything in between was a blur."
That's how Ken O'Sullivan recalls his cadet experience at the United States Military Academy at West Point in the early 1960s. The Long Gray Line—a phrase used to symbolize centuries of academy graduates—was more an idea than a feeling fostered among cadets. The few graduates O'Sullivan recalls encountering during his days at West Point were instructors or administrators at the New York institution.
But that's changing, he says, in part through the West Point Association of Graduates' 50-Year Affiliation Program.
"The academy wants you to see the Long Gray Line in everything you do," O'Sullivan says.
West Point established its 50-Year Affiliation Program in the mid-1990s, when the academy and its alumni association expanded interaction between cadets and graduates. Several institution leaders, including General John Abizaid, West Point's commandant at the time, recognized the importance of involving alumni when cadets reached key milestones.
"There has always been cadet-alumni interaction during homecoming and the alumni exercises [before graduation and commissioning as officers], but there had not been as many opportunities for developing personal relationships as the affiliation program has accomplished," says Lt. Col. Jim Johnston, the Association of Graduates' vice president for alumni support.
West Point's affirmation ceremonyWest Point's 50-Year Affiliation Program is similar to the U.S. Naval Academy's Another Link in the Chain program in its basic functions. Representatives of the alumni class are expected to host a Reception Day event to speak with the parents of incoming West Point cadets. They provide speakers for significant academy traditions, such as the affirmation ceremony (when cadets renew their commitment to the Army) and the branch-notification ceremony (when fourth-year cadets learn what part of the Army they will join after graduation). The alumni also present a class flag to the cadets.
When O'Sullivan's Class of 1963 began its relationship with the academy's Class of 2013, the alumni were invited to work with West Point's William E. Simon Center for the Professional Military Ethic. The center recruits members of the 50-Year Affiliation Program's alumni classes to serve as guest leaders of seminars that cadets needed to attend. The seminars cover important but difficult-to-articulate academy values such as honor and leadership. Alumni help stimulate discussions with the cadets, using real-life examples from their academy days and as soldiers and military and civilian leaders.
O'Sullivan enjoyed watching initially hesitant cadets deepen their relationships with alumni as they progressed through the academy.
"Once these young men and women get past their first year, when everything they're doing is scrutinized, they open up—whether it's about the seminar subject matter or more personal things," he says. "Some of my classmates were like a dad to these cadets."
The combination of traditional 50-Year Affiliation Program highlights and involvement in the Simon Center's seminars was "a great shot in the arm" for the Class of 1963, O'Sullivan says. "We were trying to do something for the cadets, but I think we got as much out of it as they did. Maybe even more."
Photos: USMA cadets and alumni from their 50-Year Affiliation Program class gather often throughout the cadets' time at West Point. Highlights include the affirmation ceremony (top and middle photo), when cadets receive honor coins (bottom) from the alumni class, and the Ring Melt ceremony (bottom photo) when several alumni-donated rings are melted to become part of the younger class's mementos.
(Publication and photography credits courtesy of CASE Currents Magazine)
On Jan. 25, the Royal Military College of Canada and the United States Military Academy at West Point will face off for the 78th hockey contest between thetwo institutions. The longstanding rivalry resumed in 2012 after a five-year gap.
The series dates back to 1921, when the Commandant of RMC, Sir Archibald McDonnell, and the Superintendent of the United States Military Academy, Brigadier General DouglasMacArthur, first proposed a game of hockey between the two colleges. The inaugural game was played on Feb. 23, 1923, at West Point and marked the first presentation of the “ChallengeTrophy.” The series now stands at 41-29-7 in favour of West Point’s Black Knights.
The Royal Military College of Canada has extended an invitation to West Point grads for their pre-game Tailgate. $25 includes access to Fort Frontenac, sausage on a bun, game ticket & RMC thunder stick. To make a reservation, call 613-541-6000 x6849 or RSVP to rmcclub@rmc.ca. The mess will be open after the game as well. Tickets are issued at the reception.
Stephen Reich '93 who was killed in 2005 in Afghanistan, was one of 16 Special Operations Aviation regiment Soldiers killed on a mission to extract SEAL team members, an event depicted in the film "Lone Survivor." Read more about how the memory of this brave grad continues to unite a community.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.The Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation (CFPF) raised over $4.2 million during their 5th annual Greenwich Event. CFPF was founded by David Kim '88 with the mission of to providing college scholarships to children who have lost a parent in the line of duty. Learn more about CFPF here.
(Pictured left to right: President & Founder of CFPF David Kim '88 with wife, Cynthia, Aly Rohling, COL Andrew Rohling, COL Mike Gould '88, Kellie Mennes, COL Brian Mennes '88, CDT Matthew Burleson '15)
