The Honor Journal: Winter 2022

The Honor Foundation (THF) is a career transition program for U.S. Special Operations Forces that effectively translates your elite military service to the private sector and helps create the next generation of corporate and community leaders. We are here to serve you with honor for life, ensuring your next mission continues to make an impact on the world.

Transitioning from uniform takes time, patience, dedication and focus. THF is here to support your journey so you do not have to undertake your experience alone. When you are within 24 months of separation THF is your best resource to prepare, and execute your transition! THF is here to serve you for life, Apply now!

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Harry Leonhardt

Chairman

J.Scott Adams

Dave Alberga

Heidi Fearon-Barker

Matt Bigge

Marc Brown

John Burnham

Justin Connolly David Janke

Jerome King

Lyla Kohistany Frank Muller

LTG(ret) Mike Nagata Samantha Rist

Jon Skinner

Greg Smith Larry Solomon Matt Stevens Richard Wells

THF STAFF

Matt Stevens CEO

Michael Halterman VP of Operations

Janie Livesay VP of Programs & Curriculum

Kelly McGraw VP of Impact

Lindsay Cashin VP of People

Kathy Leming Sr. Director of Marketing

Mindy Hill Director of Business Operations

Bob Newman Director of Virtual Programs

Cally Wood Director of Programs Eglin

Daniel Snyder

Director of Programs

Tampa

Michael Higgs

Director of Programs San Diego

Phil Gant Director of Programs Fort Bragg

Sean Carano Director of Programs Camp Lejeune

Anna Silverman Program Coordinator Fort Bragg

Jillian Staats Program Coordinator Virtual

Kelsey Segalini Program Coordinator Eglin

Monika Fletcher Program Coordinator Camp Lejeune

Ryan Nixon Program Coordinator Virtual

Stephanie Haines Program Coordinator

Virginia Beach

Stephanie Snyder Program Coordinator Tampa

Ashley Brown Director of People Virginia Beach

Hillary Hays Director of People San Diego

Kathleen Watson Director of People Tampa

Rachel Drew Director of People Fort Bragg

Hailey Juneau Impact Coordinator Jessica Hunt Director of Impact West

J.P. Tuthill Director of Impact Central

Renee Booth Director of Impact East

THF Briefing

A Message from Matt Stevens, CEO

Happy holidays and warm wishes to all friends and family of The Honor Foundation!

These past few months have flown by – the “fall hustle” as I like to call it. It’s a time when all of our campuses are in full “execution” mode, our fundraising events peak, and our team is fully buckled up to finish the year strong. This year, we pushed even harder – THF had eight simultaneous programs running, numerous Treks across the nation,

and our impact team hit San Diego, Austin, Houston, San Francisco, Dallas, Tampa, Washington, DC, and New York. You also may have seen us on ESPN, Fox Business, and local news in San Diego, Nashville and Virginia Beach.

We have no intent to slow down, but we are looking forward to the holiday break to recharge, refit, and reconnect with our friends and family - as I hope many of you will too.

As 2022 comes to a close, I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to all of our supporters, volunteers, partners,

donors, faculty, coaches, mentors, the THF board, staff and their families for joining us in our mission. Thank YOU for your dedication to The Honor Foundation.

I look forward to seeing all of you in 2023. Best wishes to you and yours!

With honor and respect,

Matt

Stevens THF CEO

THF Announces new Board Chairman for 2023

The Honor Foundation is thrilled to welcome Jon Skinner as our new Board Chairman starting January 2023. Jon is a current THF board member and will be the successor to Harry Leonhardt who has served as the Chairman for the past two years.

Jon is the Chief Executive Officer of PSP Partners and its affiliates, PSP Capital, PSP Growth and Pritzker Realty Group based in Chicago, Illinois. He is responsible for implementing and overseeing the company’s strategic direction and is a member of the investment committee.

Previously, Jon was a Partner at William Blair & Company from 2008 to 2021, having been named a Vice Chair of Investment Banking at William Blair in 2021 after serving as the Head of Technology Investment Banking from

Here We Grow Again

2015 to 2020. Prior to joining William Blair in 2006, he worked as both an investment banker and an attorney.

Jon is also a member of Bottom Line Chicago’s regional Board, a member of the Chicago History Museum’s Board of Trustees, and is a member of the Springboard Foundation. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University and his Juris Doctorate, magna cum laude, from Boston College Law School.

Jon is a frequent guest lecturer at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management (in addition to others) on the topic of values-based leadership.

Meet the newest additions to the THF family.

Monika Fletcher Program Coordinator, Camp Lejeune

Campus

Monika was born and raised in Texas, and has served as a military spouse advocate through numerous programs for over 20 years. She is humbled to be a part of The Honor Foundation, serving military members and their families as they embark on the transition from military life.

Monika holds a BA in Art from The University of Texas at Austin. She enjoys being outdoors, working out, and cooking alongside her husband, who has over 23 years of service, along with their two kids.

Stephanie Snyder Program Coordinator, Tampa Campus

Stephanie was born and raised in a small logging community in Central Washington state where she met her husband of 30 years. Being married to a Navy SWCC – who has recently retired – introduced her to the incredible men and women who make up the Special Operations community.

Additionally, Stephanie spent 15 years as a Senior Manager and Insurance Specialist for high-capacity dental offices in Virginia Beach, VA and Tampa, FL, but has always enjoyed supporting Special Operations charities, events, and family support groups through the years. She is extremely honored to be a member of this amazing organization with such an incredible mission and wonderful people who provide an invaluable service to our transitioning Special Operators and all those who make up USSOCOM.

Program Updates & Graduations

Congratulations to our Fall 2022 Fellows!

The Honor Foundation is proud to celebrate the achievements of our Fellows who completed the program this spring and summer -- both virtually and in-person: Group 55 (Camp Lejeune), Group 56 (Eglin), Group 57 (Tampa), Group 58 (San Diego), Group 59 (Virtual), Group 60 (Fort Bragg), Group 61 (Virginia Beach) and Group 62 (Virtual) – 253 Alumni just this fall.

We can proudly say that we now have 1,856 Alumni who have graduated from the THF Program.

THF is honored and grateful to play a part in the transition journey of these remarkable men and women. These Special Operations professionals are not only leaving as THF Alumni with a renewed sense of purpose and an arsenal of tools to successfully complete their next mission in life, but also with bonds of friendship that last well beyond their time spent at THF.

Thank you to all who have shared in the cohort and graduation experiences with us this fall –- Fellows and their families, Alumni, THF board members, staff, coaches, mentors, donors, faculty, and all honored guests. A special thank you to our honored commencement speakers Michael Kendall, Partner at Goodwin Procter; COL Edward Hubbard (USAF, Ret.); Ben Currin, CEO at Vantaca; VDAM Joseph Maguire (USN, Ret.); Larry Solomon, Partner at Capital Research Global Investors; TK Eppley, President at Vayu Aerospace Corporation; and LTG Michael Nagata (USA, Ret.) for their inspiring words!

Thank you to the Navy SEAL Foundation , PayPal , Carrington Charitable Foundation , Wounded Warrior Project , Surefox North America and Bob Woodruff Foundation for your continued support. These celebrations would not be possible without you.

Pictured: Group 55, Camp Lejeune Campus

Pictured: Group 57, Tampa Campus

Pictured: Group 58, San Diego Campus

Pictured: Group 60, Fort Bragg

Pictured: Group 62, Virtual

Pictured: Group 59, Virtual

Pictured: Group 61, Virginia Beach

Pictured: Group 56, Eglin Campus

THF is now accepting applications for 2023 Cohorts!

If you are or know a member of the Special Operations Forces community who is 12-18 months from leaving active duty service, please encourage them to apply to our program by visiting honor.org/apply.

The Honor Foundation is searching for dynamic, well-spoken, and passionate individuals to join our team and serve our mission!

Open positions: Director of Virtual Programs, West Program Coordinator, San Diego Campus Head of National Events Join our team and work alongside us to support transitioning members of the Special Operations Forces community in finding their next mission in life after active duty service. Visit honor.org/careers for more information.

Connections Outside of the Classroom

Fellows travel across the US for Treks

THF Treks are one of the pillars of the THF Program -- an opportunity for Fellows to immerse themselves in various companies and organizations to learn about roles, culture, operations and a variety of industries. With this experience, Fellows are able to meet with business leaders in their area and travel to a metropolitan city to expand their knowledge, create new connections and practice their networking skills –all to help with their transition after active duty service.

THF’s People Team organized both in-person and virtual “visits” -- with several campuses having the opportunity to welcome Fellows into their offices while others participated in Zoom calls with the Virtual Fellows -- all to provide a learning opportunity to Fellows across all THF campuses.

This fall, Fellows visited Boston, San Francisco, Raleigh and Charlotte in addition to businesses in their own backyard – San Diego, Virginia Beach, Tampa, and Wilmington.

Thanks again for sharing

THF sincerely appreciates your valuable time, efforts and continuous

THF cannot be more grateful to all the individuals and companies

companies who helped make these events a success for the fall cohorts:

your time with the Fellows! continuous support of the organization and the military community.

Fuel for our Mission:

San Diego - Austin - San Francisco - Houston - Tampa - Washington, DC - NYC

ADM William McRaven (USN, Ret.) and THF CEO Matt Stevens at the THF Austin Benefit Dinner

THF Austin Benefit Dinner at the Austin Country Club hosted by Larry Covert and Kevin Ogilby

Greg Vogle and MG Mark O’Neil (Ret.) at the THF Houston Benefit Dinner for a fireside chat

Navy SEAL Ben Milligan, author of ”By Water Beneath the Walls: The Rise of the Navy SEALs” signs books in Austin

THF Alumni (left to right): Liam Lee, Kevin Seiff and Ashley Thompson at Fleet Week in San Francisco

THF Houston Dinner host H. Malcolm Stewart (center, right) and honored guests

Over the past few months, the THF Impact Team has continued their hard work to help keep our community of supporters involved and tied to our mission. We are humbled by the outreach, encouragement and participation to all who take part in our events, and thankful to those who have extended their personal networks to THF.

We are also grateful for our partnerships with companies and grantors around the country such as the Navy SEAL Foundation, Carrington Charitable Foundation, Wounded Warrior Project, Surefox,

Paypal, Live Oak Bank, Capital Group, Verizon, FUELTRAX, Texas de Brazil, Amazon, Navy Federal Credit Union, Accenture, Apollo Global Management, JP Morgan Chase Foundation, GovX, Nostos

: A Veterans Journey, Quanta Services, Raymond James Financial, Inc., Zachary Piper Solutions

| Raleigh, Zovio (Previously Bridgepoint Education), Third Option Foundation, ATSCC, Aveva Software LLC, CACI International Inc., Cerberus Capital Management, LP., Fitbit, FPL Northwest Florida, Helen Brach Foundation, Honor

the Promise, nCino, Paramount, Southern Company Gas, Sunbelt Rentals - Branch 530 - San Diego, CA, Syneos Health, Veterans United Home Loans, and Goldman Sachs.

The success of these initiatives gives us the opportunity to serve more Fellows and help them achieve a successful transition.

Thank you to everyone who has given their time, talent and financial support to THF in 2022!

View more photos from our events by visiting our Photo Gallery under News & Events on honor.org.

THF Houston Benefit Dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel presented by H. Malcolm Stewart

THF CEO Matt Stevens (center), pictured with Nelson Rockefeller (left) and Dan Dzenitis (right)

Joe Everson, live artist and vocalist, provided entertainment at the THF Salute the SOF Gala in Washington, DC

Salute to SOF Presenting Sponsor Surefox North America’s Founders Joshua Szott, CEO (left) and Brian Sweigart, COO (right), in Washington, DC

Swim for SOF 2022

On September 17, 2022, nearly 100 swimmers – more than double from the previous year – dominated the open water and tribute workouts for The Honor Foundation’s 2nd Annual Swim for SOF event presented by Surefox in San Diego, CA.

THF CEO Matt Stevens, THF Founder Joe Musselman, Swim for SOF Race Director Jason Goyanko, THF Alumni, members of the military community and numerous THF supporters from around the country conquered the challenging 3.3 mile swim from Coronado Island to the USS Midway with two tribute workouts in a just few short hours.

Olympic gold medalist, World Champion and world record holder Michael Andrew joined the race and finished in first place, while Kaylee Jamison, a returning Swim for SOF participant, finished in second.

The event brought together dedicated individuals who, together, raised thousands to support the mission of The Honor Foundation and members of the SOF community.

An enormous thank you to our returning presenting sponsor, Surefox, for your continuous belief in our mission and the team behind it. To our other sponsors

– GovX, JPMorgan Chase, Fitbit, Bubs Naturals, Apollo Management, Outdoor Office, Slalom, Anduril Industries, Sunbelt Rentals, VEBA Resource Center, USS Midway Museum, Intercontinental Hotel San Diego, Socal Maritime Support and Elite Maritime Services – we sincerely appreciate you supporting our mission, assisting with our event, and for being a part of this special day.

To our Tribe of Volunteers — we could not have done this without you. To all those who donated special items to our silent auction –your small contribution makes a great impact. To Mark O’Neil, Michael Andrew and Frank Shamrock – we are grateful to have had you be part of our special day. And to all those who attended our special day and sharing, tagging, and spreading the awareness of this event across your network, we are beyond appreciative for your support.

Save the date for September 16, 2023! See you again in San Diego!

View more Swim for SOF photos by visiting the photo gallery!

End-of-Year Giving

The end of the year is near. As 2022 comes to a close in these next few weeks, THF continues to strive forward to serve the needs of the SOF community.

Why give to The Honor Foundation?

To support our nation’s elite veterans who have sacrificed so much for our freedom with fulfilling post-military careers

To assist the families of SOF veterans to ease the strain of the militarycivilian transition

To foster our nation’s next generation of great leaders to help build a strong economy and strong communities.

Please give to support our Special Operations community today.

Expanding Our Reach Special Collaborations

THF + World of Beer

The Honor Foundation is thrilled to partner with WOB Bar & Kitchen for their philanthropic initiative, from now to December 31!

$1 of every featured Guinness* WOB Gives Back pint will be donated to The Honor Foundation. Stop by, enjoy a glass, and help prepare the men and women of the Special Operations Forces to find success after military service.

Thank you for your support! Cheers!

*Participation and offering varies by location.

Vist World of Beer for more details!

THF + GovX Patch of the Month

THF was proud to be the featured nonprofit once again for the GovX Patch of the Month, which helped raise nearly $20,000 for the THF mission and organization.

Thank you to GovX for your continued support and a special shoutout to BUBS Naturals for matching all #GovXGivesBack donations for the month! We sincerely appreciate your support!

Team Wendy for Giving Tuesday

For #GivingTuesday, our friends at Team Wendy supported us again this year with 20% of each order benefitting THF.

Thank you, Team Wendy, for dedicating your #GivingTuesday to The Honor Foundation and the Special Operations community that we serve!

Veterans Day Promotions and Events

Burpees for Vets

This Veterans Day, The Honor Foundation was one of the charities selected for the #BurpeesForVets Challenge!

Each burpee raised one dollar to support five nonprofits, including THF.

Thank you, #BurpeesForVets, and to all those who participated in this year’s fundraiser!

Waypoint Orthopaedic Associates Party

Thank you to Waypoint Orthopaedic Associates for selecting The Honor Foundation as a beneficiary for their annual event!

Upcoming 2023 Fundraising Events & Campaigns

April 3 | Dallas, TX

THF + ONIT Home Golf Tournament

April 20 | Nashville, TN

Nashville Benefit Dinner

May | National Freedom Project Giving Campaign

June 30 | Chicago, IL

Swim for SOF

September 16 | San Diego, CA

Swim for SOF

September 28 | Austin, TX

Austin Benefit Dinner

October 19 | Houston, TX

Houston Benefit Dinner

November 9 | New York, NY NYC Benefit Dinner

November 11 | National Veterans Day 2023

November 12 | Tampa, FL Waypoint Orthopaedic Associates Party

November 15 | Washington, DC Salute to SOF

November 28 | National Giving Tuesday 2023

December | National End-of-Year Giving Campaign

Another Way to Give!

The Honor Foundation has partnered with CARS (Charitable Adult Rides & Services) to help run our vehicle donation program. We are grateful and excited to move forward together to serve the Special Operations Forces community, especially with an experienced nonprofit who has been processing vehicle donations for more than 16 years.

If you’d like to donate your vehicle, call 844-55-HONOR or visit The Honor Foundation’s homepage to submit a secure online donation form. You may also email : donorsupport@careasy.org.

Support Though AmazonSmile

Receiving Amazon packages on your doorstep isn’t the only reason to smile!

Every time you select The Honor Foundation as your charity of choice through AmazonSmile, Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible purchases to helping Fellows and future Fellows of our program.

So before you, your friends or family members are ready to checkout, make sure to link THF to your account and give those transitioning members in the SOF community a reason to smile too!

SOFx Supports THF

SOFx is a valued partner of The Honor Foundation and a great help to our recruitment efforts for future Fellows of our program.

Please consider subscribing to their free newsletter for the latest news and opportunities across Special Operations and the Private Military Contractor world. Sign up is on the home page : www.sofx.com and they will not rent, sell or share your data.

Thank you for helping to spread awareness of our program, SOFX!

THF Today:

NEW THF VIDEOS

THF Featured on ESPN

This Veterans Day, ESPN highlighted The Honor Foundation and our mission to improve the military transition experience during the nationally televised Michigan State vs. Gonzaga basketball game, the Peraton Armed Forces Classic, on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln in San Diego, CA.

THF in the News:

NBC7 San Diego

FOX5 DC

Give to U.S. Special Operations Warriors this holiday season!

In the years since 9/11, the U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) have shouldered an intense burden defending our country’s freedom and leading the war on terror.

• They serve selflessly on the front lines.

• They execute the most difficult missions, without seeking praise or recognition.

• They are the silent warriors of our country and leaders of the military community.

Your patriotism and generosity will support these incredible men and women as they transition from elite warrior to civilian leader. What happens to these warrior leaders after their time in uniform?

Transitioning out of the military to the civilian sector is one of the most difficult times of their lives. Despite being the highest performing members in the military, when it comes time to leave the service, many SOF veterans struggle through transition*. Being a member of an elite military unit with the intrinsic motivation to serve is synonymous with their identity. For this and many other reasons,

91% say transitioning from the military to civilian life is the hardest thing they’ve ever done, harder even than combat deployments and family separation

97% stated that they do not have the necessary tools to translate their military experience for the private sector

These warriors and their families have known a life of sacrifice. Your support will ensure they successfully transition and continue to lead lives filled with purpose and passion. *Identity Development and Loss in Military Transitions from Special Operations Forces

Navy SEALs | Pararescue Jumpers | Green Berets | Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technicians | Rangers | Marine Raiders | Combat Controllers | Special Ops Aviators | SWCC | Combat Support

to Civilian Life, by Jessica D. Garner, PsyD

TO JOIN THE THF MISSION visit honor.org or email info@honor.org for more information.

EAST WEST