#242: Supporting U.S. Special Operators at The Honor Foundation with Matthew Stevens, USNA ‘91

Service Academy Business Mastermind

“Culture really drives a lot of where people go. When you can create a family or team environment, that seems to attract a lot of folks from our community…our ultimate goal is to be able to serve everybody under the Special Operations umbrella who wants to come through our program.” - Matthew Stevens (USNA ‘91)

Matt Stevens is CEO of The Honor Foundation (THF), a non-profit organization whose virtual and in-person professional development programs effectively translate elite military service to the private sector and are helping to create the next generation of corporate and community leaders. Prior to his role at The Honor Foundation, Matt gained significant experience as a senior Special Operations executive leading high-performing teams conducting our nation’s most sensitive missions, cultivating interagency relationships, and executing plans in dynamic environments.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How The Honor Foundation helps U.S. Special Officers transition into civilian life
• Specific tools and strategies that support a successful transition
• Why networking is important to a positive career outcome
• What private sector roles military veterans are excelling within
• Matt’s transition story and important lessons he learned along the way

Matt also shares why discovering your purpose is essential to a successful transition and why it’s crucial to leave ego at the door when embarking on a new career path. He also discusses THF’s biggest goals and challenges for the year ahead, including opening more physical campus locations, adding a third virtual program to their service offering, and eventually advising the DoD on how to overhaul and improve their Transition Assistance Program. We enjoyed hearing that military veterans are overcoming job role prerequisites based on interview performance and were moved to learn how The Honor Foundation is helping save lives. THF’s work is incredibly valuable and we’re honored to know Matt.

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Special thanks to Matt for joining me this week. Until next time!

-Scott Mackes, USNA ’01