Welcome back to NavalX Connex. The three new hosts of the show introduce themselves –Rodney Flowers is the Director of Facilitation at NavalX; Brad Goodrich is the Deputy Director of NavalX, and Julie Lemmon is head of Public Affairs and Strategic Communication at NavalX. We get a flavor of what the new and improved show will sound and feel like. Rodney, Brad, and Julie introduce themselves, and welcome listeners back to more conversations about agility, teamwork, and innovative ideas.

Out of highschool, Lieutenant Colonel Raphael Jimenez was looking for a team, similar to the teammate mentality he was used to playing sports. He followed in his father’s footsteps, slipped on a pair of army boots, and hasn’t looked back. After 20 years, he became Brigade Support Battalion Commander of 725 in Anchorage, Alaska, quite a different environment from his home in Puerto Rico. Today on NavalX ConnecX, he talks about working in extreme conditions, teamwork, giving constructive feedback, and redefining failure to keep the battalion moving forward.

Mel Manor knew before he graduated high school that he wanted to dedicate his career to his country. He jumped out of his cap and gown into a marine uniform and has never looked back. Since then he has gone through diverse phases in his career, from jumping out of planes to answering emails, which has provided him with a holistic understanding of the industry. Today, he is a part of I MIG, helping put emerging technologies into the hands of the Marines to give them an advantage in the fight. He provides mentorship, runs innovation bootcamps, and has had plenty of adventures along the way. Join us on this episode of Navalx Connecx.

Lieutenant Colonel Todd Tompkins is the battalion commander for the 1st Battalion 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, aka 1 Geronimo. Since World War 1, 1 Geronimo has been finding ways to evolve, innovate, and develop airborne capability. Today, Tompkins is stationed in Alaska operating in Arctic conditions. From jumping into -15 degree water or sliding onto a prototype collapsible sled, he is fostering an innovation cell to encourage people from different battalions to generate new ideas and move the battalion forward, while occasionally peeking at the Northern lights from his backyard.