On Point

This episode of On Point features an interview with Chris Gaertner, Partner at Integrity Partners and Co-CEO and CFO of DHC Acquisition Corporation.

Chris has 25+ years of experience in underwriting, advising, and mergers and acquisitions for some of the best technology companies in the world. He has been a lead advisor on over 100 equity and M&A transactions, including some of the largest deals in technology, and has led IPOs for companies such as Google and OpenTable. He holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point, an MS in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University, and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Chris served as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army with the 82nd Airborne Division, XVIII Airborne Corps, and 1st Special Operations Command.

In this episode of On Point, Chris Gaertner talks about how as a first generation American, he felt a need to serve the country. He discusses his experiences in ranger school and serving in the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. Chris also speaks about his passion for flying and diving that has continued to this day since his time at West Point. In addition, Chris provides insight on moving from the military to civilian life, and shares advice on how to make the transition to business successful.

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“To be successful, not only in the military but also during transition out of the military to running a business, I would say that actually building your network outside of your day to day work is extremely important. And I can tell you it takes effort, but you get so much leverage from it that it pays back dividends very, very quickly." - Chris Gaertner

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(02:15) Segment 1: AAR

(02:39) Chris’ experience at West Point

(03:41) Handling flying and diving on top of everything at West Point

(04:56) Other activities at West Point

(04:03) Advice from Chris’ personal experience

(06:15) Chris’ West Point mentors

(08:08) Why Chris branched Infantry and 82nd

(08:52) Chris’ Army experience

(11:08) Why Chris decided to transition from the Army

(12:11) Segment 2: Sit Rep

(13:30) Going to business school

(13:48) Why investment banking?

(16:41) Chris’ most memorable transaction experiences

(20:38) Transitioning into investment banking

(23:05) Focusing on mobility, infrastructure and digital security at Integrity

(25:47) Segment 3: The SOP

(29:47) Daily work-life balance

(31:51) Piloting his own plane

(33:34) Leadership principles

(36:38) Segment 4: Giving Back

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Chris Gaertner LinkedIn

Integrity Partners

West Point Association of Graduates

On Point Podcast

Jeff Monken has an accomplished background in football, both as a coach and a player. Before joining Army West Point football, he was the head coach of the Georgia Southern Eagles football team, and prior to that served under Paul Johnson as a running back’s coach and special teams coordinator at Georgia Southern, Navy, and Georgia Tech. To date, Coach Monken has served eight seasons at the helm of Army West Point football, the 37th individual head coach in program history. His career coaching record stands at 85-55 as a head coach, with a 49-39 mark at Army.

In this episode of On Point and the West Point Association for Graduates ‘Character Cut’ series, Coach Monken talks about the interview process to become the Army West Point head coach, growing the football program as a leader, and the improvements to come for Army football in the future. Coach Monken also talks about the highly anticipated Michie Stadium Preservation Project.

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“Don't make it about the wins and losses. It's not, it's about trying to maximize who we are, and maximize the potential of each individual, and maximize the potential of the team, and try to be as good as we can be. And so I think that's a challenge every day and every week. And every new game is an opportunity to improve and to measure ourselves against who we were the previous week or the previous season. And, so I think that's important to have that challenge rather than just having it be about a win or not.” - Coach Jeff Monken

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(02:05) Looking back on football in 2021

(03:38) Jeff’s improvements to come in football 2022

(05:12) Impact of the senior class on current team leaders 

(07:08) Jeff’s transition from assistant to head coach

(07:54) Jeff’s perception of the Army job prior to becoming head coach

(08:22) The interview process for Army West Point head coach

(11:31) Jeff’s initial steps as head coach

(13:24) Biggest strides made early on in Jeff’s army football program

(15:49) Growing the army football program as a leader

(17:12) Impact of Senior classes on the program

(19:27) Jeff’s take on the value of feedback

(20:26) Impact of Mike Buddy on guiding the football program

(21:48) Michie Stadium Preservation Project

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Jeff Monken’s Twitter

Rich DeMarco Twitter

West Point Association of Graduates

On Point Podcast

This episode features an interview between Dr. Yasmine Kalkstein, the Lead Character Integrator and Associate Professor at United States Military Academy at West Point, and Dr. Jeffrey Peterson, the Director of the Character Integration Advisory Group (CIAG), at the United States Military Academy.

Dr. Peterson served on active duty for 28 years in a variety of leadership and staff positions in the United States, Korea, Cuba, and the Middle East to include a combat battalion command during “the surge” in Iraq. After command, he served as the director of West Point’s economics program from 2008 – 2014. In 2012, Colonel (Ret.) Peterson was the Director, Center for the Army Profession and Ethic (CAPE) where he led the effort to publish the Army’s first doctrinal manual on the Army Profession and Ethic. Formally, while serving as the Chair for the Study of Officership at West Point from 2015-2021, he stewarded the West Point Superintendent’s capstone course on officership, designs character and leader development programs, and advises senior academy leaders on the state of West Point’s Honor System. He is a 1987 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, followed by the MIT Sloan School of Management, and holds a PhD in Policy Analysis from the Pardee RAND Graduate School.

In this episode of On Point, Dr. Peterson discusses the diversification of the United States Military Academy over time in terms of gender, ethnicity, and race, and how as the army and society evolve, so too do the challenges being faced related to the complexities of behavior and character. He also talks about how the launch of the Character Integration Advisory Group is aimed at tackling this issue. The initiative helps launch a fourth pillar at West Point that teaches specific things about character education while still weaving character development into other programs to bring a coherent, cohesive, holistic, and progressive approach to the issue.

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“One of the things we recognized is that, while we're doing several activities that contribute to character, we weren't taking a holistic and integrated approach to this. And so we needed an organization whose full-time job was to bring in expertise and have the time and resources to look at character development across the academy and bring it into a coherent, cohesive, holistic, and progressive approach from day one on our day, all the way through commissioning, and then ideally continuing on for the rest of their life.” - Dr. Jeffrey Peterson

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1:37 - Introducing the Character Integration Advisory Group

2:12 - Pillars of the West Point developmental programs

3:04 - Character as the fourth pillar of development

3:24 - The Simon Center and the four colored books

7:39 - Interdisciplinary hiring at the CIAG

11:55 - Relationship between wellness and character

15:07 - Compliance with the honor code and acting virtuously

17:20 - Explaining the Character Growth Seminar

21:26 - The goal of improving character development at West Point

22:44 - The Souffle Scenario

26:08 - Integrity and relational skills in character development

28:30 - Impact of COVID on interpersonal communication

32:32 - Cadet basic training introducing squad journaling

36:36 - The 47 month deliberate, holistic, and progressive character education process

39:12 - The value of the CIAG

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Connect with Dr. Jeffrey Peterson on LinkedIn

Connect with Dr. Yasmine Kalkstein on LinkedIn

West Point Association of Graduates

On Point Podcast

This episode of On Point features an interview with Rob Schneider, Chief Content, Development and Strategy Officer at Learfield. Rob has an accomplished background in corporate development and strategy. He drives innovation and acceleration across the content, data, and digital product teams at Learfield. In this role, he strategizes on how to support growth and development within the sports, media, and entertainment industries. 

Rob currently serves on the advisory boards of Stadia Ventures, Courtside Ventures, and Big Media Holdings. Rob served in the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army as an infantry officer, graduating with honors from the United States Military Academy and earned his MBA at the Columbia Business School.

In this episode of On Point, Rob talks about why he commissioned for infantry and how networking was so important to help him advance professionally after serving in the military. He discusses the steps it took to get his career started, including the importance of transitioning to new experiences and executive leadership roles. As well, Rob provides insights on sports and video gaming, and how Learfield is at the forefront of their future.

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“Ultimately, my job here is the same as being a platoon leader in a lot of regards, right. I mean, it's to provide direction, it's to provide resources, to clear the brush so my team can be successful. It's important that I stay close to the business, not micromanage it. But, be close enough to appreciate the challenges that my team has and help build the trust and respect in experience to get things done. Let them know that we're all in the trenches together.” - Rob Schneider

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(1:48) Segment: AAR - After Action Review

(3:53) Rob’s West Point experience

(6:13) Why Rob commissioned for infantry

(7:47) Rob’s experience shifting gears post military

(10:32) Networking after West Point

(11:55) Segment: Situation Report

(16:00) Rob’s experience at Learfield

(17:16) Why Rob remains at Learfield

(18:47) Rob on the importance of transitioning to new experiences

(20:53) Impact of COVID on Learfield

(23:00) How Learfield is approaching esports

(25:33) Rapid fire questions

(27:44) Segment: Standard Operating Procedure

(29:51) How Rob’s West Point experience shaped him as a leader

(32:26) Segment: Giving Back

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Rob Schneider’s LinkedIn

Rob Schneider’s Twitter

Tim Hsia LinkedIn

Lance Dietz LinkedIn

West Point Association of Graduates

On Point Podcast

This episode of On Point features an interview with General Stan McChrystal, Co-founder of the McChrystal Group. Following his retirement from the US Army after 34 years, McChrystal founded the McChrystal Group, which is an advisory team that partners with businesses to improve the performance of their organizations and help build resilient and adaptable teams that can win in today’s dynamic environment.

A retired four-star general, Stanley McChrystal is the former commander of US and International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) Afghanistan and the former commander of the nation’s premier military counter-terrorism force, Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). He is best known for developing and implementing a comprehensive counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan, and for creating a cohesive counter-terrorism organization that revolutionized the interagency operating culture. As founder of the McChrystal Group McChrystal Group, he specializes in leadership consulting, leadership training, executive coaching, strategy alignment, team-building, transparency, communications, disciplined execution, networked organizations, and keynote speaking engagements.

In this episode McChrystal talks about wanting to follow in his father’s footsteps to attend West Point and be a military hero. We learn about his initial struggles at West Point, and how he went from the bottom of his class to improve his standing on the Dean’s List. He provides insight about navigating life as a junior officer, and then as a general officer in high stakes situations. McChrystal discusses a Rolling Stone article about his command group and how he handled the fallout and changes to his career that led to starting a new business. He also provides thoughts on mentorship, transitioning from the military to civilian life, and the importance of taking care of yourself.

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"I will tell you the people who decide whether you are successful, ultimately in the army, are your peers. Because as you go up that pyramid gets a bit narrower. Decisions are made when people, your reputation, what people say about you, whether people trust you, that sort of thing. And it goes all the way into promotion boards. And so I would say that think about being respected, being the kind of person people want on their flank, being the kind of person they want their son or daughter or brother or sister to work for. You be that person, and most of the rest of it just sort of takes care of itself." - General (Ret.) Stanley McChrystal

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(01:44) Segment 1 - AAR

(02:05) Entry to West Point and Military Career

(02:59) First years at West Point

(07:59) West Point Academic Standing

(08:49) Meritocracy at West Point

(10:45) Mentors and Relationship with father

(13:30) Transitioning from Military and West Point

(15:55) Experience as a Junior Officer

(20:37) Progressing Through Ranks

(25:55) Time as Commanding and General Officer

(32:25) Building Mentorships

(35:45) Rolling Stone Article

(40:30) McChrystal Group

(41:27) Segment 2 - Sit Rep

(41:50) Running a Business

(44:45) McChrystal’s Big Four

(46:55) Empowering Teams

(48:45) Segment 3 - SOP

(49:15) Taking Care of Yourself

(54:45) Staying in Rhythm 

(56:23) Foundations Built from Military and West Point

(57:55) Segment 4 - Giving Back

(59:45) Lessons from Sports

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Stan McChrystal LinkedIn

Stan McChrystal Twitter

West Point Association of Graduates

On Point Podcast

This episode features a conversation between Dr. Scott Parsons, Character Education Integrator for the Military Program at the United States Military Academy at West Point, and Dr. Tom Harrison, Director of Education at the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues at the University of Birmingham.

Dr. Harrison’s specialist interests include character, cyber-wisdom and the internet, character education and virtue ethics, and youth social action and citizenship education. He researches, publishes and gives presentations in the UK and internationally in these areas. He also develops resources and training programmes for schools, the voluntary sector and other organisations. 

In this episode of On Point and the West Point Association for Graduates ‘Character Cut’ series, Dr. Harrison talks about how he coined the term ‘cyber-phronesis,’ its relevance at West Point in training young leaders, and the models he came up with for cultivating character in children. He also talks about his most recent book that focuses on how to cultivate character in your children so they can flourish online.

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“The path to full wisdom is never really completed. I don't think any of us can say that we're ever fully wise in kind of a moral sense, mainly because new situations and challenges come at us all the time. Look at the number of new quandaries and dilemmas that just living in the digital age has thrown up and et cetera. But it is considered that, you know, we hopefully become more wise over time.” - Dr. Tom Harrison

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(01:47) Introducing Dr. Tom Harrison

(02:44) About Tom’s book, Thrive –how to cultivate character so your children can flourish online

(06:25) Coining and defining cyber-phronesis

(08:58) The relevance of phronesis at West Point

(10:11) Phronesis in a combat setting

(10:55) Explaining the ‘thrive’ model

(15:10) Using the ‘react’ model as a young leader

(18:54) Virtues in Tom’s life

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Dr. Tom Harrison Twitter

Dr. Scott Parsons LinkedIn

West Point Association of Graduates

On Point Podcast

This episode of On Point features an interview with retired United States Army Officer and current news commentator, Barry McCaffrey. For his service in the military, McCaffrey was awarded three purple hearts, two silver stars, and two distinguished service crosses, the second-highest U.S. Army award for valor. In 2010, McCaffrey received the West Point Association of Graduates of the United States Military Academy's Distinguished Graduate Award. He also served in U.S. President Bill Clinton's Cabinet as the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

In this episode, McCaffrey talks about his time at West Point, including relationships with classmates, being a cadet, and the mentorship gained while in attendance. He goes into his time in Vietnam and the military’s recovery after the war, as well as his post military experience working for the Clinton administration. McCaffrey also provides insight into what he thinks makes a great mentor and leader.

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"I think that one of the differences I've encountered in civilian life is that leadership development is much more of a challenge. The military has an engine that's taking bright, capable people - selecting them for promotion, selecting them for schooling, and that doesn't go on almost anywhere else." - Barry McCaffrey

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(01:30) - Interest in Military and Father’s Impact

(02:43) - West Point Experience

(04:29) - Closeness of Classmates

(05:38) - Seeing MacArthur’s Speech in Person

(07:35) - Being a Cadet

(08:50) - Mentors and Leaders at West Point

(10:25) - Vietnam War Experience

(16:27) - Rebuilding the Military and Recovery from Vietnam

(19:20) - Leadership Experience

(23:35) - Post Military Experience in Government

(26:35) - Working with President Bill Clinton

(30:50) - Leadership Lessons Across Career in Military and Civilian Life

(40:09) - SOP: Favorites Mentors and General Powell

(48:17) - Core Habits and Routines to be a Successful Leader and Better Person

(52:42) - Giving Back Segment: Advice for Someone New in their Career who wants to be a Great Leader

(56:35) - Use and Power of Twitter

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Barry McCaffrey LinkedIn

Barry McCaffrey Twitter

West Point Association of Graduates

On Point Podcast

This episode of On Point features West Point graduate and technology entrepreneur, Ben Faw. As co-founder of AdVon commerce, Ben helps the company to harness proprietary software to create value in e-commerce. He has expertise in consumer internet with a focus on tech, e-commerce, and media. 

Prior to AdVon, Ben served as a platoon leader and executive officer in the 25th infantry and was Co-Founder at BestReviews. Ben has been published by the Harvard Business Review, CNN, BusinessInsider, and many more. 

In this episode, Ben talks about his journey to West Point, experiences in his military career, and following his interest in the business world. He provides some blunt advice on what it’s like being an entrepreneur, and shares insight about the importance of having a team around you that you can go to war with, learning and growing in everything you do. 

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"At the end of the day, it takes a different form factor right? In the business world you're not in a uniform. But, I will tell you, if you consistently show up at the right places and you consistently show up early and you're consistently hyper prepared, you will probably succeed in whatever you put your mind to in the private sector and with your transition and everything else." - Ben Faw

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(01:07) Interest in military and business

(01:49) What led to West Point

(02:48) Focusing on economics studies

(04:00) Mentors

(05:35) AAR Segment and postgrad life

(06:58) Post grad journey

(09:10) Career path and entrepreneurship

(12:15) LinkedIn Experience and concept of sales

(14:51) SitRep - AdVon Commerce

(16:56) Getting back to entrepreneurship

(18:50) Building teams

(23:25) Future of AdVon

(26:00) SOP - Help along the journey

(29:20) Habits for success

(31:55) Giving Back - Advice for younger vets interested in starting a business

(34:55) Parting Advice

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Ben Faw LinkedIn

Ben Faw Twitter

Ben Faw Blog

West Point Association of Graduates

On Point Podcast

This episode of On Point features a conversation between Lisa Benitez, the Chief Diversity Officer at the United States Military Academy West Point, and Herman Bulls, International Director and the founder of JLL's Public Institutions Business Unit. 

Herman also serves on several high-impact public, private and not-for-profit boards including USAA, The American Red Cross, The Military Bowl, Comfort Systems USA, American Campus Communities, and the West Point Association of Graduates. He is founder, President, and CEO of Bulls Advisory Group, a real estate and management advisory firm. Herman completed 12 years of active duty service with the United States Army, and retired as a Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves in 2008. He is part of the West Point graduating class of 1978 and received a MBA from Harvard Business School.

In this episode, Herman talks about leading the initial charge for diversity, equity, and inclusion at West Point. As well, gives insight into how the school has continued to expand those efforts across the organization from the board, staff, and faculty to athletics, admissions, and alumni. He helped establish, and was the first chair, of the AOG board’s diversity committee, and continues to support West Point AOG to be the most connected and inclusive alumni group in the world. 

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“When we were focusing on it [Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion], my intent was that I certainly want it to be totally inclusive and we need to make sure we include all of our graduates for all minorities. We need to include everybody. However, my objective, when I set this up, was to say, we're going to focus on the African-American graduate body and we're going to get them engaged, and we're going to make this academy better for everybody. That was the intent of it.” - Herman Bulls

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(00:40) Herman’s Involvement in Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives

(03:55) How Diversity and Inclusion was initially received at West Point

(05:45) West Point Diversity Conference

(09:30) Diversity and Inclusion Representation among Staff and Faculty

(11:55) Establishment of Diversity and Inclusion Committee as Part of Board

(12:55) Herman’s Role as Chair of Diversity and Inclusion Board

(15:00) Diversity and Inclusion Representation for Athletes

(15:51) West Point Special Interest Groups

(16:50) Corporate Governance

(17:15) Diversity Makeup within Board and Advisory Committee

(20:44) Importance of Candid Conversations

(24:10) Minority Visitation Program and other Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives

(28:00) Need for Resources

(28:45) Diversity and Inclusion Role in West Point Alumni Connectivity

(35:45) Herman’s West Point Experience vs. his Son’s

(40:25) Philanthropy and Margin of Excellence Program

(47:00) Post Graduate Scholarship Distribution and Awards for Minorities

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Herman Bulls LinkedIn

Herman Bulls Twitter

West Point Association of Graduates

On Point Podcast

This episode features part 2 of a discussion between the honorable Robert McDonald, the new Chairman of the WPAOG Board of Directors, and Todd Browne, the president and CEO of AOG. Bob and Todd continue to speak about their shared vision for the future of AOG as it continues its mission to become the most highly-connected alumni body in the world for members of the Long Gray Line. They go over the efforts WPAOG is making to coordinate and encourage alumni connections and help provide a clearer path for what’s ahead.

As a highly distinguished leader and civil servant, Bob shares insights and his vision for AOG. Complementing his vision, Todd discusses more immediate strategies AOG is implementing to ensure growth, connections, and valuable services to members of the Long Gray Line. Their efforts are geared towards supporting the US Military Academy and Margins of Excellence that drive West Point to continue to be the world-class institution it’s been for over 150 years.

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"On the aspect of keeping people connected, and all these programs. I mean, it's not just to keep people connected for the sake of being connected. If we are successful at keeping them connected, then this grad network is really helpful to its fellow graduates. I mean, that's really, that's really the essence of what we're trying to do. You know, make it so that the, the network serves its fellow members and the academy. In the final analysis, that's really what we're all about." - Todd Browne

“The alumnus, the graduate is at the center. It’s the desires of the graduate that are driving the infrastructure, the system. It’s not somebody imposing something saying “here’s what we think you need to do.” It’s really the graduate who’s at the center. And that’s really what service is all about.” - Robert McDonald

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Episode Timestamps

(01:55) - What Does WPAOG Do?

(07:00) - Giving Back to the Community

(10:00) - Important WPAOG Projects

(15:50) - AOG Facility Support

(25:00) - Morale Welfare Recreation

(27:40) - Vision of 2030 Plan

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Links

Todd A Browne LinkedIn

Robert A. McDonald LinkedIn

West Point Association of Graduates

On Point Podcast