USA Cares Podcast

Guest Bio

Jon Macaskill, MMT, is a Navy SEAL Commander turned mindfulness and meditation teacher. He is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and holds a Master’s degree in Operations Research from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Jon has served in Iraq, Afghanistan, off the coast of Somalia, and in Panama. He also runs a consulting business that brings mindfulness and meditation to high performing teams to aid in dealing with stress, anxiety, and depression, all while increasing focus, creativity, and productivity.

He also serves as the Deputy Executive Director for Veteran’s PATH, a non-profit organization that works to introduce meditation and mindfulness to veterans to bring them a sense of peace, acceptance, transformation, and honor.

Jon’s wife also served in the Navy and is now a civilian Orthopedic Physician Assistant in Virginia Beach. They are both proud parents of two small children and currently live as a family in Chesapeake, Virginia.

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Guest Bio

Elizabeth is an advocate for self empowerment, equity, and advancement. She serves as the Executive Director of Stephens College's Mission Promise Kept, where she has demonstrates a strong passion and dedication to making a difference. With a proven track record of organizational success, Elizabeth combines sound business judgment, analytical skills, and a visionary mindset.

Herrera has a decade of diverse nonprofit leadership experience. Most recently, she served as executive director of True North of Columbia, which provides safety, shelter, education and transitional support for those who have been affected by domestic and sexual violence. She was responsible for managing vision, community engagement and involvement, program operations, fundraising and fiscal management.

Herrera holds a bachelor's degree in anthropology with a focus on women and gender from Auburn University. She earned her master's degree in nonprofit management at Florida Atlantic University.

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Guest Bio

Quinn Chasan is a Senior Data Scientist at Orbis Operations, coming from nearly ten years at Google working with Government agencies to modernize public sector service delivery. Projects across cities from Houston to New York, States from California to Oklahoma, and Federal governments from the U.S. to Singapore.

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Part 2 of 2

Bullard served in the military for 33 years, with both Air National Guard and active duty Air Force assign-ments. During his career, BGen Bullard participated in Operations Desert Shield, Provide Promise, Restore Hope, Joint Endeavor, Joint Forge, Southern Watch, Bright Star, Coronet Oak, Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. He held multiple leadership and staff positions, including Director of Mobility Forces and Joint Air Component Coordination Element (JACCE) staff for the Commander, 7th Air Force, Osan Air Base, South Korea; NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Senior Airfield Authority of Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan; and Chief of Operations for the Joint Intelligence and Operations Center, Headquarters, U.S. Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.

Most recently, Bullard served as Chief of Staff for the Kentucky Air National Guard and Deputy Director of the Joint Staff of the Kentucky National Guard. He also has extensive experience in legislative affairs, representing the military and the manufacturing industry since 1993.

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Bullard served in the military for 33 years, with both Air National Guard and active duty Air Force assign-ments. During his career, BGen Bullard participated in Operations Desert Shield, Provide Promise, Restore Hope, Joint Endeavor, Joint Forge, Southern Watch, Bright Star, Coronet Oak, Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. He held multiple leadership and staff positions, including Director of Mobility Forces and Joint Air Component Coordination Element (JACCE) staff for the Commander, 7th Air Force, Osan Air Base, South Korea; NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Senior Airfield Authority of Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan; and Chief of Operations for the Joint Intelligence and Operations Center, Headquarters, U.S. Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.

Most recently, Bullard served as Chief of Staff for the Kentucky Air National Guard and Deputy Director of the Joint Staff of the Kentucky National Guard. He also has extensive experience in legislative affairs, representing the military and the manufacturing industry since 1993.

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Part 2 of 2

On October 3, 1993, Matt was placed in charge of a group of Army Rangers to lead a daytime raid against an eager enemy militia. Matt experienced the horrors of war when he and his fellow soldiers were trapped in a hostile district of Mogadishu and marked for death by an angry mob. His inspiring story of survival was immortalized in the epic film, Black Hawk Down, which recounts the harrowing experience. For his actions on the battlefield he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor device.

Matt returned from Somalia committed to teaching the next generation of warriors. During his remaining time in uniform, he worked at the Army War College, taught at The Johns Hopkins University and finally deployed to Iraq where he lived with the Iraqi Army for 15 months during The Surge. He remained on active duty until May of 2008, when he retired after 20 years of service.

Committed to sharing the lessons he learned in the military, Matt draws parallels from his experiences to highlight the importance of leadership, followership, courage and responsibility within any team or enterprise. Drawing on lessons learned as a military and corporate leader and consultant, he shows organizations how to navigate today’s chaotic “urban battlefield” of constant change and uncertainty to build and train teams responsible and resilient enough to handle “strategic shock” — the unforeseen disasters that will happen — without missing a beat.

Unambiguously humble, gracious and warm, his powerful story and straightforward insights on instilling these values stay with business leaders long after the applause has ended. His experiences in healthcare, non-profit, and data management industries have solidified his passion to prepare “average people to tackle incredible things.”

Matt recently returned from Afghanistan where he filmed a documentary for PBS in the shadows of Tora Bora. His film, Send Me, highlights the tremendous advances in battlefield medicine since his days on the dusty streets of Mogadishu.

He is co-author of The Battle of Mogadishu and — with James Patterson — of two books that highlight the courage of everyday men and women, Walk in My Combat Boots and ER Nurses — both of which became immediate New York Times bestsellers.

Matt and his wife, Tori, run a consulting company that helps companies develop successful veteran hiring programs. They also co-host a weekly podcast called The Veterans Nation.

Matt Eversmann Books On Amazon

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