West Point Grad News
Eisiminger '88 Kills Wasteful Business Practices
When Bob Eisiminger, former Air Defense Artillery Officer, realized that gaps in his company's recruiting and HR processes were costing him tens of thousands of dollars every month, he knew it was time to blow something up.
Eisiminger's company, KnightPoint Systems, is a $150 million government contractor based in Washington, D.C. But since all staff are required to get security clearance through the federal government before they can start work, even the smallest bottleneck could create problems felt throughout the organization. "The hiring process in the government contracting industry has quite a few pieces to it," Eisiminger explains. "It wasn't working because it was—and in some cases still is—taking too long to hire folks. Slow recruiting causes a lot of downrange effects."
When Eisiminger added it all up, the paperwork and process around wasteful recruiting practices was costing the company as much as $75,000 a month.
Since he came to accept that one of the responsibilities of a leader is to kill out-of-date legacy processes, Eisiminger hired a new recruiting coordinator to communicate with job candidates more often to make sure nothing falls between the cracks; instituted a systems of quarterly check-ins instead of elaborate performance reviews; and, streamlined the security clearance process internally. Read More
McNichol '07 Hoplite Resilience Helping Veterans
"Today, those who serve face profound and difficult challenges. In recent years, mental health needs have become an ever-increasing concern for our veterans, military personnel, first responders, first care receivers, and their families. Hoplite is driven to make a positive impact in the lives of these individuals by addressing this concern."
These are the words of Brendan McNichol '07 founder of the Hoplite Resilience Center, a new 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that looks to empower individuals who have served, and may continue to serve, this nation through their service in the military, emergency services, and emergency hospital care.
Brendan and his team of professionals hope to be able to accomplish the goal of "Building Resistance, Enhancing Resilience, and Speeding Recovery" by offering a continuum of care to those who may benefit from behavioral and mental health services. This continuum of care system, modeled after the Johns Hopkins construct of human resilience, will provide pre-acute, acute, and post-acute care through several advanced resilience-based and science-based programs.
CPT Nasir '13 Awarded Fellowship
Captain Hamid Nasir '13, has been awarded a fellowship from The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans program. Nasir's award will support work toward a juris doctor degree at Georgetown Law School.
The son of immigrants from Pakistan, Captain Hamid Nasir was raised in the great State of Alaska. When he was sixteen, Hamid was appointed as a Senate page by the late Senator Ted Stevens. The experience changed his life and propelled him to West Point.
While learning and developing as a leader at the Academy, Hamid felt uniquely positioned to foster understanding. He soon realized that he might be the only Muslim his classmates would meet before deploying overseas. He taught his friends about Islam, Urdu and Arabic, and the cultural nuances of operating abroad. He was hopeful that one day this knowledge might save their soldiers' lives—and the lives of innocent civilians in the region. Read More
To learn more visit https://www.pdsoros.org/meet-the-fellows.
Class Notes Updates This Week
The following classes have added updates this week to their Class Notes pages. 1958 | 1961 | 1978 | 2008 | 2011. Class Notes
White '11 Given a Smart Home from Tunnel to Towers
For the first time in a long time Captain Gavin White will be able to live a better quality of life thanks to the donation of a new smart-home for him and his wife. Gavin White served in Maiwand, Afghanistan with the 137th Sapper Company Engineering Battalion charged with Route Clearance and Counter IED Operations. Life changed forever for Gavin and his wife Karissa on August 24, 2013, while leading combined Afghan U.S. patrol. Gavin stepped on a pressure plate IED which resulted in the amputation of his right leg, the loss of use of his left leg, chronic pain and other injuries.
Since that time - he says he's faced more challenges than ever before. For White, even the smallest tasks like even going into his own closet or using the bathroom has been extremely hard to do without help. White explained "Problems that I never considered started appearing in my home. Not being able to use the kitchen, not being able to do laundry and not being able to get clothes out of my closet to wear for the day. At one point every time I wanted to use the bathroom, I had to get out of my chair on to the floor and walk on my hands to get to the toilet."
The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation honored Gavin with a custom-designed smart home. The home is made for severely injured heroes so they can live a more independent life. "Until today this was just a house where I lived. Now I feel like it's my home" said White. The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation created its "smart home" program to give independence back to those who have paid a daunting price for our freedom. Story
Harris '08, Clark '08 & Jannetti '08 Named 2019 Olmstead Scholars
Congratulations to CPT Charles Harris, CPT Scott Clark '08 and CPT Adam Jannetti '08 who have been named 2019 Olmstead Scholars. The Olmsted Scholar Program, named after George H. Olmsted, awards scholarships to highly qualified, active duty junior officers in the United States military to pursue language studies and overseas graduate-level education. Created in concert with the Department of Defense, the Scholar Program provides one year of foreign language training followed by two years of study at a foreign graduate school.
The Scholar Program was established with an initial grant from George and Carol Olmsted in 1957. In his original Statement of Donor, Olmsted noted, "Fundamental to the initial purpose of creating the scholarship program is the conviction that the greatest leaders must be educated broadly." Since its inception, the Olmsted Scholar Program has provided grants for over 600 officers, many of whom have gone on to the highest levels of leadership and responsibility in the military, government and private sector.
Bulls '78 Named One of the Most Corporate Influential
JLL Vice Chairman, Americas, Herman Bulls has been recognized by Savoy magazine for his executive and business leadership in national and global corporations as one of the Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America.
Bulls said, "It's an honor to be one of the Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America again. In nearly 30 years with JLL, it's been rewarding to play a role in the company's tremendous growth while helping to maintain its focus on diversity, integrity and ethics."
Selection of the Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America begins by examining several spheres of influence including: corporate sector influence, scholastic achievement, career growth, community outreach and recognition. The information received from over 500 prospective candidates in diverse fields was pre-screened by the selection committee. Read More
Scott '61 "Warrior: A Hero's Story"
A pictorial saga of James A. Scott's military service, from enlisted soldier to West Point graduate, Class of 1961, and decorated Vietnam Aviator, recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star, and the Distinguished Flying across. The book includes Scott's awards with photos of citations and presentations, plus rare photos of shoulder patches, devices and medals. Scott now battles another lethal and rare enemy, Inclusion Body Myositis. Proceeds will go to research a cure for that disease. Available at Blurb.com.
Class Notes Updates This Week
The following classes have added updates this week to their Class Notes pages. 1956 | 1976 | 1978 | 1986 | 1988. Class Notes
Jette ’76 Sworn in as ASA(ALT)
Dr. Bruce D. Jette, COL(R) ’76, was recently formally sworn in as the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology ASA(ALT) to serve as the Army Acquisition Executive, the Senior Procurement Executive, the Science Advisor to the Secretary of the Army, and the Army’s Senior Research and Development official.
A veteran Armor and Acquisition Corps officer, Dr. Jette served in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kuwait; established the Army’s Rapid Equipping Force; and served as a Project Manager, a Product Manager, and the Science Advisor to the Chief of Staff of the Army (CSA). Upon retiring, he founded Synovision Solutions and provided consulting, engineering, and project management services in support of industry, military, and government. Introducing Dr. Jette, Secretary of the Army Mark Esper declared him "the right man for the right job at the right time."
Speaking after being sworn-in, Dr. Jette attributed much of his success to those who have supported him throughout his career. A Two-Percent Club member, he also recognized "the beauty, the grace, and the astounding patience of [his] bride," Cathy, thanking her for supporting him in every way. Regarding his current charge, Dr. Jette pledged to improve how the Army engages acquisition to ensure "better value for the taxpayer and better results for the Soldier on the battlefield." Read More