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As the leader of a large public university and former undersecretary of the U.S. Navy, Dr. Janine Davidson ​​has dedicated 30 years of her career to academic, civilian, and military service.

Since 2017, she has been the President of Metropolitan State University of Denver, where she has been a staunch advocate for underrepresented students, DACA recipients, and military and veteran students. 

Prior to her work in higher education, she was appointed by former President Barack Obama as the 32nd undersecretary of the U.S. Navy. She's also a trailblazing pilot, being the first woman to fly the Air Force's tactical C-130.

In today’s episode, Janine reflects on her career:

• The interview process to become undersecretary of the U.S. Navy

• Engaging with the local community as President of MSU Denver

• Becoming one of the first female pilots in the air force

Janine has been awarded many accolades, including the HillVets Top 100 Most Influential Veterans and the Secretary of the Navy Medal for Distinguished Public Service. 

At the national level, she is chair of the Department of Defense Policy Board and serves on the State Department Foreign Affairs Policy Board. Locally in Denver, Janine serves on the boards of numerous organizations, including the Colorado Concern, Downtown Denver Partnership, and the Rose Community Foundation.

Thank you to ACG Denver for being a sponsor of CXO Conversations Podcast. Association for Corporate Growth in its role as the hub of the middle market business community for quality networking, education and events. Connections are made, deals are formed and thought leadership is exchanged.  

Enjoy the show? Leave us a review on iTunes - thanks! 

Thank you Jalan Crossland for lending your award-winning banjo skills to CXO Conversations.

As the leader of a large public university and former undersecretary of the U.S. Navy, Dr. Janine Davidson ​​has dedicated 30 years of her career to academic, civilian, and military service.

Since 2017, she has been the President of Metropolitan State University of Denver, where she has been a staunch advocate for underrepresented students, DACA recipients, and military and veteran students. 

Prior to her work in higher education, she was appointed by former President Barack Obama as the 32nd undersecretary of the U.S. Navy. She's also a trailblazing pilot, being the first woman to fly the Air Force's tactical C-130.

In today’s episode, Janine reflects on her career:

• The interview process to become undersecretary of the U.S. Navy

• Engaging with the local community as President of MSU Denver

• Becoming one of the first female pilots in the air force

Janine has been awarded many accolades, including the HillVets Top 100 Most Influential Veterans and the Secretary of the Navy Medal for Distinguished Public Service. 

At the national level, she is chair of the Department of Defense Policy Board and serves on the State Department Foreign Affairs Policy Board. Locally in Denver, Janine serves on the boards of numerous organizations, including the Colorado Concern, Downtown Denver Partnership, and the Rose Community Foundation.

Thank you to ACG Denver for being a sponsor of CXO Conversations Podcast. Association for Corporate Growth in its role as the hub of the middle market business community for quality networking, education and events. Connections are made, deals are formed and thought leadership is exchanged.  

Enjoy the show? Leave us a review on iTunes - thanks! 

Thank you Jalan Crossland for lending your award-winning banjo skills to CXO Conversations.

From the frontlines in Afghanistan to the center of the Texas startup ecosystem, Craig Cummings has built an incredible career developing technology that solves real-world problems. He’s now General Partner at Moonshots Capital, a venture capital firm in Austin that invests in technology startups, with a special focus on those founded by military veteran entrepreneurs. 

Join us as we delve into Craig's inspiring journey, his insights into technology investments, and the unique perspective he brings to the entrepreneurial world.

In this episode, Craig shares with Michael his experience:

• Crafting an elevator pitch that advances your career

• Building a strong local entrepreneurship community in Austin

• Helping other talented veteran entrepreneurs succeed

Before he became an entrepreneur, Craig spent 17 years in the Army, most of that time as an Intelligence Officer serving in support of the National Security Agency (NSA). Craig deployed to Afghanistan with the Joint Special Operations Command where he was awarded the Bronze Star. 

Craig holds a B.S. in Political Science from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he was recognized as their first Truman Scholar. He also has a Ph.D. in Political Science with a minor in Econometrics from Columbia University.

Thank you to ACG Denver for being a sponsor of CXO Conversations Podcast. Association for Corporate Growth in its role as the hub of the middle market business community for quality networking, education and events. Connections are made, deals are formed and thought leadership is exchanged.  

Enjoy the show? Leave us a review on iTunes - thanks! 

Thank you Jalan Crossland for lending your award-winning banjo skills to CXO Conversations.

From the frontlines in Afghanistan to the center of the Texas startup ecosystem, Craig Cummings has built an incredible career developing technology that solves real-world problems. He’s now General Partner at Moonshots Capital, a venture capital firm in Austin that invests in technology startups, with a special focus on those founded by military veteran entrepreneurs. 

Join us as we delve into Craig's inspiring journey, his insights into technology investments, and the unique perspective he brings to the entrepreneurial world.

In this episode, Craig shares with Michael his experience:

• Crafting an elevator pitch that advances your career

• Building a strong local entrepreneurship community in Austin

• Helping other talented veteran entrepreneurs succeed

Before he became an entrepreneur, Craig spent 17 years in the Army, most of that time as an Intelligence Officer serving in support of the National Security Agency (NSA). Craig deployed to Afghanistan with the Joint Special Operations Command where he was awarded the Bronze Star. 

Craig holds a B.S. in Political Science from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he was recognized as their first Truman Scholar. He also has a Ph.D. in Political Science with a minor in Econometrics from Columbia University.

Thank you to ACG Denver for being a sponsor of CXO Conversations Podcast. Association for Corporate Growth in its role as the hub of the middle market business community for quality networking, education and events. Connections are made, deals are formed and thought leadership is exchanged.  

Enjoy the show? Leave us a review on iTunes - thanks! 

Thank you Jalan Crossland for lending your award-winning banjo skills to CXO Conversations.

You won’t believe what this badass babe has been up to for half her life…

Colleen Keller Sterling is a -

Physicist

Pilot

Reno Air racer

A & P aircraft mechanic

Missing aircraft search expert

Some backstory:

After graduating with her master’s degree in physics, Colleen found herself working on an aircraft carrier as an operations research analyst for the US Navy.

The exciting Top Gun atmosphere got her fired up about flying.

*cue Danger Zone* 🎵🚀✈️

(The 5000 guys on the boat were kinda fun too.) 😎

Target rich environment Maverick. 😉

She went on to earn private, instrument, and commercial ratings in her Cessna Cardinal RG, which she has now owned for almost 3 decades. She also loves to fly upside down in her Skybolt aerobatic biplane.

Colleen became an A & P aircraft mechanic so that she could wrench her own airplanes.

Colleen was instrumental in devising and conducting scenario reconstruction and probability mapping to guide search efforts for several high profile aircraft searches including Steve Fosset and Air France 447. She is a founding member of MAST - the Missing Aircraft Search Team.

Her dream of racing at the Reno National Championship Air Races was finally realized in 2013 when she was invited by a friend to pilot his Lancair Legacy, “Poncho,” Race 52.

I never cease to be astounded by people who are this darned multitalented and accomplished and one might say…. badass …

Prepare to be *amazed.*

Growing up as an inner-city girl in Denver, Colorado, she knew she loved STEM and wanted to be an engineer. The military academies weren't an option presented in her district, yet she found her way in front of an interview panel seeking a congressional nomination to the U.S. Air Force Academy. She received nominations to all of the academies and ended up at the U.S. Navy Academy.

U.S. Navy Reserve Cmdr. Kimberly Martinez holds a very demanding role in the Navy Reserve as part of the Coastal Riverine community alongside her civilian engineering role with Raytheon. She just returned from a deployment in February and is currently on separate reserve orders as an instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy, where her career first started. 

She is both an example and a witness to the talent, perseverance, creativity, and aptitude of the servicemembers serving our country in the military reserve.

Discussing Gamecocks OC opening