Jesse Havard

Q: “Tell us about yourself."
A: "I am from Tampa, FL, an avid fan of all sports related to the Tampa Bay area (TB Lightning, Bucs, and Lightning), and recently retired from the US Army. I have been married for 11 years, have two American Bulldogs named Airborne Ranger and Princess II, and have three girls’ named Virginia (24), Annabel (6), and Avalyn (1)."

Q: “Please describe your professional history.”
A: "I'm a combat wounded warrior who retired in Jan 2018 from the US Army. During my service, I worked as an Artilleryman, Military Intelligence Professional, and Targeting Officer where I worked both in the Special Operations field and conventional forces. I have served in progressively more senior tactical, operational, and strategic Defense Department and Interagency Operations and Intelligence domestic and overseas positions. Rose to Sergeant First Class (E-7) rank with deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Qatar. I'm a Purple Heart Recipient. I currently work for CACI, Inc as a Department of Defense-sponsored Contractor, as an International Engagements Officer for United States Central Command’s Intelligence Directorate."

Q: "Why did you choose Norwich?"
A: "Norwich is unique as it shared many of the same values I have as a recently retired Senior Noncommissioned Officer in the US Army. I chose Norwich University because of the MBA program timeline and the option to select a Project Management concentration. Norwich’s faculty and staff understood the unique challenges of being a service member in the US Armed Forces, especially towards the end of my program when I was preparing to retire from the US Army. The MBA program was the perfect solution for myself as a busy professional looking to develop my business skills and accelerate my career in and out of the service. I wanted a degree program that would provide me with a higher probability of success post-military career. I learned about the university as I had several co-workers who had graduated from the Corps of Cadets and were attending Norwich’s online master's programs."

Q: “How have you grown personally or professionally since completing your coursework and degree?”
A: "Personally, it has given me a renewed approach with friends and family, while pushing me to motivate those to expand on their educational goals. Professionally, it pushes me to continue to seek challenging opportunities and have a greater sense of accomplishment with respect to attaining my goals. I now can provide a different outlook on problem sets as I seek those hard assignments. As the course progressed I was able to apply lessons learned in a classroom environment into my everyday work. More importantly, it has allowed me to have a rather seamless transition from Active Duty to the civilian sector and rise above my peer group into senior management that otherwise would have been out of my range without this degree."

Q: “Please tell us about a time you put your knowledge gained in the classroom to work immediately at your job.”
A: "I was able to utilize the knowledge from the classroom during the end of my tenure in the Army I completed six-month Project Management internship with a settlement planning consultancy as part of MBA studies. I led a team of five, directed up to 20 subject matter experts, and reported directly to the Chief Operating Officer. I established the company’s Project Management Office and standard operating procedures, established, scheduled and tracked 25 projects start to finish. Boosted project completion 25% and was instrumental in the seamless acquisition of an $85 million-dollar insurance company. More recently as a member of CACI, Inc I have been promoted as the lead agent in our contract re-compete as a Project Manager."