Dr. Charles Stuppard, Captain, US Navy (Ret.) served just over 30 years before transitioning out of the Navy. His secret ingredient to charting a post-military career path is networking.
Summary
After graduating from Cornell University with a degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Charles committed to a 6-year engagement with the US Navy but ended up serving for just over 30 years. He started out at flight school and soon realized he wanted to be at sea where he served on 6 warships including the USS Arleigh Burke as Commanding Officer.
A true leader, Charles was tasked with teaching leadership to incoming commanding officers before taking an assignment in command of the Little Creek-Fort Story joint Navy Army base in Virginia Beach, VA, home of the Navy SEALS and other joint warfighters.
The 30-year mark in Charles’s Navy career arrived while teaching at the Naval War College and it was then that he realized it was time to transition and chart his post-military career path. He credits his volunteer and board of directors’ service at Cornell University for helping him carve his path which was a road less traveled by many veterans entering the corporate world. Most choose to work for large defense companies whereas Charles chose to lead small and medium businesses allowing him to develop multiple entities before becoming the district director for a Congresswoman in Washington, DC. He now operates his own consulting firm – Consulting & Leadership Services with a focus on leadership, defense, and the Middle East.
His secret ingredient to carving a post-military path is networking which he shares throughout the episode.
Episode Highlights
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01:07 – 07:35 From a degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University to a distinguished 30-year US Navy career.
07:36 – 11:27 Thinking about transition at the 30-year mark and how networking opened doors to future corporate leadership roles.
11:28 – 21:26 Learning from transition – Networking and mentoring.
21:27 – 20:01 Work-Life balance, why self-care is so important in life and business.
Your Move
- The Make Your Move podcast is hosted by Gene Moran – Independent Advisor, Corporate Lobbyist, Congressional Liaison, and Senior Naval Officer, US Navy Captain (Ret.). Learn more about Gene and Capitol Integration here
- Order your copy of Make Your Move, the book that inspired the Make Your Move podcast here
- Learn more about Consulting & Leadership Services here
- Connect with Dr. Charles Stuppard here
