#002: Visual Diversity vs. Diversity of Thought (Building a Diverse Team Pt. 1)

Lisa Jaster graduated from the West Point Academy with a BS in Civil Engineering and was commissioned as an active duty engineer officer. During 2003, Lisa deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as a company executive officer, later serving as the battalion operations construction officer. She attended the Army Engineer Officer Advanced Course at Fort Leonard Wood, MO, and earned her MS in Civil Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla in 2004. After leaving the Active Army, Lisa was employed by Shell Oil Company for 12 years. From April to October 2015, she took a six-month leave of absence and attended Army Ranger School, being one of three females that graduated from the first integrated Ranger School course. Lisa is married to a fellow reserve officer and has two children. She lives an active lifestyle competing in anything from ultra trail runs to CrossFit competitions. She loves martial arts training, specifically Jiu-Jitsu, and is always looking for the next challenge to tackle.

Mike Sarraille is a retired U.S. Navy SEAL officer and a former enlisted Recon Marine and Scout-Sniper. A graduate of the University of Texas McCombs Business School, he is the founder and CEO of Talent War Group, a specialized executive search firm, and talent advisory that finds high-performing business leaders for senior, executive, or other critical leadership positions. He is co-author of ‘The Talent War: How Special Operations and Great Organizations Win on Talent’ and a columnist for Men’s Journal and Men’s Fitness under ‘The Everyday Warrior’ column. He founded and served as a board of directors for the VETTED Foundation, a cutting-edge executive-level transition program.

Mike enlisted in the Marine Corps and later became a Recon Marine and also served as a scout sniper. He was selected for a Marine officer program, but after finishing his bachelor’s degree at Texas A&M University, he sought a commission in the Navy to try out for the SEAL Teams.  He is also a recognized keynote speaker and subject matter expert in leadership development, talent acquisition, and talent management.

Jim is a Founder & General Partner of Arena Growth Partners, an early-stage growth venture capital firm focused on IT. Prior, Jim was most notably a General Partner at Polaris Venture Partners, where he identified, led, and actively participated in investments in early-stage information technology companies. During his tenure, Polaris grew from $85M to over $3B in assets under management. Jim also served as CEO of software companies InvisbleHand Networks and Sparkphone, and as the Director of Entrepreneurship & Innovation at the University of Texas at Austin. Jim’s career began as a Captain and Aviator in the United States Army, in which he was awarded the Meritorious Service Ribbon and the Army Achievement Medal, among others. Jim holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was President of the student body; a JD from New York University, a Root-Tilden Scholar, and an International Fellow; and a BS in Engineering and Political Science from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Glenn founded One 9 Investments while serving as an Assaulter Officer in Canadian Special Operations Forces; Joint Task Force 2. As a Squadron Commander, Glenn specialized in leadership, command, and strategic planning and successfully translated these skills with the creation of a venture capital fund that invests utilizing the principles of special operations planning, risk mitigation, and execution. Having served on multiple combat deployments in Afghanistan, sensitive information operations in the Middle East, and Hostage Recovery operations in Africa he was a strategic planner and tactical commander. A graduate of McGill University, The Army Operations Course, The Special Operations Assaulter Course, Canadian Securities Course, and Ivey Executive Leadership program, arms Glenn with an unconventional perspective and application to the investment battlefield.

Joshua Johnson is a 32 year veteran of the U.S. Army, 20 of which as a Special Forces Soldier. Josh started his career as a Military Policeman and Paratrooper prior to earning his Green Beret. During his tenure in Special Forces, he served as a Medical Sergeant, Team Sergeant, Exchange Officer with the Australian Special Air Services Regiment, First Sergeant, and Sergeant Major. Josh has conducted combat operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Philippines and has operational experience throughout Asia, Europe, and Central America. Capitalizing on his training experience, Josh now serves as the Director of Training and Leadership Development for West Shore Home.