Jason F.

Navy SEAL - 9 years

University of Florida, Warrington College of Business, MBA

I didn't leave the military with a plan. I left with momentum, contracts, clients, a business that grew because I kept saying yes. For a long time, that felt like enough. It took my son asking me why I was always gone to make me slow down and actually think about what came next.

I spent nine years in the SEAL Teams, followed by more than twelve years building and running a global maritime security consulting business. The work was meaningful and demanding, high-risk environments where ambiguity was constant and failure carried real consequences. I was good at operating in that world. What I hadn't figured out was how to step back from it.



The moment that changed my trajectory didn't happen overseas. It happened at home. After returning from yet another extended trip, my son asked me why I was always gone. He's young, but old enough to notice patterns, and that question landed harder than anything I'd experienced professionally. For years, I justified the pace as part of the mission. In that moment, I realized I needed to redefine what the mission was. That decision, to be present, to build something more stable, and to take deliberate control of the next phase of my life, is what brings me here.

The transition from Special Operations into the civilian world is often misunderstood. On paper, the skills transfer, leadership, decision-making, resilience. In reality, the shift runs deeper. It's a move from environments defined by mission clarity and shared identity into ones where both must be rebuilt. That process takes more than effort, it takes structure, education, and the right network.

That's why I've committed to the Executive MBA program at the University of Florida Warrington College of Business. I'm not starting over, I'm building forward. My goal is to move into senior leadership roles in operations, logistics, and maritime-adjacent industries, places where execution and strategy intersect, and where leadership still defines outcomes.

The Glen Doherty Memorial Foundation's mission resonates with me because it acknowledges what too many overlook: transition is not a single event, it's a process. And for those coming out of the Special Operations community, it is often the hardest phase of our professional lives. Like Glen, I was drawn to a path defined by challenge, purpose, and commitment to something larger than myself. His legacy, a mindset built on growth, learning, and pushing beyond comfort zones, reflects values that don't disappear after service ends. They evolve. The Foundation's focus on education and professional development aligns directly with where I am in that evolution.

My challenge is not a lack of direction, it's navigating the gap between where I've been and where I'm going while carrying real responsibilities. This scholarship would create space to fully engage in the academic experience, build meaningful relationships, and develop the business fluency to complement the operational background I already bring.

This is not the end of a career in service. It's the continuation of it, in a different arena, with the same commitment.