Answering When the Navy Special Warfare Family Called
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Robin King, this week's guest on Masters in Business, didn't expect to be involved with the Naval Special Warfare program. When her photographer husband followed his older brother into the Navy Seals program, King, decided to put her business degree to good use. (Her past employers were Walt Disney and McDonnell Douglas, later bought by Boeing).
She began working in the finance department of a nonprofit serving the special warfare community. Then a $100,000 donation came in with a small catch: It had to go to an IRS- recognized, tax-deductible organization. Thus, the Navy SEAL Foundation was born.
King began in the finance department, eventually becoming chief financial officer and then chief executive officer. The organization provides critical support and assistance to the Naval Special Warfare community and its families.
King discusses the balance that all special forces spouses seem to adapt to: being both independent when your spouse goes off to battle, yet part of a larger community supporting families through trauma and tragedy. She discusses why she (and other special forces wives and husbands) don’t stress out while their spouses are in harm’s ways: Their equipment, training, planning and leadership are so good it imbues them all with a reassuring sense of confidence in their team and their own abilities. It is not just that they like their chances, it is that they have done everything possible to tilt the odds in their own favor.
Next week, we speak with Martin Franklin of Mariposa Capital. Franklin has founded and run numerous companies, including Element Solutions Inc. and Jarden Corp., since acquired by Newell Brands. He has also created more than a dozen special purpose acquisition companies, co-investing with money managers such as Bill Ackman of Pershing Square Capital.
This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.
Barry Ritholtz is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He is chairman and chief investment officer of Ritholtz Wealth Management, and was previously chief market strategist at Maxim Group. He is the author of “Bailout Nation.”
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