Carter Gaffney | Senior Director, LegalZoom.com

As a young man growing up in New Hampshire, Carter Gaffney excelled both academically and athletically and had aspirations of becoming an astronaut. Carter received an appointment to the prestigious United States Naval Academy where he went on to play for the Academies rugby team. Upon graduation with a degree in Ocean Engineering and passing the Engineer In Training Exam in 1999, Carter was commissioned as a Surface Warfare Officer with the United States Navy. After being ranked #1 out of 11 Ensigns his commanding officer personally recommended Carter for SEAL training. As one of only 20 graduates to complete BUD/S Class 239 Carter went on to lead a platoon in SEAL TEAM 1. As an officer in the Navy’s elite special operations, Carter excelled at solving complex problems in high-pressure environments and developed a rigorous commitment to equip and empower his team to achieve excellence. After successfully completing numerous special operations missions around the globe Carter was accepted to Harvard Business School and received his MBA in 2008.

One positive by-product of The War on Terror is that the nation is guaranteed a fresh infusion of battle-tested officers, many of whom will go to business school and take their place as an emerging generation of leaders in the world of business. Their leadership on the front lines will ensure that they will be able to help improve their companies' bottom lines. And the best companies are setting their recruiting sights on finding and hiring these proven warriors as the next generation of leadership.