Social Growth Branding Agency

Co-Founder

EMPEQ

Program Manager

United States Air Force

As a Senior Program Manager, I led a team of front line managers who oversee programs focused on aircraft inspections, equipment maintenance, and compliance issues. Facilitating human resource responsibilities, I handled all performance reviews, coaching feedback, culture setting strategy, and any disciplinary actions necessary. My entire responsibility encompasses managing 153 total employees, two aircraft maintenance hangars worth $36M, 11 programs, and $28M worth of equipment.

An achievement in this position includes:
●	Led a high-profile program focused on improving our qualification upgrade rates.

Senior Program Manager

In this role, I served as program manager at two separate locations, Dover Air Force Base and Ramstein Air Force Base. Leading a seven-member team, I focused the team’s efforts on flawless execution of the aircraft maintenance programs. Specifically, identifying and implementing process improvements that increased productivity and operational efficiencies within the aircraft wheel and tire work center saved the Air Force millions of dollars in cost savings. In addition, I liaised with senior leadership ensuring they were up to date on all aircraft and equipment statuses and concerns.

Some notable accomplishments in this role include:
●	Increased order efficiency by 150% via creation of database.
●	Secured alternative sourcing options for aircraft wheel bearings preventing nine-month supply bottleneck.
●	Delivered 6% cost savings through streamlined inventory and production processes.

While in Honduras, I oversaw all aircraft and helicopter related operations for Central American missions and ensured safe and secure operations of the region’s lone capable C-5 airfield. 

I did this while training and developing a two person crew as they executed the vision of the section. I was awarded a Commendation Medal for my efforts during that year.

Key achievements in this role included:
●	Collaborated with the U.S Marines to conduct three anti-trafficking operations throughout Central America.
●        Overhauled base’s tool accountability system, creating central checkout point and reducing waste by 27%

Operations Manager

I interacted with Wing deployment agency while ensuring that all personnel and equipment met 12 hour Operations capability timelines. I also ensured full-spectrum readiness of personnel and equipment, maintained mobility folders, and ensures mobility training requirements are met. I also deployed within 12 hours as C-5 and C-17 maintenance team member, while supporting TRANSCOM's global Joint Task Force-Port Opening (JTF-PO) mission with the Army.

I sustained worldwide Contingency Response Wing maintenance operations while being deployable within 12 hours. During this time, I executed bare base buildup, established personnel and equipment placement, and supported USTRANSCOM directed missions. As a mechanic, I maintained and serviced 18 C-5 and 13 C-17 aircraft and alleviated maintenance personnel shortfalls.

Contingency Aircraft Mechanic

During the beginning of my Air Force career, I performed scheduled and unscheduled maintenance on 18 C-5 aircraft valued at over $3.7 billion. I also performed aircraft inspections and servicing for daily training sorties, worldwide missions, and special taskings. I managed numerous programs and tracked accountability of test equipment, tools, and technical manuals valued at $1 million.

Aircraft Mechanic

Crowdbotics

Visiting Fellow

National Association of African Americans in Human Resources - Northern California

• Strategy development and oversight of its implementation, leading its strategic communications
effort to demonstrate NAAAHR value and impact

• Developing new components of the Chapter's strategy

• Lead the Chapters strategy development and oversight of its implementation including leading
the development of annual and longer-term goals, monitoring achievement of the goals, and
establishing metrics to determine successful implementation of the goals.

• Lead the Chapters innovation efforts including supporting the operation and the development of
new ideas for the Chapter

• Support the coordination of the organization’s knowledge management strategy setting up
systems to facilitate knowledge management between partners, networks, and other external
thought leaders

• Working closely with the Chapter President, Leaders and Board Members to develop criteria to
define key strategic partnerships in alignment with the Chapters strategic plan and work
towards implementing a plan to secure partnerships that support mission achievement

• Work with Chapter Leaders and Board Members to execute against ambitious goals, including
identifying, cultivating and soliciting funding from sponsors, partners, external foundations,
corporations, government sources and other community partners

• Steward existing and build new strategic partnerships that advance NAAAHR’s mission
achievement including identifying new partners to development for new programs and services
provided locally

• Use opportunities to deepen relationships with current partners and sponsors, and to advance
strategies to secure potential partners

Vice President of Strategy

Business Strategy | Data Analytics | Innovation | Defense Ventures Alum

As a visionary entrepreneur and LinkedIn branding strategist, I channel over a decade of experience into helping corporate professionals and startup founders carve influential digital identities. 

At the helm of Social Growth Branding Agency, I’m dedicated to transforming LinkedIn brands into powerful narratives that captivate, inspire, and drive engagement. Our mission extends beyond mere visibility; we strive to craft legacies that resonate across the entrepreneurial and corporate landscapes.

My journey is defined by a relentless pursuit of excellence and innovation. The combination of 14 years of military experience and an Executive MBA from Brown University and IE Business School on the horizon gives me a unique vantage point at the intersection of cutting-edge marketing strategies and transformative leadership principles. 

My expertise lies in identifying the unique value each professional and founder possesses, turning their experience into strategic assets that elevate their career and business trajectories.

Beyond this venture, I am an advocate and supporter for equity in entrepreneurship. My aspiration to launch a venture capital fund for underrepresented founders is a testament to my commitment to leveling the playing field in the startup ecosystem. 

Through mentorship, strategic advisory, and leveraging my extensive network, I aim to foster an environment where every aspiring entrepreneur can thrive.

In everything I do, my approach is characterized by a blend of creativity, strategic foresight, and a genuine passion for seeing others succeed.

Shawn Gregoire

VetraFi

Context VC

Partner

The Milvet

Media Mobilize

Founder

Council on Foreign Relations

Life Member: July 2023
Term Member: June 2018 - June 2023

Member

AAAIM

NorCal Chapter Leader

Perfect Venue

Investor

Secureframe

beehiiv

Seed Investor

6AM City

Tim Hsia

Executive Summary: Happy 250th Birthday to the Marine Corps!

1/ Yesterday evening I celebrated the United States Marine Corps 250th Birthday at the Marines’ Memorial Club & Hotel. It was an incredible event that celebrated the past, present, and future of the Marine Corps.

2/ One of the best things about living in San Francisco is my proximity to the Marines’ Memorial Club & Hotel. I love the General Ames library, and it’s my favorite room in all of San Francisco. Many thanks to Mike Rocco, Michael Allen, the entire staff and BoD: Ed Hanlon, Pete Paffrath, Matt Carroll, Nina Leslie, Lucas Babbitt, Bradford Davis, Nicole N., Joe Vollono, Barrie Graham, Desirée Kohnen, and so many others for your leadership of this fantastic organization that is a living memorial to Marines and all veterans.

The Marines Memorial brings together veterans from all the branches and across their journey. The evening before I attended the VetsinTech event hosted by Katherine Webster & 🌍 Ikram Mansori.

3/ While on active duty, I never interacted much with Marines. Since leaving active duty, I have had the awesome opportunity to meet and work with many Marine Corps Veterans, and the other day, "IRON" Mike Steadman 🥊🏴‍☠️ said that I surround myself with Marine Corps Veterans. I try to surround myself with fantastic people, and so that just might be the case.

4/ From the Marines Corps website on its 250 year anniversary: Explore Our Legacy, Embrace Our Future.

For 250 years, the United States Marine Corps has served honorably in every clime and place. Founded on November 10, 1775, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Marines have fought from the shores of Tripoli to the valleys of Afghanistan – always the most ready when the nation is least ready.

Coming from all walks of life, Marines are forged by the fires of the Crucible, turning everyday citizens into adaptive warfighters with problem-solving skills and a willingness to win against any adversary. No matter their ranks, Marines stay true to the uncompromising standards found in their core values of honor, courage, and commitment.

Marines always answer the call of the Nation – distinguishing themselves in battles at Belleau Wood, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, the Chosin Reservoir, Hue City, Fallujah, and Marjah. The same fighting spirit that led Marines then thrives in our Marines today. On any given day, nearly 38,000 Marines are forward deployed around the globe, enabling the Corps to be first on scene, first to help, first to contain a brewing crisis, and if required to do so, first to fight anywhere for as long as it takes. Marines stand always ready.

For 250 years, the United States Marine Corps has prided itself on exemplifying its motto of “Semper Fidelis” or “Always Faithful.” Please join in celebrating 250 years of the Marine Corps faithful service to our nation.

Executive Summary: Financial Fitness for the Warfighter

1/ We are thoughtfully growing our team at VetraFi. In the past 100 days we’ve bought on several new teammates, and in the next 30 days we plan to bring on a few more teammates. Here are a few teammates we can mention now:

🚀 Colin Block, United States Marine Corps veteran 
🚀 Jay G., US Army veteran
🚀 Michael T., US Army veteran
🚀 "IRON" Mike Steadman 🥊🏴‍☠️, United States Marine Corps veteran
🚀 Jalayah Francisco

2/ We recently met in San Francisco and talked with recruiters, cadets, and cadre about how we can make VetraFi the banking app for military service members. Here are some lessons we learned:

💡Convenience is everything. Create a convenient way to refer customers.

🪖Service members want a product built for their needs, they don’t care as much about who is advertising the product.

💪Service members want a product that is interactive, fun, and engaging. A product that makes financial fitness less like 0400 am PT session and more like playing your favorite sport with friends. 

💳Some new service members rarely use cash of physical credit cards; they primarily only use their phones for payment.

🤖We need to be very careful how we leverage and market AI. Service members want AI tools that have been field tested and validated. They have natural skepticism on whether AI and banking can coexist because AI can hallucinate. They want their banking accounts to always be 100% accurate.

👏Everyone loves white Monster energy drinks and protein bars
Service members, to our surprise, really like our pens, they are practical and functional

👕The swag that gets EVERYONE excited is our ACU Undershirt. Everyone loves it.

3/ We discussed tenets that we value as a team, and here are just a few of them:

📈We believe no one brave enough to serve their country should leave the military worse financially than when they joined.

🏋We believe financial fitness is just as important and mission-critical as physical fitness.

💰We want service members to earn more and we are building the financial tools that enable their success.

🪖We exist to help the soon to serve, service members, veterans, & their families.

4/ We are hiring for a senior software engineer and executive assistant and will be hiring for more roles soon. Connect with the VetraFi team if you’d like to learn more about our roles or what we are building!

Executive Summary: The 5th Military Veteran Startup Conference (MVS) on 2/11-2/12/26

1/ We are excited to be convening the 5th Military Veteran Startup Conference at the Marines’ Memorial Club & Hotel on 2/11-2/12/26 (Wed and Thursday).

Our last three MVS conferences each convened over 450 military veteran founders, investors, LPs, operators, and civilian allies. It is the largest convening of military veteran startup and venture capital leaders. In total, our last 3 conferences brought together 1,500 people from the military veteran startup community.

2/ Here are just a few of the confirmed speakers who are founders, investors, and leaders joining us at MVS 2026, what we hope will be our best MVS yet!

🚀Cameron McCord (CEO and cofounder) of Nominal (US Navy veteran)
🚀Sarah "Sassie" Duggleby, CEO and cofounder of Venus Aerospace
🚀Alex Martin, CEO and cofounder of Clearspeed (United States Marine Corps)
🚀Daniel Jablonsky, CEO of Ursa Major (Navy veteran)
🚀Barry Eggers of Lightspeed
🚀Ian Kalin, CEO and cofounder of TurbineOne (Navy veteran)
🚀Paul Madera, cofounder of Meritech Capital (United States Air Force veteran)
🚀Jeff Clavier of Uncork Capital
🚀John Serafini, CEO of HawkEye360 (US Army veteran)
🚀Henry Ward, CEO of Carta (Marine corps veteran)
🚀Lucas Babbitt, CEO of Atomic Insights (Navy veteran)
🚀Emery Wager, CEO of Confido Legal (Marine Corps veteran)

We have more fantastic founders and investors joining us that we will share soon!

3/ Last year’s The PenFed Foundation for Military Heroes Pitch Competition was such a success that we are collaborating again! This live pitch competition showcases fantastic military veteran founders pitching to all of the conference attendees and to military veteran venture capitalists. This pitch competition highlights many fantastic military veteran founders and how military veterans are building at the intersection of tech, innovation, and rapid growing startups.

4/ Many thanks to the Military Veteran Startup Conference sponsors: JPMorganChase, DLA Piper, The PenFed Foundation for Military Heroes, Citizens, Holland & Knight LLP, VetraFi, and Cooley LLP!

Military Veteran Startup Conference 2026

Executive Summary: The Military Veteran Startup Pitch Competition

1/ We are excited to partner with The PenFed Foundation for Military Heroes for our 5th Annual Military Veteran Startup Conference on 2/11–2/12/26 at the Marines’ Memorial.  

The PenFed Foundation for Military Heroes was a partner in our first conference back in 2022. Now, they will be joining us again for our 5th Military Veteran Startup Conference, a growing event aimed to inform, connect, and celebrate the military veteran startup and business community.

2/ The PenFed Foundation for Military Heroes has been a steadfast champion of military veteran startups, and we can’t wait to support the founders participating in this year’s pitch competition. The competition will be held on Day 2 (2/12/26, Thursday) of the Military Veteran Startup Conference.

3/ This year’s pitch competition features an outstanding cohort of military veteran founders. We have also assembled a group of experienced military veterans who are venture capitalists, excited to evaluate the pitches and crown the Pitch Competition Winners.

Here are some of this year’s competitors:
🔥Dave Esra, US Army Veteran & Ann-Christin Villegas, PMP of BobiHealth
🔥Kathy Borkoski, US Navy Veteran & Andrew Towers, US Army Veteran of Career PCS
🔥Shaun Tanaka, Air National Guard Veteran & Matthew Phillips, US Army Veteran of Castlelock Corporation, 
🔥Maryam Khazraee of RxPharmacist, US Army
🔥Adam Hill of Crewdogs, United States Air Force Veteran
🔥Nelson Rouleau, MPhil (ENFJ) & Robert Smith of VetScore, United States Air Force Veterans
🔥Ron Nussbaum of BuilderComs, United States Marine Corps Veteran
🔥Tom Coyle of Sciencella, US Army Veteran 
🔥Lisa Bradley of R. Riveter, US Army Veteran 
🔥Nicholas Grillo of Elevate Vending, LLC., United States Marine Corps Veteran

The top three startups will receive $50K, $30K, and $15K!

Thank you, PenFed Team, for your partnership and collaboration. cc: Rachel Miller, MEDL, Andrea McCarren, Terry Williams

4/ If you are a military veteran founder looking to connect with other founders or investors, then this is the conference for you. The link to RSVP/sign up for the conference is in the comment below.

Executive Summary: A Love of Print Media

1/ Growing up in Tallahassee, the first thing I saw my parents do every day was read our local newspaper, the Tallahassee Democrat. As a young kid, that didn’t make sense. How boring. Only as a teenager, when I wanted to read the sports section, did I see the value of the newspaper.

2/ At United States Military Academy at West Point as a plebe, I had to deliver The New York Times to upperclassmen, and be able to recite the day’s news over meals. As a result, I started reading less of the sports section and migrated my reading to the front pages: national and foreign policy news.

The section that I least cared about as a cadet was the business section. There was no purpose to reading about business when one could be reading about politics, wars, and diplomacy. However, on the weekends I would read the Arts section. Primarily because I have always been an avid consumer of movies and art.

3/ After leaving US Army active duty, I’ve focused heavily on reading the business sections. Now I skim through the sports section. But after grad school, I stopped reading print publications as often as I did. However, I much prefer reading books and newspapers in print than digital. During Covid, I resuscitated my love of print and subscribed to several print publications.

4/ In this day and age of AI, where content is everywhere and can be created so effortlessly by machines, I have found myself to love print even more.

➡️Print lets me absorb the content in a better way.

➡️Print has less distractions, it lets me read right before going to sleep without the blue light emitting from devices.

➡️I believe only the highest quality content gets printed. And right now the highest quality content is still those ideated, reported, and written by humans.

5/ I believe there’s been an erosion in democracy because many Americans aren’t engaged civically, and that means knowing and reading what is happening locally and nationally.

6/ I’m a scrappy person, so I try to be thoughtful on what I spend my time and money on. This Thanksgiving I’ll be both thankful for print and traditional media and also be buying subscriptions to digital and PRINT publications.

7/ Here are some of my favorite publications which I enjoy reading in print:
💯The New Yorker (I really love the New Yorker, so I hope to write a post celebrating The New Yorker’s 100 year birthday before the end of the year.)
🌍The Foreign Affairs Magazine by Council on Foreign Relations
💡The Atlantic
🤖 WIRED
📰The New York Times
🌉San Francisco Chronicle
🔦The Economist
💰Bloomberg Businessweek
💸Fortune
🤝Vanity Fair
📰The Wall Street Journal

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The Battle

Shawn Gregoire

Tim Hsia

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The Battle

Shawn Gregoire

Tim Hsia

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Tim Hsia's LinkedIn Performance

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