Long Life Learning Erin Gianopoulos and Jeff Addison on Military Leadership as a Pathway for Executive Success
For the first time on Long Life Learning, Kavitha is joined by two guests. Jeff Addison and Erin Gianopoulos are distinguished, now-retired U.S. military service members whose friendship began as peers in last year’s YGELP cohort. Erin and Jeff join Kavitha in the studio during their Yale SOM reunion weekend to discuss how military leadership prepared them for executive roles in law and entrepreneurship. They explain what it looks like to continually learn and evolve at high levels of leadership, and how the military saying, “If you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready” continues to apply to their personal and professional lives.
Erin describes how her path from ROTC, to leading Marines in Japan, to earning a law school degree, has led to a burgeoning career in public service. Jeff Addison shares how his years as a Flight Commander in the Air Force equipped him with the management skills needed to found a data solutions company whose inspiration emerged out of personal tragedy. He also explains how being a lifelong learner helped him pivot and flourish as CEO of Techknowvate throughout the pandemic and the emergence of AI. Both guests express the desire to continually grow and serve their countries both in and out of uniform.
Finally, Erin and Jeff speak to the ways in which participating in YGELP—from receiving honest peer-to-peer feedback, to establishing networking connections, to benefiting from the excellence of instruction and building self-confidence—have helped them to embrace the next step in their executive leadership and impact journeys.
Transcript
Links and Resources
Information on YGELP and Yale SOM Executive Education:
Resources Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant, Eric Jorgenson & Jack Butcher
- The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life, Alice Schroeder
- Influence is Your Superpower, Zoe Chance
Where to Find Erin and Jeff:
About Today’s Guests
Erin Gianopoulos is an attorney specializing in government law practicing in the city of Detroit. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Wayne State University Law School. Erin previously served in the Office of Legal Counsel for the Governor of Michigan and is currently a judicial clerk in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Prior to law school, Erin held positions around the world as an officer in the United States Marine Corps, finally retiring from service in 2018. Erin is a driven leader committed to public service. She is an active member of Wayne Law's Board of Visitors. She completed Yale's Global Executive Leadership Program in 2024.
Jeff Addison is a United States Air Force Academy graduate with an advanced degree from Miami University and the Yale Global Executive Leadership Program, who brings extensive military and business experience. His military career included over 135 combat missions and various command positions in high-pressure, data-critical environments. Following his service, he led an engineering division for a technology and defense company before launching his entrepreneurial journey—successfully starting and exiting multiple businesses in technology and commercial development. His leadership at Techknowvate helped save Ohio nearly $100 million by redefining the state's PPE supply chain software during COVID-19. JeD and his wife reside in Dayton with their three daughters and are actively involved in their community. He serves on several boards, including the Dayton Engineers Club, co-founded by the Wright Brothers, and the JobsOhio Independent Review Board, which oversees development projects supporting $31.5 billion in capital investments.