USASOC Command Sergeant Major JoAnn Naumann

CSM JoAnn Naumann planned on serving one enlistment in the Army to get a clearance and learn a language so she would be competitive for the Foreign Service. 28 years and 14 deployments later she's now the USASOC Command Sergeant Major.

We originally got in touch because she appreciated our episode with Alyssa Clark where we talked about ultra marathon running. CSM Naumann recently completed her first fifty miler at fifty years old (at a pace faster than she's required to run on the ACFT two mile, according to the Army).

In addition to hearing about her approach to training, we also discussed her experience with embedded human performance teams in special operations, including the challenges around integrating human performance professionals while preserving NCOs' role in physical training leadership. She joined the special operations community before POTFF was established and has watched it evolve over the course of her career.