In this episode of Long Blue Leadership with host Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz ’99, hear how adversity, gratitude and courage forged a leader others would follow anywhere. From his harrowing experience during the 9/11 attacks to overcoming childhood adversity and pioneering innovation in the Air Force, Dave Harden shares practical lessons on gratitude, resilience and the importance of running toward challenges rather than away from them. The conversation emphasizes that true leadership is forged in the fire of adversity and that gratitude can transform hardship into fuel for growth.

• Leadership is about how we respond in crisis.
• Everyone has a personal story of 9/11.
• Muscle memory from training prepares us for challenges.
• Gratitude shifts our perspective from burden to opportunity.
• Looking up fosters hope and gratitude.
• Gratitude can transform lives and relationships.
• Innovation is crucial for effective leadership.
• Courage is a choice we make every day.
• Hardships prepare us for future leadership roles.
• True leaders run toward the fire, not away from it.

Dave Harden is an entrepreneur, husband and father of four, and managing partner of Outpost Ventures, through which he’s created an innovative approach to venture capital, business development, technology acceleration and national security investment.

Harden is also the founder of The Outpost, which has helped 220 companies win more than $480 million of USG contracts. Previously, he was an Air Force pilot who recognized that maintaining global technological superiority would require the U.S. to adopt a more inclusive procurement strategy. Harden became a founding architect of AFWERX, the tech innovation arm of the U.S. Air Force, and was appointed chief of strategic prioritization at the Pentagon, leading efforts to reprioritize technology investment in the private sector. As a result, dual-use tech companies have a channel through which to win USG contracts and are incentivized to do so with the incredible value to be captured by USG matching funds programs.

AFWERX has executed over $5 billion with more than 3,100 companies.

Harden was also the former COO of Melwood, a 1,500-person enterprise providing opportunities for people with disabilities.

Harden earned his MBA at George Washington University and his BS in electrical engineering at the U.S. Air Force Academy. He also holds an executive certificate in strategy and innovation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and he is a certified business and executive coach with a specialization in Design Thinking and Innovation from the Darden School of Business, University of Virginia. Harden also piloted the $225 million, technologically advanced C-17, and has nearly 4,000 flight hours, including significant combat time in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia and Kosovo.