Moises Navas

As a Panamanian-born immigrant, Moises Navas wanted to serve the country that had given him and his family many freedoms and opportunities. Inspired by his older brother, he joined the NROTC program at Jacksonville University to commission as a Marine Corps Officer in 2013. Major Navas served as a Platoon Commander in Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment. In 2016, he deployed as a Theater Security Cooperation Team Leader where he led 15 Marines and Sailors across the Gulf of Guinea, instructing African militaries in infantry tactics. He was then selected as the Company Executive Officer for Charlie Company for the 2017 deployment to Okinawa and South Korea. While serving in his b-billet, he suffered a terrible loss. On March 8th, 2020, his older brother, Major M. Navas, a MARSOC Special Operation Officer, was killed during a combat operation in Iraq. Though he was scheduled to exit active-duty service, he decided to continue serving. He then took over Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment where he led the company for almost three years. During this time, he led his Company through a deployment in the Baltic with the 22nd MEU in 2022, shortly after the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war. He served as the commander of troops aboard the USS Gunston Hall. Major Navas exited active-duty service in July 2023 to attend MIT Sloan School of Management and Harvard Kennedy School for a joint MBA/MPA degree. During this time, he and his wife launched MANs Legacy Foundation, a nonprofit focused on providing funds for children of Marine Special Operations to participate in various extracurricular activities. He also currently serves on the Advisory Board of Talons Reach Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to the wellness of Special Operations servicemembers. While at MIT and Harvard, he helped lead the HBS-MIT Technology and National Security Conference, and cofounded QLab, the only defense tech accelerator at Harvard/MIT that connects founders with practitioners in the DOW and IC. He resides in Cambridge, MA with his wife and three children.