Jon Margolick joins BuildMo as Inaugural "Entrepreneur in Residence"
We could not be more excited to welcome Jon Margolick to Building Momentum as our inaugural Entrepreneur in Residence. Jon brings a specific and unique outlook to all the work he does, and it’s such an exciting time to have him join the BuildMo team. I first met Jon when we were collaborating on a DEF (Defense Entrepreneur’s Forum) event here at the Garden in Alexandria (our events space and HQ). And sitting, listening to Jon wax poetic (often VERY poetic) on what challenges the DoD, the Marines, and the country were facing was a masterclass in how to be a force for change in the massive bureaucracy that is our government.
Jon’s approach to innovation is explicitly in line with ours – he doesn’t see innovation as an academic pursuit, but rather ideas put into action to serve, whether that is during his time as a captain in the US Marine Corps, or the former Executive Vice President of the Truman National Security Project. His resume pales in comparison to his vibrancy in the room, his capability as a leader, and his ability to turn great ideas into impactful actions. We’re so happy to have Jon at Building Momentum. Jon’s Bio is below, but hit him up on LinkedIn, or swing by the office and have a coffee – you’ll be very glad you did.
Allen Brooks
Chief Creative Officer
Building Momentum
About Jon Margolick:
Jon Margolick is Building Momentum’s first Entrepreneur-in-Residence. He collects and tests scalable innovation practices for large organizations, from the tools that help the pioneers get started to the leadership practices that ensure those early sparks catch and expand.
Jon previously served as the Executive Vice President for the Truman National Security Project and Truman Center for National Policy, overseeing their global network of national security leaders as well as their efforts on City and State Diplomacy, transforming the State Department, and supporting the evacuation of Afghanistan. Before that, Jon was decorated for his work in uniform as the founding co-Director of the Centers for Adaptive Warfighting at NavalX, where his teams created Warfighter-Centered Design and Military Scrum Master curricula and built a DoD-wide movement of design thinkers, agilists, and lean start-up practitioners. Jon was an inaugural member of the Federal Innovation Council at the Partnership for Public Service, and served as Director of the Federal Innovators Network. He was a founding Member of the Board for the Virginia Chapter of the New Leaders Council, where he served as Curriculum Chair. Jon has been a featured speaker at annual conferences for the Defense Entrepreneurs Forum and Defense Innovation Network. He’s been published three times in the Marine Corps Gazette — twice on innovation — and was selected as a founding member of the Marine Innovation Unit.
Jon’s passion is teaching: He has taught Navy SEALs, Marine Raiders, acquisitions professionals, law enforcement officers, and members of all five Branches of the Armed Forces, and facilitated workshops for senior, mid-level, and junior members of the armed Forces, the private sector, and non-profits.
Jon holds a JD from Stanford Law School, an MPA from Columbia University, and a BA from Brown University. In prior lives, he’s been a military prosecutor, political campaigner, and consultant. He holds a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, an encyclopedic familiarity with science fiction of the last fifty years, and a torch for his wife, who will always be the cooler one.
Last, though never least, Jon is a Captain (Major-select) in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Semper fidelis.