Our twenty-first recipient, (Captain) Thomas M. Payne graduated from Harvard Business School in 2020 with an MBA.  Thomas served as an infantry officer during his time in the Marine Corps.  As a platoon commander, he deployed to Okinawa, Japan as part of the Unit Deployment Program and conducted security cooperation operations in Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines during Landing Force Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training.  After returning, he became the Company Executive Officer for the Crisis Response Company and deployed to Spain and North Africa in support of Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force Crisis Response Africa. After two deployments he transitioned to the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory where he participated in the Sea Dragon experiments focused on modernizing the Infantry Battalion and served as the aide-de-camp for the Commanding General.  He graduated with merit from the United States Naval Academy in 2012 with a BA in Honors Political Science and a minor in Spanish.  Thomas is a Senior Manager with Bain & Co., in their Dallas office, and currently resides in Dallas, TX, with his wife, Alexandra.

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