Our twenty-fourth recipient, (Captain) Akhil R. Iyer graduated from Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School in 2022 with an MBA and MPP.  Akhil served as an infantry and special operations officer during his time in the Marine Corps from 2011 to 2019.  He was first assigned to Second Battalion, Fifth Marines, deploying twice with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and serving as a Weapons and Combined Anti-Armor Platoon Commander, Rifle Company Executive Officer, and Rifle Company Commander.  In 2016, Akhil transitioned to Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC), where he served as a Marine Special Operations Team Commander and deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.  Akhil graduated with honors from Stanford University in 2011 with a BA in International Relations and a minor in Arabic.  He was also the top graduate of his class at The Basic School and the Maneuver Captain’s Career Course.  Akhil is a Vice President at Shield Capital, a venture fund investing in early-stage technology companies with national security applications.  He lives in California, with his wife, Alyssa, and two children.