Our first recipient, (Captain) Sarah M. (Sanders) Ford, graduated from Harvard Business School in 2007 with an MBA.  While on active duty, Sarah won the Colonel Kriendler Award for Leadership Excellence at OCS and the Marine Corps Military Skills Award at The Basic School – the first female in the history of the Marine Corps to earn either award.  She served as a Platoon Commander, Operations Staff Officer, and Company Commander in Combat Service Support units and deployed in 2003 and 2004 to Iraq.  Upon graduation from HBS, Sarah was recalled to active duty and served six months in Afghanistan until early 2008.  Sarah founded and ran the western footwear brand, Ranch Road Boots from 2012 to 2023.  In 2024, Sarah opened Concho Pearl Construction and began working as a general contractor building spec homes.  Sarah graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1999, where she continued to participate in triathlons.  She resides in San Angelo, TX, with her Marine husband, retired Lieutenant Colonel Mike “Honcho” Ford, and their four children.