HOW WE DO IT?

Heroes’ Horizon follows a seven step process that helps the participants uncover their potential and develop a concrete action plan towards self actualization while equipping them with the skills they need in order to achieve success.

After introductory meetings with the program administrators, each veteran goes through a 4-dimensional assessment that includes a battery of American Psychology Association (APA) approved tests that will cover:

(i)                 emotional maturity and resilience,

(ii)               analytic ability and learning style,

(iii)             personality type, and

(iv)              interests and motivation level.

The assessment is followed by a goal-setting exercise that allows the participant, in consultation with their mentor, to fully imagine future possibilities. This leads to the creation of a long-term action plan that is specifically tailored to that veteran’s experience, interests, and capabilities. The first steps towards achieving the long-term goals are executed through the Career Progression Program (CPP), which forms the backbone of the Heroes’ Horizon Method.

The CPP is the path to actualization of goals. It provides a structured approach with explicit milestones under three categories of activities as shown below.

A powerful innovation by Heroes’ Horizon, the meta-MBA combines the practical aspects of a business school education, including soft skills and general business etiquette, with higher-order thinking skills. It provides the intellectual foundation necessary for success not only in today’s hypercompetitive world but also in the future. With a total of 126 classroom hours, the meta-MBA is divided into 6 modules as shown below and will use a combination of class room lectures, case studies, speakers, and projects.

An in-house innovation, strategic volunteering is a critical element of each participant’s CPP. Using a management consulting style approach, Heroes’ Horizon will create individually tailored Strategic Volunteering Practicums (SVPs) and guide and support each veteran individually through the practicum to deliver exceptional results. The SVPs perform various key functions.

(i) They help the participants explore professional opportunities based on their interests and experience.

(ii) They allow them to gain useful experience that shows how the skills they developed in the military translate to a civilian environment.

(iii) They help them build valuable credentials that will increase their chances of finding good jobs or gaining admission to higher education programs.

(iv) They broaden their professional network and afford them opportunities to find role models that they can emulate.

(v) As a reputation and character building exercise, SVPs help veterans express their commitment to service in a civilian environment. For those who may have become disillusioned due to the horrors of war, SVPs can re-sensitize them to the human needs inside our country.

Last, but not least, SVPs create tremendous social value by providing nonprofits and social enterprises with much needed assistance. One distinguishing factor of the Heroes’ Horizon For Benefit business model is that every participant will generate dollar-for-dollar social value over the course of the program. Indeed, in some cases, veterans will develop their own non-profit organizations, magnifying the benefit their actions will create for their fellow citizens and veterans.

We cold all benefit from enhancing our life skills. Research has shown that the primary driver of professional success is happiness. Happiness, in turn, comes from a combination of 4 factors: (i) health, (ii) family and close relationships, (iii) relative position among peers, and (iv) financial security. The Heroes’ Horizon Method is designed to address veterans’ needs on all 4 of these fronts.

The health dimension includes physical and mental well-being. Heroes’ Horizon has partnered with Capital Integrative Health (http://www.cihealth.org), a non-profit organization that uses collaborative care, holistic healing, and innovative approaches to ensure that its clients not only get better but learn to thrive.

Beyond its work with Capital Integrative Health, Heroes’ Horizon will provide each participant with an activity and sleep tracking device that will sync with the Heroes’ Horizon-provided iPad and will allow for visibility into their sleep and exercise habits.

As the last step of the formal program, the Heroes’ Horizon Method trains its participants to use the goal setting they did at the beginning of the program to plan their long-term success.

OUR TEAM

Sarosh R. Khan, MPA in International Development

Sarosh, the Founder and Mentor-in-Chief of Khan Mentors and Lead for Heroes' Horizon, is a Harvard-educated social entrepreneur with more than 14 years of experience in economic research, proprietary investing, international finance, strategy consulting, and entrepreneurship. His professional experience includes positions at the St Louis Fed, the IMF, the IDB and Censeo. During the past 8 years he has helped many candidates achieve their dream of getting into top ranked colleges and universities. As a believer in the transformative power of higher education, he is personally dedicated to enhancing the accessibility to elite schools as well as addressing the problem of skills mismatch.

Having grown up in Pakistan, Sarosh arrived in the US as a young 19 year old entrepreneurial immigrant. Sarosh saw the immense value of top-notch higher education in establishing himself in his new home. He developed studying strategies and methods to enhance his own performance which led him to graduate at the top of his economics class with highest honors from Northeastern University. A graduate of one of the toughest graduate programs at Harvard University, the MPA/ID, he combined the program's doctoral level core of international economics with MBA electives in finance and strategy at Harvard Business School and MIT Sloan School of Management. As part of the graduate program in international affairs, he also completed the coursework with straight A’s at Washington University in St Louis. He spent one term at University of Cambridge during college. Sarosh is also a member of several high IQ societies.

Currently, in addition to running Khan Mentors, Sarosh works as a consulting economist at the IDB, teaches college level economics and business courses at DC-area universities, and is a frequent guest speaker on issues associated with higher education. Sarosh is also a dedicated practitioner of the Japanese martial arts of Aikido and Iaido, and enjoys long drives, traveling, hiking, photography, freediving, occasional surfing, and mixing sumptuous flavors to create new ones.

Gareth Hinds, BFA

Gareth Hinds is the creator of critically-acclaimed graphic novels based on literary classics, including Beowulf (which Publisher’s Weekly called a “mixed-media gem”), King Lear (which Booklist named one of the top 10 graphic novels for teens), The Merchant of Venice (which Kirkus called “the standard that all others will strive to meet” for Shakespeare adaptation), The Odyssey (which garnered four starred reviews and a spot on ten "best of 2010" lists), Romeo and Juliet (which Kirkus called "spellbinding"), and Macbeth (which the New York Times called "stellar" and "a remarkably faithful rendering"). Gareth is a recipient of the Boston Public Library’s “Literary Lights for Children” award. His books can be found in bookstores and English classrooms across the country, and his illustrations have appeared in such diverse venues as the Society of Illustrators, the New York Historical Society, and over a dozen published video games.

Shane Perrault, PhD

Whether you are single, divorced or widowed, Dr. Shane Perrault, PhD., has learned first-hand that “It is never too late to live happily ever after.” As founder of AfricanAmericanMarriageCounseling.com, he has provided relationship and marital counseling to hundreds of couples since 2004. Throughout his work as a marital psychologist, he has found one of the key factors in relationship or marital success is choosing the right partner. Dr. Shane received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the Ohio State University, and received his BS from Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA. He also completed Level I, II and III training at the world-renowned Gottman Marital Therapy Institute. 11 He is regularly invited to speak at church retreats, has spoken at the Congressional Caucus on the topic of “What has happened to Marriage in Black America”, blogs for Psychology Today; and has been featured in Ebony and Essence Magazines, the Washington Post”: XM Radio, BET and TV One. He has also appeared as a guest expert in “You Saved Me”, a film about marriage in the black community.

Andrew Wong, MD

Andy is a renowned DC-area primary care physician and a pioneer in the domain of holistic medicine. Early in his medical career, as both an inpatient attending and outpatient primary care doctor, Andrew witnessed the best and worst of Western medicine: the triumph of acute life-saving interventions coupled with frustratingly ineffective approaches to complex chronic conditions. So often a one-size-fits-all prescription didn’t work. Patients weren’t receiving what they really need: time, a deeper definition of the root-causes of their illnesses, and the knowledge, tools, and support to improve their health. Andrew searched for wiser and more powerful approaches to healing. He received extensive advanced training and certifications in holistic, integrative and functional medicine; acupuncture; and meditation. He discovered the potential for medicine to provide true health and true healing for patients, and along the way learned to take care of myself and my young family. Now, as Founder of Capital Integrative Health, he personally walks the walk, and teaches and collaborates with his patients in an authentically healing process.

Diane Gilman, PsyD

Diane is a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of The Center for Mind and Body Health, LLC. She specializes in the treatment of children, teens, and adults with chronic illness and chronic pain as well as those suffering from undiagnosed illnesses. She also treats clients of all ages with anxiety, depression, phobias, grief/loss, eating disorders, and difficulty adjusting to life changes and relationship stress. In addition, Diane treats those wishing to lose weight and break habits such as smoking, skin picking, and checking or superstitious behaviors associated with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Along with individual, couples, family, and group therapy, Dr. Gilman also provides psychological testing and conducts workshops, presentations, and lectures in the community. Diane uses a holistic and integrated approach to therapy that utilizes several psychological theories such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Humanistic Psychology, and Family Systems Theory. Diane also uses knowledge of mind-body techniques to address mental and physical health concerns. Her goal is to provide a unique treatment approach that addresses the entire person to heal and empower her clients. Diane has a Master’s Degree in General Psychology from Villanova University, as well as a Master’s Degree and Doctoral Degree in Clinical Psychology from The American School of Professional Psychology. She has worked in a variety of settings including inpatient mental 12 health, outpatient community mental health, non-profit outpatient clinics, and group and private practices. Diane has treated clients of all ages from infants to the elderly.

Lindsey Leh, L.DN, CNS

Lindsey graduated from MUIH (Maryland University of Integrative Health) with a Master’s degree in Integrative Nutrition. In addition, she is a Health Fitness Specialist certified by the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine). Using holistic principles, supplements, and “real” whole foods, her goal is to help individuals and families live a healthier, happier, and more vibrant life. Lindsey’s services include personal consultations, home visits, grocery tours, public speaking opportunities, and phone consultations. Her views on nutrition follow the philosophy of Weston Price which teaches consuming nutrient-dense whole foods and eliminating highly refined toxic food. She educates and counsels clients how to put these theories into daily practice, thereby enabling them to stabilize their blood sugar and eliminate unwanted food cravings and inflammation. Having personally overcome an autoimmune disease, she has a strong desire to help others with their health challenges. Lindsey believes that food can be a source of healing and have witnessed firsthand how providing the body with the proper foods and nutrients can empower the body to heal itself and function the way it was created to -- in an optimal, flourishing state. She works with the client to design a wellness plan to improve their life from the inside out. With her strong knowledge of supplements, she advises clients of the supplements that will enhance healing on the deepest levels. Her approach provides meaningful and lasting results. Whether it is a health concern, weight loss issue, pregnancy, or support in strengthening the immune system, her mission is to educate, empower and encourage people to improve their overall quality of life through diet and lifestyle choices.

Nicholas Kiritz, MBA

Nick is a Senior Principal at Promontory Financial Group, where he provides clients with guidance on model-risk governance and infrastructure. Prior to joining Promontory, he served as a risk manager at Constellation Energy and Exelon, where he led market risk management for a large merchant generation fleet; helped manage risks related to electricity, fuel, interest rates, and foreign exchange; developed an economic-capital model; and shaped policy for market risk, trader control, liquidity risk, and model-risk management. Before his work in energy, he led development and management of Fannie Mae’s model governance and validation program and later led its economic-capital modeling group. While at the OCC, Nick led the quantitative portion of reviews of interest-rate risk, mortgage banking, and securitization. He also led development of the OCC’s first model for interest-rate risk and designed and oversaw the one week program to train examiners in the model’s use. At McKinsey, he focused on financial services and worked on subprime credit, bank stress tests, financial crisis management, and 13 strategic reviews for stock brokers and financial-infrastructure firms. Nick has an MBA in Finance from the University of California at Berkeley. Nick is a 5th degree black belt in Aikido and has cross-trained extensively in advanced martial arts, including with U.S. Special Services. He is also the CFO of Aikido Shobukan Dojo.

Bruce Au, MPA in International Development

Bruce, the Chair of Khan Mentors’ Board is head of Strategic Projects, Charities Trust at The Hong Kong Jockey Club, where he drives a four-year, US$30 million effort to significantly further problem-solving skill and digital literacy in primary school students through coding and computational thinking education. Previously, he was Director of Finance and Operations at The Character Lab in Washington, D.C., and Director of North America Operations and Strategy at Dalberg Global Development Advisors. Bruce Au graduated from MIT in 2004 with a degree in electrical engineering and computer science and from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in 2008 with an MPA/ID. Originally a Hong Kong native, Bruce is known amongst his peers for his deep passion for improving the human condition and in his commitment to working on many issues that are central to international development.

Lido Ramadan, MBA

Lido, head of the Strategy Committee on the Board of Khan Mentors, has nearly 20 years of experience building innovative consulting firms and working with the federal sector to implement best-of-class management and technology practices. Prior to joining Oceaneast, he directed key operations functions for Octo Consulting Group and Censeo Consulting Group, for which he served as President and co-founded, including strategic planning, IT, resource management and business development activities. Mr. Ramadan has led large-scale consulting engagements at Fortune 500 firms and federal agencies including the General Services Administration and the Department of Defense. He holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and a Bachelor of Science degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Kate Dillon Levin, MPA in International Development

Kate, a Strategic Advisor to Khan Mentors, is an American model, activist and humanitarian. She is best known for her work as a plus size model where she appeared in multiple editorials in fashion magazines, appeared in cosmetics, plus-size, and designer campaigns, worked with top photographers on campaigns and in editorials and appeared in many mass media outlets. She was the first plus-size model to appear in U.S. Vogue and was the first plus-size model to appear in a Gucci campaign. Dillon has also been involved with many non-profit organizations, and is an advocate for eating disorder 14 awareness and treatment, sustainability, global poverty reduction and social justice. She received her bachelor's degree in political science and international studies from University of St. Thomas and master's degree in international development from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Patrick John Brice, PhD

Patrick, an Academic Affiliate with Khan Mentors, received his Ph.D. in clinical and developmental psychology in 1983, and has been at Gallaudet University since then. He first completed a post-doctoral fellowship in psychology at Gallaudet in 1983, taught in the Department of Counseling from 1984 until 1995, and since 1995 has been a professor in the Department of Psychology. He has been the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Program Director for 12 years. In addition to his teaching at Gallaudet, Dr. Brice has studied various aspects of development in deaf children, including social cognition; self-regulation and executive functions; social-emotional development; and parent-child attachment. He is a reviewer for The Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education and the Journal of the American Orthopsychiatric Association, and also serves as a grant reviewer for various funding agencies. Dr. Brice has also been a consulting psychologist to the Lab School of Washington, St. Elizabeth's Hospital, the National Health Care Foundation for the Deaf, and the Family Service Foundation in Maryland. He maintains an independent practice of psychology in Maryland and D.C.