Jason SharpJason Lee Sharp (born November 23, 1986), a Chicago native, is an American businessman, author, and soldier. He is the founder and CEO of Sharp Leader and Sherris Lounge, an infantry company commander in the Kansas Army National Guard, and the authorof Eyes Wide Open: Learning to Suffer. In addition, Sharp is a principal program manager at Leonardo DRS and a member of the board of trustees at St. John's Northwestern Academies. ​Early life and education: Sharp was born on November 23, 1986, in Chicago, Illinois, where he grew up and received his primary education from Chicago Public School System. Surviving a difficult childhood of drugs, homelessness, and the Chicago streets, he met his greatest mentor and surrogate mother, who saved his life. After completing high school at St. John's Northwestern Military Academy in Delfield, Wisconsin, he went to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2009 and received a bachelor's degree in social welfare in 2015. Sharp then attended the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 2018 and acquired an executive master of business administration in 2020.​CareerFollowing his high school graduation, Sharp joined St. John's Northwestern as a logistics manager and also enrolled in the Wisconsin Army National Guard in 2006. Between 2006 and 2016, Sharp served as an infantryman, cavalry scout, infantry platoon leader, and then liaison officer.​While serving in the Wisconsin Guard and undergoing cancer treatment, Sharp became deputy director of Summer Programming at St. John's Northwestern Military Academy in 2014.[1] He was then promoted to deputy commandant and director of summer programs in the following year, and later to special project consultant in 2017. Sharp was directly associated with the academy until late 2017. From 2017 to 2022, he worked at Honeywell Aerospace, where he started as a technical project manager and left as a lead program manager for nuclear weapon programs at the Kansas City National Security Campus.​Sharp founded the consulting firm Sharp Leader in 2018 and since has been serving as its CEO. After completing his executive MBA from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Bloch School in 2020, he joined the Kansas Army National Guard (KSARNG) and served as the current operations (CUOPS) battle captain. Sharp has been serving as an infantry company commander in KSARNG since receiving a promotion in the following year.​He established Sherri's Executive Lounge, a cigar business, and became its CEO. In addition, Sharp has been a member of the board of trustees at St. John's Northwestern Academies since 2021, and since 2022, Sharp has been a principal program manager for the Colombia Nuclear Submarine replacement program at Leonardo DRS. In 2023, Sharp launched gritKC, a non-profit youth-serving organization in Kansas City. Read More Read Less