Christopher Michel
Founder
Chris was the founder and President of Affinity Labs, a sister Monster company focused on building a global network of world-class, online communities. Prior to founding Affinity Labs, he founded Military.com, the nation's largest military membership organization. Military.com connects its over 10 million members to the lifelong benefits of military service and provides public and private sector clients efficient access to the military market. Members trust Military.com for career, education and financial services. Founded in 1999, Military.com raised over $30 million from leading investors and strategic partners, including A&E Television Networks. In 2004, Military.com was also acquired by Monster.
Chris also served as a Naval Flight Officer in the United States Navy. While on active duty, Chris flew as a P-3 Navigator, Tactical Coordinator and Mission Commander in support of maritime interdiction operations in the Red Sea, NATO enforcement operations in the Adriatic, and counter-narcotics missions in Central America. Following his operational tour, Chris worked in the Pentagon as Aide to the Chief of the Naval Reserve.
An advocate for those who serve, Chris is a frequent speaker and has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Business Week, Financial Times, and others. He is also a regular guest on CNN and other national radio and TV programs. In addition, he is the author of The Military Advantage (Simon & Schuster 2006).
Chris serves as a Director of Dale Carnegie and Alliance Health Corporations and is a Governor on the USO World Board. He's also an active investor and advisor in a variety of digital media companies.
Chris earned his commission from the NROTC program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he graduated with high distinction and was named a Distinguished Naval Graduate. He also holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School and is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute and a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Anne Dwane
Co-Founder
Anne Dwane was the co-founder of Military.com. As the General Manager, Anne led a team focused on developing outstanding member experiences and delivering value to clients — the quality companies, government agencies and employers that tap Military.com to reach the military community. Anne and the team actively sought out the information, products and services that met the needs and interests of members. She was an advocate for hiring Veterans, offering military discounts and accessing military benefits.
Prior to founding Military.com, Anne was in business development at Paul Allen's Interval Research Corporation in Silicon Valley and conducted due diligence for Vulcan Ventures. Formerly, Anne managed consumer research at Nabisco before transitioning to brand management for Nabisco's Planters Peanuts line. A pioneer in interactive marketing, Anne has been involved in this field since the days of 14.4 modems and the launch of Nabisco Direct, the online and direct response division of Nabisco.
Anne holds a bachelors degree in Marketing and International Management from Georgetown University and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
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