Neil Smit spent 5½ years as a Navy SEAL, leading platoons at UDT-22 and serving as a plank owner at SEAL Team 6. He graduated BUD/S Class 110 as Class Leader, proving early that leadership meant bringing everyone with you.
When he transitioned to civilian life, he didn't leave that mindset behind.
After earning degrees from Duke and The Fletcher School at Tufts, Smit took on leadership roles at Nabisco, AOL, and Charter Communications. By 2010, Smit joined Comcast's cable division as President. A year later, he was CEO, leading from 2011 to 2017 through rapid broadband expansion, breakthrough technologies like the voice remote, and a renewed focus on customer experience. His leadership mantra—team building, focus, execution—echoed the lessons first learned in the Teams.
Leadership doesn't end when the uniform comes off. The mission changes, but the standard doesn't.
Here's to every veteran who carried their grit from the front lines to the front office; still leading, still serving, still bringing people with them.
