Veteran EMBA Alum Builds New Partnerships for Business and National Security

With over 20 years of service in the U.S. military and upper echelons of the federal government, Eric Hamlin, EMBA ’20, is well on his way to completing his latest mission—transitioning to a successful private sector career in business development.

Hamlin, previously a U.S. Army officer and most recently supporting the Secretary of the Air Force, International Affairs (SAF/IA) Americas/Africa division, is now the director of business development for international security cooperation at ACT1 Federal in Crystal City, Va., where he connects federal agencies and allied partners with program expertise for national defense platforms.

In his role, Hamlin is leveraging the expertise from his career spanning Sub-Saharan Africa, Western Europe and the Middle East to help clients in the federal government and abroad with security sector policy, military training and capability development associated with some of the world’s most challenging security issues.

“The goal is collective security—if our partners and allies are safe, we’re all safe,” says Hamlin.

With his career pivot, Hamlin joined the approximately 200,000 men and women that leave U.S. military service for civilian life every year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. For Hamlin, the transition posed challenges in finding a new sense of purpose and connecting with coworkers in a new capacity.

“Not everyone understands veterans,” says Hamlin. “They might know you’re a veteran and that you served, but they don’t necessarily understand that we operate with a very different ethos than most of the general population.”

In his new journey as a defense contractor, Hamlin found that sense of purpose in translating government and military needs across business contexts. And to help shape and solidify his business acumen, Hamlin asserted his desire to pursue graduate education and receive an MBA degree.

That process saw Hamlin enroll in the Executive MBA program at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. Hamlin appreciated how the program catered to his skill set as a veteran, recognizing his experience as a leader. Equally important, it enabled him to think like an enterprise leader, and the program instilled advanced business concepts he employs routinely in his career.

“As a leader, most often, I’m thinking about how my firm’s core capabilities can connect to clients’ immediate needs. When I see a gap between needs and capabilities, that’s where the creativity comes in—how do we evolve to fill the gap,” says Hamlin.

The other factors that led him to the Smith School were the sense of community and the mantra of fearlessness perpetuated across the UMD brand.

“I wanted a strong network of people willing to offer mentorship and coaching. That was the case then, and having graduated now three years later, it’s still the same,” says Hamlin.

Building on the foundation of his business education, Hamlin is excited about the following stages of his private sector career in international security cooperation and the possibility of working with many of the same stakeholders from his time in the federal government.

Coincidentally, he says, it just so happens that his new job is located across the street from his previous office at the Pentagon. And while he finds himself physically and professionally on the other side of the road, Hamlin says his mission is all the same.

“I build partnerships, all in the name of national security.”