OUR TEAM

Our team consists of world-class former special operations warriors and elite athletes. We hire only those instructors with the experience, skills, and personal intensity needed to effectively challenge our clients to become better teammates and leaders on their respective fields of battle. Through our rigorous hiring process and uncompromising standards, we have assembled the best group of instructors possible to push you and your team to do ONE MORE™.

Eric Kapitulik

FOUNDER & CEO

“On whatever your chosen battlefield, individuals and individual talent can win games, but great teams compete for championships. And great teams are comprised of great teammates and great team leaders. It is such a privilege to first challenge, and then develop our clients to be both!” – Kap

Kap’s Story:

Eric is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, where he was a four-year varsity letter recipient on their Division 1 lacrosse team.

After graduation in 1995, Eric went on to serve in the United States Marine Corps as both an Infantry Officer and Special Operations Officer with 1st Force Reconnaissance Company, 1st Marine Division. In 1999, during a routine training mission to prepare for an upcoming deployment to the Persian Gulf, Eric and his Force Recon platoon were in a helicopter crash that resulted in the death of six of his Marines. In an effort to raise money for a college scholarship fund set up for the children of his deceased teammates, Eric has completed eight Ironman Triathlons, The Canadian Death Race Ultra Marathon, The Eco Challenge, and The American Birkebeiner Ski Marathon. He is also an avid mountaineer and has summited five of the Seven Summits (the highest peaks on each of the seven continents): Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. McKinley, Mt. Aconcagua, Mt. Elbrus, and Mt. Everest.

Eric left active duty after eight years of service and received his MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business in 2005. He founded The Program in 2008.

Listen to Kap as a guest on the Art of Manliness Podcast here.

Watch the Ironman coverage of Eric’s story here.

Cole Walter

LEAD INSTRUCTOR

“To be truly successful, you must be selfless, serve others, and surround yourself with high-caliber people. My teammates at The Program are all of this and more. We hold each other accountable and consistently seek to improve ourselves and our team!” – Cole

Cole’s Story:

Cole served in the United States Marine Corps for 23 years and retired at the rank of First Sergeant. He completed multiple combat deployments, including two to Afghanistan with Marine Corps Special Operations in the Helmand Province. He was a Military Skydiver and Jumpmaster, Tandem Parachute Master, Blackbelt Martial Arts Instructor, Firearms Instructor, and Drill Instructor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Texas A&M Texarkana. He practices Jiu-Jitsu and has competed in races such as the Tough Mudder.

Gabe Voumard

INSTRUCTOR

“The strongest teams are built in the grind — where limits are tested, egos are stripped away, and every person learns what ‘all in’ really means.” – Gabe

Gabe’s Story

Gabe is a graduate from the United States Naval Academy, where he earned his commission, and was a four-year varsity letterman on the Division I Men’s Lacrosse Team. He began his career as an Infantry Officer in the United States Marine Corps, serving with 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines, and 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines.

He later served as a Special Operations Officer with the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion (MARSOC). Over the course of his career, Gabe deployed multiple times around the world, leading Marines and partner forces through complex missions in demanding environments. Gabe graduated from some of the most demanding training programs in the U.S. military, including MARSOC Assessment and Selection, the Individual Training Course, Military Free Fall, and Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE Level C).

A lifelong competitor and athlete, he has completed the No Bull Marathon in Spain, multiple triathlons, and 50K ultramarathons, continually pursuing challenges that test his endurance and resilience.

Gabe resides in Pennsylvania with his wife and two daughters.

Don Thornton

LEAD INSTRUCTOR

“Successful people take advantage of every situation they find themselves in. There is no sustaining. If we are not growing, we are falling behind”- Don

Don’s Story:

Don Thornton served for over 27 years in the U.S. Army, 20 years as a Special Forces Green Beret. He spent 10 years on A Special Forces Operational Detachment-Alfa (SFOD-A) as a teammate and commander. While there, Don trained, equipped, and led elite forces in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and various other Middle Eastern countries to combat terrorism, stabilize governments, and secure American interests. He rose to the position of Special Forces Senior Battalion Warrant Officer, where he was tasked with training, organizing, and leading highly specialized and adaptable teams, forming them into world-class, high-performing teams. Don graduated from some of the toughest training programs the U.S. military has to offer, including Special Forces Assessment and Selection, The Special Forces Qualification Course, Military Free Fall, Parachute Jumpmaster, Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE Level C), Special Operations Language Training in modern standard Arabic, and Combatives training, among others. A few of Don’s awards and decorations include the Purple Heart (for wounds sustained in combat), Legion of Merit, three Bronze Star medals, 2 Meritor Service Medals, and the Master Combat Infantryman’s badge. Don is certified as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Professional, Project Director, Change Management Professional, Corporate team Builder, and Corporate Leadership trainer.

Maise Wong | The Program | Team Building and Leadership Program

Maisie Wong

INSTRUCTOR

Maisie’s Story

Maisie is a Lieutenant Colonel in the United State Marine Corps Reserves and a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. She served for seven years on active duty as an Air Support Control Officer deploying to Japan, South Korea, and Central America to conduct exercises and operations before leaving active duty to receive her law degree at the University of Miami. While continuing to practice law in Florida, Maisie has deployed to the Middle East to assist the State Department with the humanitarian conflict in Syria. Maisie has served in a variety of leadership positions in the Marine Corps to include Battalion Operations Officer and subsequently the Executive Officer responsible for training and deployment of over 250 Marines. Most recently she served as the first female commanding officer of an unmanned aerial vehicle squadron. Maisie lives in Miami, Florida with her husband and two children where she competes in CrossFit and the Tactical Games.

Leigh Ross

INSTRUCTOR

“Intentional pursuit of shared objectives combined with the courage to address difficulties fosters a team mindset that is not only aligned but dynamic and resilient in the pursuit of shared goals. In the words of my fallen comrade, ‘Be strong. Be accountable. Never complain.’ Live life with intention and execute with purpose.” – Leigh

Leigh’s Story

Leigh grew up in a small town outside of Nashville, TN. In 2004, she graduated from the United States Naval Academy, where she was a lettering member of the Division 1 Navy Women’s Swim team. Leigh was commissioned in the United States Marine Corps and deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. While deployed in a combat zone, she operated in a fast-paced, high-profile unit, responsible for maintaining all the Marine Corps aircraft in the area of operations. Leigh earned a Masters from Naval Postgraduate School in 2009. Her last active-duty tour was with Marine Corps Logistics Command as a Program Manager for a critical supply chain information system. After eight years of active duty, Leigh transitioned to the Marine Corps Reserves and has served in various leadership positions, most recently as the Operations Officer for the 4th Civil Affairs Group. She served as the Diversity Officer for Marine Corps Recruiting Command and Senior Watch Officer for Marine Forces Pacific; she worked with NATO while deployed to Norway and has trained Brazilian Marines in civil-military operations.

Leigh retired from swimming and took up triathlons. She competed nationally and internationally as a selected member of the All-Marine triathlon team. Leigh is an Ironman triathlete in both the Full 140.6 and Half 70.3 distances. She has run 5 Marathons, several Tough Mudders, and Spartan Ultras. Leigh resides in Colorado with her husband and two daughters, where they seek all the outdoor adventures.

Brian Norwood

INSTRUCTOR

“We can supervise tasks and manage processes, but we must lead people.” – Brian

Brian’s Story

Brian was a Marine Corps reservist and graduating senior at Louisiana State University in the fall of 2001. Following the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001, Brian was ordered to withdraw from the university and report to active duty. He then served the next two years supporting Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom while earning two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals. After being released from active duty, Brian transitioned into a full-time career in law enforcement while simultaneously enrolling at the University of New Orleans where he soon completed the requirements for his Bachelor’s degree. While in law enforcement, Brian spent more than half his career serving as a Narcotics Detective, spending his final two years on an elite DEA & FBI joint task force investigating the metropolitan area’s most violent drug offenders. Since retiring from that profession, Brian has worked as a Security Management Professional, Executive Protection Agent, and most importantly, as a proud teammate of The Program.

Paul Quessenberry

INSTRUCTOR

“A good teammate is committed to upholding the team’s core values above all else. They hold themselves and others accountable to these values by ensuring performance standards are met or exceeded every day. Those who prove this through actions will find themselves in positions to lead. This process breeds leadership from within.

Leadership from within is a common denominator amongst championship caliber teams.” – Paul

Paul’s Story

Paul is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, where he was a three-year varsity letter recipient on their Division 1 football team. After graduation in 2015, Paul went on to serve in the United States Marine Corps as an infantry officer with 2nd Battalion 1st Marines as a Rifle Platoon Commander, Weapons Platoon Commander, and the Deputy Director of the 1st Marine Division school house. In 2020 Paul left active duty after 5 years of service to play in the National Football League. He played 3 years in the NFL; 1 year with the New England Patriots and 2 years with the Houston Texans.

Paul is a proud teammate of the program and is fired up to work with you.

ONE MORE™

The ONE MORE™ Philosophy

We are members of numerous teams: our families, our schools, our athletic teams (other extra- curricular activities), and our businesses. Success is being the best teammate and team leader that we can be on all the teams that we are privileged to be a part. To achieve this, we must make a commitment to constant self and team improvement. Improvement requires ONE MORE™ in everything we do.

The Program Leadership

“We Do One More”™

(781) 281-0751

Give us a call, we’d love to talk about your goals, missions, and objectives!

Sign-up for our monthly “Letter on Leadership”

What We Offer

Whatever your team’s situation may be, The Program can help your teammates become “that much better” through our unique services and coaching techniques.

Have Questions?

The Program Leadership

“We Do One More”™

(781) 281-0751

Give us a call, we’d love to talk about your goals, missions, and objectives!

Sign-up for our monthly “Letter on Leadership”

What We Offer

Whatever your team’s situation may be, The Program can help your teammates become “that much better” through our unique services and coaching techniques.

Have Questions?

THE PROGRAM LEADERSHIP

“We Do One More”™

Get In Touch

48 Quinebaug Road
North Grosvenordale, CT 06255
info@theprogram.org
(781) 281-0751

OUR TEAM

Eric Kapitulik

Kap’s Story:

Cole Walter

Cole’s Story:

Gabe Voumard

Gabe’s Story

Don Thornton

Don’s Story:

Maisie Wong

Maisie’s Story

Leigh Ross

Leigh’s Story

Brian Norwood

Brian’s Story

Paul Quessenberry

Paul’s Story

ONE MORE™

(781) 281-0751

Sign-up for our monthly “Letter on Leadership”

What We Offer

Have Questions?

The Program Leadership

(781) 281-0751

Sign-up for our monthly “Letter on Leadership”

What We Offer

Have Questions?

THE PROGRAM LEADERSHIP

Get In Touch

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THE PROGRAM LEADERSHIP

Get In Touch

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