About Us
LAWSON W. MAGRUDER III
LTG, US Army Retired
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Lawson Magruder has led highly successful organizations in the military, industry, and academia sectors over the past 55 years. After commissioning as a Distinguished Military Graduate from the University of Texas at Austin's Army ROTC program, he went on to have a highly successful career in the United States Army retiring as a Lieutenant General in 2001. Among his many leadership achievements:
He led soldiers in combat in Vietnam and Somalia. He commanded an airborne rifle company in the 82d Airborne, B Company in the newly activated 2d Ranger Battalion, a Light Infantry Battalion in Alaska, and a Light Infantry Brigade in the 25th Infantry Division.
As the Assistant Division Commander of the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York, he deployed on Hurricane Andrew Relief in South Florida and Operation Restore Hope in Somalia.
As the Commanding General of the Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk, he and his team established a world-class training center for the U.S. Army's contingency forces and Air Force lift and close air support units.
· As the Commanding General of US Army South and Joint Task Force Panama, he oversaw the turnover of military bases valued at over $500 million to the government of Panama and developed training programs for leaders in 17 Latin American nations.
As the Commanding General of the 10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum, he oversaw the training, combat readiness for soldiers and the quality of life for the soldiers and their family members. He prepared soldiers for deployment to Kosovo, Bosnia, and the Sinai Peninsula.
As a Deputy Commanding General and Chief of Staff of US Army Forces Command-the Army’s largest major command- he was responsible for the direct supervision of a staff of over 1600 federal employees. He oversaw an annual funding program of over $4 billion and the resources for 20 subordinate Army installations and the combat readiness of over 400,000 soldiers in United States.
Since retirement from the Army, Lawson has held a wide variety of positions in the security and leader development arenas. He has served as Vice President for National Security Programs for Battelle Memorial Institute and the Associate Vice President for Research Alliances.
He is currently the Chairman of the University of Texas at Austin’s Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium Veterans Committee and, a Director on the Army Residence Community Foundation Board.
He was a senior mentor for several years for Active, National Guard and Army Reserve units preparing for deployment worldwide.
Lawson is the President and Principal Owner of LWMIII Consulting LLC. He and his partner, Byrd Baggett, developed in 2006 a world-class leader development model program called True Growth that was recognized by the United States Army, FEMA, and numerous commercial businesses. Until Lawson’s retirement from the business in 2022, over 15,000 leaders in industry and government benefited from True Growth programs.
Lawson’s many awards include:
Member of the US Army Ranger Hall of Fame, US Army ROTC Hall of Fame, a Distinguished Member of the 75th Ranger Regiment, and an Outstanding Alumnus of the U.S. Army War College.
Highest military awards: Distinguished Service Medal (two awards), Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (four awards), the Bronze Star Medal (two awards), the Air Medal, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Ranger Tab and the Master Parachutist Badge.
He is the author of A Soldier’s Journey Living His Why and, coauthor of True Growth- Simple Insights in How to Live and Lead with Authenticity
Lawson is most proud that he has been married to Gloria for over 55 years and they are blessed to have three children and four grandchildren.
FRED R. KLEIBACKER
Master Sergeant, US Army Retired
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Fred Kleibacker has over 50 years of leadership experience as a U.S. Army Non-Commissioned Officer, Independent Contractor, Government Employee, Entrepreneur, and Community Volunteer. After volunteering for the U.S. Army’s Ranger Option in 1974, he served for a total of 20 years in the U.S. Army’s Special Operations Forces until he retired in 1994. Between 1997 and 2021, he worked as a government contractor and employee and co-founded three successful defense technology businesses and one physical security business.
His military and civilian accomplishments include:
An original enlisted member of Bravo Company, 2nd Ranger Battalion from 1975 to 1978. He would spend his entire time in Bravo Company in 3rd Platoon leading a Fire Team and a Squad.
In 1978 he completed the Special Forces Qualification Course and served for the next 17 years in Special Forces, including the 1st Special Forces Detachment – Delta where he participated in Operations Just Cause and Gothic Serpent.
After retirement he worked for three years as a contractor at the Joint Services SERE Agency (JSSA) as a Personnel Recovery Operations Specialist focusing on Unconventional Assisted Recovery. He co-developed and taught the first Personnel Recovery Command and Staff preparation courses for DOD.
After JSSA became the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency (JPRA) in 2000, he took a civilian government position and served as the Deputy Director of JPRAs Research and Development Directorate, managing a $30m portfolio. In 2002, he was asked to lead an emerging, one-of-kind training facility by developing, executing and sustaining Joint Personnel Recovery (PR) education and training curriculum for staffs of combatant command Joint Personnel Recovery Centers and component Combat Rescue Centers supporting OIF and OEF.
In 2005 he formed his first company providing subject matter expertise (SME) for various U.S. Government Agencies. He deployed for two years (2007 to 2009) to Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, leading a tactical intelligence support initiative for the Baghdad Fusion Cell (BFC) prosecuting High Value Terrorist/Insurgent Targets (HVT).
In 2007, he co-founded his second company, a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), which generated over $33 million in revenues between 2007-2015. The company developed and supported integrated, mobile, ground level, immersive video collection in support of counter-Improvised Explosive Device (counter-IED) detection in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In 2009, he co-founded a guard force protection services company in the Republic of Panama to provide protections services for multi-billion, international corporations protecting over $4b USD in physical assets throughout Panama.
In 2016, he co-founded his last company that employed an emerging, advanced, Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence (ML/AI) technology to support the U.S. Special Operations Command global counterterrorism missions.
Fred’s awards and decorations include: The Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Metal (2OLC), Army Commendation Metal (4OLC), Joint Service Achievement Metal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Metal w/ Bronze Star, Ranger Tab, Special Forces Tab, Expert Infantryman’s Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, Military Free Fall Badge, Combat Diver Badge, and Pathfinder Badge.
After retiring in 2021, Fred and his wife moved to rural West Virginia to create a small homestead. He is actively involved in his local community. In 2022, he accepted a volunteer board position with the Ranger Scholarship Fund. He co-founded the MG Eldon A. Bargewell Memorial Scholarship Award in honor of Bravo Company’s first 3rd Platoon Leader and Army Special Operations legend. The EAB Memorial Scholarship Award is an add-on scholarship for high school students who have earned a merit-based RSF scholarship. It is typically awarded to a child of a veteran of the 2nd Ranger Battalion.