MEET THE TEAM
DANIEL SMITH, PhD, P
Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.).
Founder & President
Dan is a retired Army Officer, having served 25 years on active duty. He has a doctorate in Organizational Psychology and served as an Associate Professor of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership at West Point. As a coach and mentor for West Point's Combat Weapons Team for six years, Dan has extensive experience teaching firearms safety and proficiency. He has trained with Special Operations Forces, law enforcement, diplomatic security, and SWAT teams. Dan is an accomplished executive leader, educator, research scientist, and executive coach. He is specially trained in the dynamics of lethal force decision making, Diplomatic Security Service High Threat Operations, FBI Crisis/Hostage Negotiations, Special Forces Advanced Urban Combat, Airborne, and Air Assault.
RYAN ARMSTRONG
Command Sergeant Major (Ret.)
Expert Instructor
Ryan is a retired Army Command Sergeant Major, having served 23 years on active duty. He has a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership, and Human Resource Development, a Bachelor of Science in Emergency Management, and an Associate Degree in Applied Science and Technology. His military education includes Basic Combat Training, Advanced Individual Training, Warrior Leaders Course, Senior Leaders Course, Advanced Leaders Course, First Sergeant Course, Airborne School, NBC Officers Course, Military Deception Planners Course, and the US Army Sergeants Major Academy. Ryan ended his military career as Command Sergeant Major of the US Army Special Operations Recruiting Battalion. He is an accomplished executive leader, educator, leader developer, and athletic coach.
HEATHER SMITH
Co-Founder & Vice President
Heather is an accomplished executive leader and a devoted wife and mother. She spent fifteen years managing multi-channel marketing programs for Fortune 500 Retailers, and five years in Federal Government as an Assistant Director of Congressional Affairs, a White House appointed Confidential Assistant and Congressional Affairs Legislative Assistant for Veterans Affairs. Having grown up in a military family and raised a military family of her own, she is proud to continue serving by helping develop leaders of character to serve our communities and our country. Her strong belief in youth education and development, and her conviction that valuable outdoor developmental opportunities should be available to boys and girls alike, provide the inspiration for Bladesmith Outdoors.
SILAS MARTINEZ, PhD,
Colonel, US Army (Ret.)
Advisor/Expert Instructor
Silas is a retired Army Colonel, having served 30 years on active duty. He has a doctorate in Organizational Psychology, has served as an Assistant Professor of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership at West Point, and as an Associate Professor of Strategic Leadership at the US Army War College. He commanded organizations from platoon through regiment and retired as the Director of Leader Development at the US Army War College. Silas is an accomplished executive leader, educator, research scientist, and executive coach. He currently serves as the Human Factors Functional Leader at Monterey Technologies, Inc. Silas brings a lifetime of passion for fishing, archery, bow hunting, and developing leaders through outdoor skills training.