Rich McDaniel is a native of Jackson, Tennessee, and a graduate of the University of Memphis where he received a Bachelor of Arts in History.  Additionally, he is a Distinguished Graduate and Halsey Group member of the Naval War College where he obtained a Masters in National Security Affairs and Strategic Studies.  He earned a Certificate in Public Leadership from Brookings Executive Education and Washington University in St. Louis and is a JPME II graduate of the Joint Forces Staff College.

Rich served 29 years as a Surface Warfare Officer on five Navy combatants and two afloat staffs, culminating with command of the USS Sterett (DDG 104), a guided missile destroyer at Naval Station Norfolk, the world’s largest Naval Installation.  Throughout his career, he deployed multiple times to the Arabian Gulf, Western Pacific, Indian Ocean, Asia, the Caribbean and South America.  Ashore, his assignments include Surface Detailer at Navy Personnel Command, the Brookings Institute, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Navy Installations Command, and Executive Assistant to OPNAV N4, Fleet Readiness and Logistics.  

Since retiring, Rich joined his wife Angie in the family real estate business.  They own Command Properties, a full-service property management company that manages a $200 million portfolio of high-end single-family homes.  Additionally, they assist clients buying and selling real estate.  They successfully run short-term rental AirBnbs, own RentRisk.com, a nation-wide tenant screening business.  Rich has five grown children and two grandchildren. He enjoys family time, working out, and mentoring other emerging entrepreneurs and leaders.