Jonathan Freeman worked in the technology industry for five years before pursuing a Masters degree in International Relations, at Harvard University’s Extension School. His thesis on the impact of USAID in the Middle East was completed in 2004 under the guidance of Professor Stanley Hoffmann. After the completion of his thesis, he joined the US Army and in 2005 deployed to Taji, Iraq as an Artillery Officer attached to an Armor Company. He redeployed back to the US in January 2006 and later that year joined training for the Transition Team mission to train Iraqi Security Forces. Jonathan deployed again to Iraq in February 2007, first in Tall ‘Afar to train a Border PoliceBattalion and then in Samarra to train an Iraqi Army unit. He returned from Iraq in January 2008 and left active duty in April with the rank of Captain. In June of 2008, he joined the Obama for America campaign as the Deputy Director of Veterans and Military Families Outreach. Jonathan continued his work on the Presidential Inaugural Committee and joined the Administration at the Pentagon as the Deputy White House Liaison, where he was responsible for placing all the political appointees at the Pentagon. By the end of his work at the Department of Defense he had placed over 150 appointees, with dozens more in the pipeline. In October 2009, he joined USAID in the Office of Military Affairs as the Senior Advisor. Jonathan recently returned from Afghanistan where he served as the Headquarter Commander of Combined Joint Interagency Task Force 435 for the past year.