We were lucky to catch up with Carolyn Closs recently and have shared our conversation below.
Carolyn, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
I am a retired career Army Colonel now serving as the Founder and President of Closs Global Solutions in Washington, DC. I served more than 30 years at both
the strategic and tactical level. I served in all three components of the Army: Active Duty, Army National Guard, and Army Reserve. I had assignments in Congress as a legislative liaison for the Army, the NSC-White House for two U.S. Presidents (George W. Bush and Barack Obama), Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy and the Chief of Staff of the Army’s Strategic Studies Group. I took those extraordinary experiences as well as other assignments and the many attributes gained from my overall military career, and started Closs Global Solutions (CGS). I called upon friends who are also first-time retirees and sold them on the idea and we worked to establish our mission.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Closs Global Solutions is a woman-owned, Veteran-owned strategy driven communications and consulting company with a strong emphasis on human capital.
Our commitment to serving clients starts with our integrity and character. We specialize in equipping visionary leaders and their organizations with essential tools and concepts to achieve their most critical goals. Our expertise enables us to perform in-depth research and analysis that creates successful outcomes. Our understanding of key audiences and stakeholders at the national level plays a pivotal role in fulfilling our clients’ most pressing needs. We traveled to Liberia prior to the COVID-19 pandemic at the request of the Chief of Staff of their military to discuss U.S./Africa relations, readiness, recruit and retention and peace and security for women and girls.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
My transition from the military to the civilian world required an adjustment in my mindset. The expediency of information flow and consistency/follow through has been much slower. The urgency of identifying and resolving critical issues has not been at the same level as the military structure. I’ve learned to exercise patience with persistency. Closs Global Solutions is comprised of formal military personnel as well as individuals with corporate experience. This deep bench enable us to plan, design and activate solutions tailored to meet your specific requirements. Our seasoned professionals have developed an array of relationships with a wealth of experience.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Serving more than 30 years in the Army, a male dominate workforce, I had no choice but to learn to be resilient. From commanding troops, jumping out of airplanes to working at the highest level of government, daily challenges required a calm head and sound decision-making.
I am the youngest out of what was ten children born and raised in Louisburg, NC. My Father was a WWII Veteran, wounded at the Battle of the Bulge, while transporting supplies to the front-line and my Mother, a Homemaker who provided love and instilled morals and values in our family structure – This truly gave me the foundation I needed to make it in the Army and now the business world. I am the only child to attend college. Not because I was the smartest, but definitely the most resilient. I knew at a very early age that I needed to attend college and Winston-Salem State University was my only choice. I started my military career on campus in the ROTC Program and the rest is history or HerStory.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.clossglobal.com/Solutions/about/
- Linkedin: Colonel(Ret) Carolyn Rose Closs