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BEVERLY, Mass. – Earlier this week, student-athletes in the EC L.E.A.D. program (Leaders of the Endicott Athletics Department) were given the opportunity to learn from Eric Kapitulik, the Founder and CEO of The Program, about leadership development in life and sport, accountability, and team building, among other topics via Zoom.

Kapitulik drew upon his own personal experiences as a U.S. Naval Academy Graduate, U.S. Marine Corps Special Operations Officer, ultra-endurance athlete, high-altitude mountaineer, husband, and father, as well from The Program's experiences working annually with more than 160 collegiate and professional athletic teams and major corporations throughout North America.

"Our EC L.E.A.D. group had a great opportunity to hear Eric Kapitulik from The Program speak so passionately about leading through adversity. This group of student-athletes has committed themselves all year to their own personal leadership development and setting the example for our own community," said Endicott Assistant Vice President, Director of Athletics Dr. Brian Wylie. "Eric, who does it better than most, provided our L.E.A.D. group with some amazing advice as to how they can make themselves and their teammates into champions with everything they do."

Endicott Associate Athletic Director, Admission Liaison Sean Quirk also weighed in on what it meant to have Kapitulik speak to the EC L.E.A.D. group.

"Having Eric Kapitulik speak to our L.E.A.D group of student-athletes reinforced our department's core standards that we have for each and every member of our athletic department and student-athletes," said Quirk. "Eric is the epitome of a leader and inspiration to all. We can't thank Eric and his company, The Program, enough for spending time with us during the current climate to continue building our special culture at Endicott."

Here's what our student-athletes had to say about what they learned from Kapitulik.

"I think the most important statement he said was 'You can't motivate people but you can inspire them.' I think that goes a long way. Being a leader is not defined in one certain way; there isn't always something that a leader can say that is going to necessarily make people buy in 110-percent. We forget that some things are internal but it doesn't mean there's nothing you can do about it. Teaching your teammates to work hard by just doing the work yourself and going the extra mile, is good leadership." – Jillian Gibbs, women's ice hockey

"It was really inspirational, to be honest. He inspired me to make myself work harder and to use his inspiration to pass it along to my teammates. My favorite quote was, 'Everybody can be a hero when it is 70 degrees and sunny out on a Saturday afternoon.'" – Will Perry, men's volleyball

"He was honestly one of the best speakers I've heard in a while. He spoke with such passion and you could tell that his intentions were to help us grow and get better, even if it was just one percent. He mentioned leading by example versus setting an example and that really set in with me. He also talked about transparency with your teammates for the greater good of the team. Everything he said was really powerful. I just felt really inspired after and I was able to use that to self-motivate myself to start preparing for what's ahead." – Zoe Rose, softball

"I thought the meeting was very interesting, and Mr. Kapitulik brought up some very interesting points. One of the most important points I thought he brought up is that as a leader you have an obligation to hold everyone accountable and to make decisions that are in the team's best interest. If the opportunity presented itself again, I would most definitely be interested in hearing Mr. Kapitulik speak again, and thought that the meeting was very beneficial." – Mehdi Squalli, football

MORE ON ERIC KAPITULIK

Born and raised in Thompson, Conn., Eric Kapitulik attended Pomfret Preparatory School, where he excelled as a three-sport varsity athlete. Upon graduation, Eric matriculated at the United States Naval Academy, where he was a four-year varsity letter player on the Division I Lacrosse team.

After graduation in 1995, Eric went on to serve in the United States Marine Corps as both an Infantry Officer and Special Operations Officer with 1st Force Reconnaissance Company, 1st Marine Division. As a Platoon Commander within his company, Eric led a team of 20 covert operations specialists on numerous Special Forces-related missions, including long-range reconnaissance patrols, hostage rescues, high-altitude jump exercises, ship takeovers, and gas-oil platform takedowns.

In 1999, during a routine training mission to prepare for an upcoming deployment to the Persian Gulf, Eric and his platoon were in a helicopter crash that resulted in the death of seven Marines. In response to this tragedy, Eric created the Force Reconnaissance Scholarship Fund to benefit the children of his fallen men.

Eric left active duty after eight years of service and received his MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business in 2005. He founded The Program in 2008.

Eric holds himself to high standards and always strives to do ONE MORE™. He has participated in eight Ironman Triathlons, The Canadian Death Race Ultra Marathon, The Eco-Challenge, and The American Birkebeiner Ski Marathon. He is also an avid mountaineer and has summited five of the Seven Summits (the highest peaks on each of the seven continents): Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. McKinley, Mt. Aconcagua, Mt. Elbrus, and, most recently, Mt. Everest.

"The Program is not concerned about talent or winning individual games. We care about competing for championships — and to compete for a championship, we must make a commitment as individuals and as a team to getting 'that much better' every single day. We do this by being good team leaders and good teammates and by preparing ourselves every day to fill either role. I founded The Program in hopes that we could spread this mindset and way of life throughout America. And that is exactly what we are doing every time we have the privilege to work with one of our clients." 

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