LCDR, USN (Ret.), BS, MS, MA

Dan “Dice” Drake

LCDR Dan B. Drake, USN, (Ret.), was born in San Francisco, CA, and grew up in the East Bay in the town of Danville. He graduated from San Ramon Valley High School with the Class of ’87. LCDR Drake received his appointment to the United States Naval Academy and was inducted with the Class of ’91 on July 01, 1987. At Annapolis, he played Baseball and was the Co-Captain of the Top-10 nationally ranked Ultimate Frisbee Team. Additionally, he was appointed First Class Representative by the Class President after losing a narrow runoff for the office Senior Year. He received his commission as an Ensign and graduated with a BS in English on May 29, 1991.
LCDR Drake’s first duty station was NAS Moffett Field, CA, where he served as Assistant Admin Officer, Special Projects Officer, and on the Base Closure Committee. As a flight student, LCDR Drake flew with VT-
27 and HT-18 and played on the All-Navy Baseball Team in 1992 and 1993. After receiving his unrestricted wings of gold in August of 1995, he was selected to fly the LAMPS Mk III SH-60B Seahawk out of San Diego. LCDR Drake played one final year with the All-Navy Baseball team in 1995 while assigned to HSL-41 prior to receiving orders to fly with the Saberhawks of HSL-47. LCDR Drake deployed with HSL 47 DET NINE on the USS PAUL F FOSTER (DD 964), then with HSL 47 DET FIVE on the USS OLDENDORF (DD 972) as Maintenance Officer and Assistant
Officer-in-Charge, where he flew in support of OPERATIONS DESERT FOX, SOUTHERN WATCH, and PONY EXPRESS. As a Squadron Weapons and Tactics Officer, LCDR Drake flew in two Wolfhunt exercises, earning one top crew honor for HSL 47, and additionally fired the first successful Penguin Missile from an SH-60B during RIMPAC 98 against the ex-USS BADGER.
In June of 1999, LCDR Drake was selected as an Adjunct Professor for the Department of Leadership, Ethics, Law, and Psychology at Annapolis, and was the highest-rated instructor for 5 consecutive semesters, earning Instructor of the Year honors in spring of 2001.
Additionally, he was elected to the Faculty Senate and served as Course Coordinator for NL-302, Leadership: Theory and Application, and wrote and co-edited the 472-page course textbook of the same name. In addition to earning his Craftmaster Pin during the summer sessions on the Yard Patrol Crafts, he served as coach for the Ultimate Frisbee Team. LCDR Drake returned to San Diego to fly with the Scorpions of HSL-49, serving as Quality Assurance Officer, Safety Officer, and Officer-in-Charge of Detachments THREE and FIVE, onboard the USS HOWARD (DDG 83), USS JARRETT (FFG 33), and the USS MCCAMBELL (DDG 85),
respectively, flying in support of OPERATIONS ENDURING FREEDOM, IRAQI FREEDOM, and CARAT 2004. In September of 2004, LCDR Drake was selected to serve as Branch Head, PERS 463, Active-Duty Augmentation Division (IA), at the Bureau of Personnel, Naval Personnel Command, in Millington, TN. His follow-on orders as a Flight Instructor at VT-27 were cut short due to an injury, and he accepted orders to Tactical Training Group, Pacific, in March of 2008, where he served as an ASW and Helicopter Tactics Instructor and as Head of the Undersea Warfare Syndicate. Upon retiring in June of 2011 from active duty, he continued to work for the Department of Defense with L-3 Communications, Engility Corporation, Stellar Peak Corporation, General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT), and Joint Strategic Technologies. He is currently the Navy/Marine Corps Business Development Executive for Tyto Athene LLC in Murrieta, CA, and the founder and President of BossDice91 Consulting, LLC.
LCDR Drake’s personal awards include the Meritorious Service Medal (2), the Navy Commendation Medal (2), the Navy Achievement Medal (3), in addition to numerous campaign awards and ribbons. Dan enjoys writing poetry, novels, and screenplays; coaching baseball and basketball; and performing and teaching close-up magic and has been a performing member of the Academy of Magical Arts at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, CA, since 1997. He also earned his MS in Psychology (specializing in Leadership Development and Coaching) from Walden University, and his MA in English (specializing in Creative Writing) from Southern New Hampshire University and serves on the Advisory Board for the Transformative Leadership Executive Program at the University of California, Riverside. He lives in Murrieta, CA, with his wife Yolanda, stepson Chad, their dogs (Diva, Yogi, and Zulu) and cats (Mishka and Natasha).