Dan Cnossen was raised on a fifth-generation family farm in Topeka, Kansas. After successfully completing SEAL qualification training in 2003, he deployed numerous times in support of global special operations. As a SEAL platoon commander, he was severely injured in 2009 in Afghanistan, resulting in the amputation of both legs above the knees. Turning to sport for recovery, he began training for the U.S. Paralympic ski team in 2011 as a cross-country skier and biathlete. He has since competed for Team USA in the 2014 and 2018 Winter Games and is the first male athlete to win a gold medal for the United States in biathlon, a sport that combines cross-country skiing with precision shooting. In addition to training and competing for the US Paralympic team, he is a public speaker for corporate and other audiences, as well as a resilience specialist for O2X, conducting workshops for firefighters and first responders. Cnossen holds a bachelor of science degree in English from the U.S. Naval Academy, a master’s in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and a master’s in theological studies from the Harvard Divinity School.