Sanford “Ford” Bennett attended St. Johns Jesuit High School in Toledo Ohio in 2001. He was active in athletics and various philanthropic organizations sponsored by St. Johns. He graduated in 2005 and attended Purdue University, graduating in 2009 on the Dean’s List with a Bachelor of Science in Selling and Sales Management. While attending Purdue he was an active member of Delta Upsilon International Fraternity, a social and philanthropic organization that works with charitable organizations including the Boys and Girls Club of Lafayette, Indiana. At graduation he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps and began six years of active duty service.
From 2009 to 2015 Ford was stationed on Hawaii and Okinawa. He deployed across the Pacific mentoring, training, and advising foreign allies. His work included: training the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force, The Republic of Korea Marine Corps, and working alongside multiple U.S. military branches. He separated from active duty May of 2015 and joined the Select Marine Corps Reserves. In September of 2015 Ford joined Morgan Stanley. For the next nine months Ford acquired all his Financial Advising Licenses and trained as a reservist in West Palm Beach Florida. From June 2016 through June 2017 Ford deployed to Afghanistan to train and advise the Republic of Georgia Army and Afghan National Army.
Ford married his fiancée Christine in August of 2017 at the Toledo Zoo. She is a licensed psychological therapist with her own practice in Maumee, OH. He also returned to Morgan Stanley in August and is looking forward to a successful career alongside his partners Ann Sanford, Stephen Mayor, and Alex Francis. He became a member of the Toledo Rotary and is active in the International Service Committee. He is also active is several veterans service organizations across the greater Toledo area.
In Ford’s free time, he enjoys working on his 1979 MG and Harley Davidsons. He and Christine enjoy traveling and exploring the city of Toledo. They are Walleye fans and enjoy live sporting events and concerts. Ford, Christine, and their Okinawa-adopted dog, Lily reside in Sylvania, Ohio.
Ford will be discussing his one year mobilization with the Marine Corps Reserve that took him and his team and around the globe to train, and included seven months in Afghanistan advising the Republic of Georgia and Afghan National Army during combat operations.
