Aaron C. Schaffer
Founder · Executive Director
Aaron C. Schaffer is the Founder and Executive Director of Second Mission Shield. A U.S. Navy veteran, his leadership is shaped by lived experience, formal education, and professional work across federal veteran support systems, nonprofit veteran treatment initiatives, and clinically supervised recovery settings.
Aaron began his post-service career supporting veterans navigating housing instability, benefits barriers, and long-term stabilization through federal-level veteran homelessness work. That experience gave him direct insight into both the value and limitations of large systems, especially when veterans needed timely, personal, and sustained support.
He later served with a local nonprofit supporting veterans involved in Veteran's Treatment Court. Aaron initially joined assisting the mission as Lead Peer Mentor, and had the pleasure of facilitating "Buddy Check" support groups for veterans navigating VTC six nights a week.
While completing his undergraduate degree, Aaron moved into frontline recovery work at an innovative recovery agency. Under clinical supervision, he conducted extensive client intakes, supported early stabilization, worked with individual clients. Aaron also has training certifications and experience co-facilitating DBT, substance use, and DUI treatment groups.
These experiences became the foundation for SMS. After seeing the limits of federal bureaucracy, nonprofit hierarchy, and fragmented recovery systems, Aaron began building an organization designed to respond faster, think more deeply, and support veterans across the full arc of recovery and reintegration.
Aaron holds a Bachelor of Science in Mental Health and Wellness Advocacy with a minor in Psychology from Metropolitan State University of Denver. He is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Management at Colorado State University Global, specializing in Strategic Innovation and Change Management.
Aaron applies his academic training directly to the design, scaling, and long-term sustainability of Second Mission Shield’s programs, systems, and operational infrastructure.
His leadership is grounded in a trauma-informed, systems-oriented framework that prioritizes stability, dignity, accountability, and long-term recovery.