He endured Navy SEALs Hell Week, spent years fighting terrorism, and was ultimately named to a high-ranking post in the White House.
After putting the better part of his adult life on the line, Rob Newson - humbled by and grateful for a decorated military career - was prepared for a change of pace.
"I thought I had left that behind," he said.
For more than three decades, Newson, who received a Bronze Star for acts of heroism, merit, and meritorious service in a combat zone, selflessly served his country.
He is no stranger to crisis management, a skill honed on the front lines of battle, and while scheming up post-9/11 counter-terrorism campaigns.
Late last year, however, Newson thought the timing was right to try his hand at something completely different:
An executive leadership position for a professional sports franchise.
"It was just an opportunity I couldn't refuse," Newson said.
So in January, Newson was appointed the 76ers' Vice President of Strategy and Vision.
At a high level, his role was designed to oversee and manage the basketball operations department's leadership, culture, and innovation initiatives.
"It's really about being intentful about the right kind of culture that will support winning multiple championships." Listen to an interview with 76ers Vice President of Strategy and Vision Rob Newson on The BroadCast
The original plan was for Newson to spend his first month with the Sixers getting to know his new surroundings and co-workers, then be up to speed in time for a busy homestretch.
You can probably guess how the next part of this story goes.
COVID-19 exploded, the NBA season was thrown into limbo, and immediately, there was a far more urgent batch of matters on Newson's plate.
All of a sudden, he was back in the pit, attacking a global crisis head-on. The arena was unfamiliar and the opponent intangible, but the mindset was the same.
"There's muscle memory in the fire you've built up over managing a career of that, so it just clicks in. It was just so familiar and so natural to be in that spot."
These days, under these remarkably trying, unprecedented circumstances, you'd think just about every person, business, or government even, could benefit from having someone like Rob Newson in their corner.
His journey to the 76ers was paved through courage and dedication. And as he continues his transition to civilian life, Newson's commitment to serve remains steadfast and strong, same as it ever was.
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Rob Newson admits that when he received a Naval ROTC scholarship to the University of Kansas in the mid-1980's, he wasn't thinking much about duty and service.
He was simply looking for a ticket into school.
"Really, my motivation was I would pay for college, and I didn't want to ask my parents to help out too much," Newson said in a recent interview. "The nation stepped forward and said, 'Sure, we'll pay for your college. In return, you spend four years in the military.' So that's kind of the path I started."
At first, Newson was concerned. None of the options available in the Navy lit an immediate fire.
Then, he discovered the SEALs.
"I was fortunate enough to get selected, go to SEAL training, and get through. That started one great assignment after another for almost 30 years."
"Great" might be one way to describe the nature of Newson's work.
"Perilous" is arguably another.
He's been all over the world, starting out with deployments to places in the Pacific like Guam and the Philippines. In the aftermath of September 11th, he was sent to Bosnia, Kenya, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Yemen.
Somewhere between his first and second decade in the Navy, Newson realized his purpose, that he was called to serve.
"That was incredibly important to me," he said. "The type of service changes from being in a front-line operational unit to being an operations guy that helps those guys, then moving up the leadership chain."
During his tenure with the Navy, Newson gradually took on increased strategic duties. He was heavily involved in creating six military organizations from scratch, and was instrumental in developing processes that routed intelligence, promoted collaboration, and positioned complex issues across a variety of governmental entities.
His final stop in the service was 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
As Director of the White House Military Office, Newson ran point on military logistics for Air Force One, Marine One, Camp David, the Presidential Food Service, and White House Medical Office.
"What an honor," said Newson. "Every day I walked around there, I tried to remind myself that not too many people get to be on the inside of the White House, so you stop to take it all in.
"It's an amazing place - Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt - all of them walking around, they were standing right [there]."
For a while, Newson had his eyes on the National Security Council. Never did he see himself serving in the West Wing.
"Just like the 76ers, there are opportunities that I dreamed not of that just kind of happened, and you've got to jump at it."
Last year, as he was completing his PhD in Leadership Studies from the University of San Diego, Newson connected with the Sixers through The Honor Foundation, an institution that helps members of the United States' Special Operations Forces with various life transitions.
"These people have spent their entire careers in an elite force being the best that they can be," Newson said. "It's both daunting and scary, and it's an unknown aspect to transition into civilian life. The Honor Foundation was designed to be that bridge."
And that's precisely what the Honor Foundation did for Newson.
Right away, he found common ground with Elton Brand.
"Immediately, our conversation revolved around leadership and culture, what culture is, and how you intentionally build culture.
"We clicked around those conversations. Elton's just a fascinating guy to get to meet and engage with."
Newson went through rounds of interviews with Sixers' brass. He was left with a singular impression.
"I came away thinking this is a great organization, it's a great team of people who care about each other. That's what really drew me to the organization."
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Earlier this month, as the COVID-19 outbreak was poised to peak, the faculty and residents of the Emergency Medicine Residency Program at NewYork - Presbyterian Hospital met on Zoom, bracing for the storm to come.
Not only is NewYork - Presby based in America's largest city, it's the largest hospital in the country, too.
As of the writing of this story, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in NewYork City eclipsed 142,000.
Healthcare workers and emergency personnel in the city have essentially been forced to adopt a wartime mindset, with minimal training to fall back upon.
That's where leadership at NewYork - Presbyterian felt Rob Newson could lean in.
He joined the ER Zoom call, aiming to inspire by sharing insights on bravery and service in the face of danger. He also spoke about the parallels between warriors on the traditional battlefield and in the medical field, telling the group:
"If you're an ER resident or a doc, you're a little left of center, like me. I have feared for my life, and I've worried over my family back home. I know what you are feeling. I've been where you are. 'I want to do this, I was made to do this, but I'd rather not die doing it.' So you see, we have a lot in common."
Newson, whose wife is an emergency room doctor in San Diego, also stresses that the trickle down effects from the current race to contain and quash the coronavirus goes far beyond the nurses, doctors, and first-responder.
There is an underlying fight underscoring all parts and walks of life.
"Everybody in the nation today is facing some kind of fight, right? There's unknowns around every corner. I think it applies to a lot of people on how you get through it, and how you maintain an attitude that is positive and focused on the right things instead of the negative aspect of what you're dealing with."
Through SEAL training, Newson learned there's little use in getting caught up in the chaos and confusion of crisis.
He's been channeling the same mentality with the Sixers ever since COVID-19 began its rampant, indiscriminate, gruelling spread.
"It was non-stop crisis management for the first week or so, from what are we going to do taking care of people, who needs to be in self-quarantine, what was going to happen with work and coordination," Newson said. "That turned into marathon on-line meeting sessions with different executives and different meetings. That lasted for two or three weeks."
The more the Sixers' virtual workflow became routine, the more well-adjusted and efficient the front office became.
"Really, it's been fascinating to see the two main themes from the organization: how are we getting better, and are we ready?," said Newson. "It's all been about taking this time to improve processes and product on the organization side, and then supporting the players so they can continue to stay in shape and prepare whenever or if the season starts up again."
Whether that's in the next few months, or later this year, no one knows yet.
But for Rob Newson, whose resolve and vision have been shaped by experiences to which few people can relate, this much is certain - he says he'll be happy to resume diving deeper into the world of pro sports.
"It's been such a treat to wear the nation's cloth and serve the nation. I'm grateful not only for that experience, but [a] skill set about teams, leadership, and culture. That was the foundation that I think brought me to the 76ers."