Join us in celebrating Veterans Day, a special day dedicated to honoring our brave heroes who have selflessly served our nation. Trace the history of this day back to the end of World War I, when peace was declared on November 11th, 1918. At BigSpeak, we’re proud to have Marine Corps veteran Max Peck on our team. Today, let’s recognize and express our gratitude to all veterans who have made countless sacrifices to defend our freedoms and protect our nation. Be inspired by the insights and experiences shared by Veteran Keynote Speakers as they discuss topics ranging from leadership to personal transformation. Together, let’s show our appreciation for their service.

Thomas A. Kolditz
A retired Brigadier General with three Master’s degrees and a Phd in psychology, Thomas Kolditz has spent more than 30 years at the helm of organizations, directed the Leader Development Program at Yale School of Management, and challenged the Pentagon to take on leadership development, founding the West Point Leadership Center. A recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal, the Army’s highest award for service, General Kolditz is a renowned expert on leading through crisis, turbulence and extreme conditions. He is the author of In Extremis Leadership: Leading As If Your Life Depended On It, an authoritative book based on more than 175 interviews taken on the ground in Iraq during combat operations..

Vernice “Flygirl” Armour
FlyGirl is a top inspirational speaker, America’s first African-American female combat pilot, and the author of Zero to Breakthrough. FlyGirl’s fresh, edgy style, high, contagious energy and unique, gutsy essence jump off the stage, page, and screen and moves people to action.

Michelle Curran
Combat veteran Michelle “MACE” Curran led an impressive career as an F-16 fighter pilot during her 13 years in the United States Air Force. Driven by the desire to inspire others, Curran uses real-life examples from her trailblazing fighter pilot and Thunderbird career to help teams get unstuck by empowering them to face their fears, overcome self-doubt and imposter syndrome, and take calculated risks.

Colonel Nicole Malachowski
Colonel Nicole Malachowski is a top virtual keynote speaker, former White House advisor, and the first female Thunderbird pilot. An inductee into the Women in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of Fame and the National Women’s Hall of Fame, Malachowski brings her experience to the stage and holds audiences spellbound with an easygoing authenticity of someone who’s achieved greatness.

Brent Gleeson
Brent is a Navy SEAL combat veteran with combat tours to Iraq and Africa. Upon leaving SEAL Team 5, Brent turned his discipline and battlefield lessons to the world of business and has become an award winning entrepreneur, bestselling author, and acclaimed speaker and consultant on topics ranging from leadership and building high-performance teams to culture and organizational transformation. He is the bestselling author of TakingPoint: A Navy SEAL’s 10 Fail-Safe Principles for Leading Through Change, which was a #1 New Release on Amazon in Organizational Change and Business Structural Adjustment. Brent’s latest book, Embrace the Suck: The Navy SEAL Way to an Extraordinary Life is #1 on Amazon in the self-help, self-esteem, and military leadership categories.

Michelle Curran
Combat veteran Michelle “MACE” Curran led an impressive career as an F-16 fighter pilot during her 13 years in the United States Air Force. From 2019-2021, she flew as the only female pilot for the Air Force Thunderbirds and performed for millions across the country and internationally. Flying under the callsign “MACE,” she was the second woman ever to fly in the lead solo position for the Thunderbirds since the team’s founding in 1953. Before joining the Thunderbirds, Curran completed high-impact combat missions across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, where the challenges were tough, but the rewards were greater. Always a thrill seeker at heart, she has a passion for pushing her limits and changing lives.

Mike Abrashoff
Mike Abrashoff is a top leadership keynote speaker, performance expert, former US Naval Commander, and author of the million-copy, management-technique bestseller It’s Your Ship. A popular keynote speaker for audiences looking to ramp up organizational performance, Mike has spoken to every industry and kind of audience from Fortune 500s to startups.

Anthony ‘AB’ Bourke
Anthony “AB” Bourke is a highly experienced F-16 fighter pilot who flew calculated missions internationally to serve America. Not only does Bourke have over 3,000 hours of flight time, but he has also spoken to Fortune 1000 companies and other audiences for 15 years as a top motivational keynote speaker. Bourke believes that in order for people in teams to perform at their very best, there must be constant feedback and a good communication system.

Afterburner, Inc.
Afterburner is a group of top leadership speakers that train global organizations to accelerate their performance and ensure a higher success rate for their strategic objectives. Afterburner’s full client list includes more than 150 US Fortune 500 companies. Over 1.7 million business leaders have experienced an Afterburner program and rated their experience an average of 9.2 out of 10.

John Foley
John Foley is a top peak performance keynote speaker and the former Lead Solo Pilot of the US Navy’s Blue Angels, a Sloan Fellow at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and an expert in high-performance teams. John is one of the world’s most in-demand speakers; he has helped over 1,000 companies build a culture of excellence and ignite high performance.

If you are interested in booking a veteran speaker for your upcoming event, contact BigSpeak Speakers bureau today. Please email info@bigspeak.com to inquire.