Kim "KC" Campbell

Keynote Speaker. Bestselling Author. Leader. Fighter Pilot.

Kim "KC" Campbell

Keynote Speaker. Bestselling Author. Leader. Fighter Pilot.

About Kim

Kim “KC” Campbell is a retired Colonel who served in the Air Force for over 24 years as a fighter pilot and senior military leader. She has flown 1,800 hours in the A-10 Warthog, including more than 100 combat missions protecting troops on the ground in both Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2003, Kim was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for Heroism after successfully recovering her battle-damaged airplane after an intense close air support mission.

As a senior military leader, Kim has led hundreds of Airmen both at home and abroad in deployed locations and enabled them to succeed in their missions. She has experience leading complex organizations and driving cultural change. Kim knows what it takes to be a successful leader, to inspire and empower high performance teams to achieve success. Kim is passionate about leadership and feels strongly that leaders earn trust by leading with courage and connecting with their team.

Kim “KC” Campbell is a retired Colonel who served in the Air Force for over 24 years as a fighter pilot and senior military leader. She has flown 1,800 hours in the A-10 Warthog, including more than 100 combat missions protecting troops on the ground in both Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2003, Kim was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for Heroism after successfully recovering her battle-damaged airplane after an intense close air support mission.

As a senior military leader, Kim has led hundreds of Airmen both at home and abroad in deployed locations and enabled them to succeed in their missions. She has experience leading complex organizations and driving cultural change. Kim knows what it takes to be a successful leader, to inspire and empower high performance teams to achieve success. Kim is passionate about leadership and feels strongly that leaders earn trust by leading with courage and connecting with their team.

Mom & Wife

Fighter Pilot

Leader

Speaking

Kim is a sought-after keynote speaker, sharing her inspirational story with business and corporate audiences about a life changing combat experience while weaving in lessons about leadership, vulnerability, and courage. Kim’s remarkable story demonstrates how leading with courage builds deeper relationships, inspires loyalty, and enables teams to perform at their best.

Kim will motivate your team to get outside of their comfort zone to improve their leadership skills. She will provide practical ideas and examples to improve trust in your organization and help your team prepare to face challenges in their personal and professional lives.

Signature Keynotes

Fear can prevent us from achieving success, or it can lead us to a greater path of growth and change if we harness it effectively. We need to have the courage to persevere through challenges, do the hard things, and take action even in the face of fear. When we act in critical moments and persevere despite the difficulty, then we are positioned to create a culture of courage and an environment of trust that builds deeper relationships, inspires loyalty, and enables our team to perform at their best.

Kim will share her story about a life-changing combat experience while weaving in leadership lessons that will motivate and inspire your team to be more confident when faced with adversity or uncertainty. She will also provide practical ideas and examples to improve trust and help your team prepare to face challenges in their personal or professional lives.

We need to be prepared to respond and adjust when the mission (or life) doesn’t go as planned . . . learn how to elevate your performance through proven concepts that have helped fighter pilots achieve a high level of performance. Fighter pilots have learned to operate in a high-stakes environment where we have to perform under pressure and make time-critical decisions. In a fighter squadron, we learn quickly that the strength of the team is determined by the individuals who make up the team. We recognize the importance of cultivating a wingman culture where we hold each other accountable and focus on continuous improvement.

In this engaging keynote, Kim will share how you can embrace a fighter pilot mindset and elevate your performance. She will provide actionable tools and fighter pilot lessons learned to help you prepare for adversity, execute with confidence, and debrief for success . . . to take advantage of competitive strengths, turn failures into success, and stay agile and relevant in a complex and dynamic environment.

Fear can prevent us from achieving success, or it can lead us to a greater path of growth and change if we harness it effectively. We need to have the courage to persevere through challenges, do the hard things, and take action even in the face of fear. When we act in critical moments and persevere despite the difficulty, then we are positioned to create a culture of courage and an environment of trust that builds deeper relationships, inspires loyalty, and enables our team to perform at their best.

Kim will share her story about a life-changing combat experience while weaving in leadership lessons that will motivate and inspire your team to be more confident when faced with adversity or uncertainty. She will also provide practical ideas and examples to improve trust and help your team prepare to face challenges in their personal or professional lives.

We need to be prepared to respond and adjust when the mission (or life) doesn’t go as planned . . . learn how to elevate your performance through proven concepts that have helped fighter pilots achieve a high level of performance. Fighter pilots have learned to operate in a high-stakes environment where we have to perform under pressure and make time-critical decisions. In a fighter squadron, we learn quickly that the strength of the team is determined by the individuals who make up the team. We recognize the importance of cultivating a wingman culture where we hold each other accountable and focus on continuous improvement.

In this engaging keynote, Kim will share how you can embrace a fighter pilot mindset and elevate your performance. She will provide actionable tools and fighter pilot lessons learned to help you prepare for adversity, execute with confidence, and debrief for success . . . to take advantage of competitive strengths, turn failures into success, and stay agile and relevant in a complex and dynamic environment.

Flying in the Face of Fear

During 24 years of military service as a fighter pilot and senior leader, I developed distinctive leadership techniques and principles different from what you might find in most leadership books. In my new book, Flying in the Face of Fear: A Fighter Pilot’s Lessons on Leading with Courage, you’ll discover how to…

  • Cultivate a wingman culture on your team where each person is part of something bigger and more important than themselves
  • Develop a fighter pilot mindset for failing forward and embracing risk, even in times of uncertainty and stress
  • Prepare, practice, and plan for contingencies
  • Create your own flight plan to find balance and fulfillment
  • And much more

They Are Talking

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Kim is a distinguished graduate from the United States Air Force Academy. As a Marshall Scholar, she earned an MBA from the University of London and a Master of Arts in International Security Studies from the University of Reading in England. 

Kim’s Air Force assignments include leadership roles as a Group Commander, responsible for over 1,000 Air Force personnel in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Kim also served as the Military Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, advising the number three civilian official in the Department of Defense on national security and defense policy formulation.

She has also served as the Air Force Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, a pre-eminent think tank promoting international leadership and engagement. During her time as a fellow, Kim participated in strategy sessions with ministers of defense, military leaders, and CEOs. Most recently, Kim served as the Director, Center for Character and Leadership Development at the Air Force Academy, responsible for the professional development of faculty and staff and reinforcing character and leadership programs within the 4,000-member Cadet Wing.

Kim resides in Colorado with her husband and two sons.