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Engage your Audience with our Keynote Speakers

Respected insights to elevate your events

Choosing a keynote speaker can be stressful — the wrong speaker can dampen the power and purpose of your event through boring or ineffective messages. The right speaker does the opposite and can increase buy-in, inspire innovation, ignite motivation, and reinforce your key themes and messages.

Our speakers are respected thought leaders in human high performance, organizational & behavioral psychology, leadership, and character development. They bring their best to every speaking engagement to fascinate, entertain, inform, and inspire audiences through authentic story-telling and compelling insights.

Our speakers will take your event to the next level by creating memorable impressions and sparking important conversations that engage your group. Our team selects impactful topics, in consultation with you, that help you reach your event goals.

Meet Our Keynote Speakers

U.S. ARMY LIEUTENANT GENERAL (RET.) BOB CASLEN, JR.

Keynote speaker Robert Caslen addresses an audience while in full military attire

Bob Caslen is a decorated veteran who served more than four decades in the U.S. Army. He is the former Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, co-author of The Character Edge: Leading and Winning with Integrity, a NCAA Theodore Roosevelt Award recipient, and a nationally The cover of keynote speaker Robert L. Caslen's book, "The Character Edge"recognized authority in leadership development. Bob has completed multiple deployments, published several works, and has received numerous awards.

Bob’s message is empowering and compelling — he draws upon life lessons, fascinating stories, and leadership expertise to communicate that strong character and competence drive business success. His personal experiences of leading through challenging dilemmas give him deep insights into managing uncertainty and making difficult choices.  Audiences often remark that his style is marked by humility and authenticity. Bob’s previous speaking engagements include various FBI field offices, numerous West Point Societies, the NYPD, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Harvard Kennedy School of Business, and additional well-respected organizations and universities. Bob travels from New Smyrna Beach, Florida.

Learn more about Bob Caslen at his website.

ERIC BEAN, PH.D. – HIGH PERFORMANCE EXPERT

Keynote speaker Dr. Eric Bean is speaking into a microphone at a radio studio. The microphone and chair he is seated on read "1700 ESPN."

Dr. Eric Bean, Ph.D., is an ICF Associate Certified Coach, Mental Performance Consultant, former Boston College professor, board member for the Association of Applied Sport Psychology, and creator of the first ever mental training curriculum for surgical and non-surgical residents at the Madigan Army Medical Center. Eric hosts “Coaching Through Stories” podcast and has appeared in multiple media outlets including ESPN 1700AM radio and the “High Performance Mindset” podcast. Eric has experience working with Army Special Forces, Navy SEALs, CEOs, surgeons, and elite athletes. He is an expert in building high performance, maximizing team functioning, and coaching leaders on how to persevere in the face of adversity. Eric is an impactful keynote speaker who captivates audiences with practical and inspiring speeches that draw upon cutting-edge research, personal stories, and evidence-based secrets from psychology that help people clarify their purpose and find motivation to excel in their work and lives. Eric travels from San Diego, California.

DONNIE HORNER, PH.D. – LEADER DEVELOPMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE EXPERT

Keynote speaker Donnie Horner is pictured mid-speech, while holding a microphone

Dr. Donnie Horner is a highly entertaining speaker whose witty style has audiences laughing while they learn. Donnie engages audiences with presentations that combine science-based theory with practicality and execution, drawing upon his multifaceted experiences as a senior leader, consultant, author, and administrator in academe, the private sector, and the military. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a Bachelor of Science degree in General Engineering, where he was an Army football QB. He earned an M.S. in Transportation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an M.A. (1990) and Ph.D. (1992) in Sociology (Organizational Theory) from Stanford University. He has taught at Christopher Newport University, Stanford, West Point, Penn State, the University of Maryland, the United States Naval Academy, the Naval Postgraduate School, and Jacksonville University (JU).

Donnie served as the Provost and Director of Athletics at Jacksonville University, was the first ever Education Commissioner for the City of Jacksonville, Florida, and early in his career was appointed by Ambassador David Abshire to serve on the Advisory Council of the National Consortium for Character-Based Leadership Education. As an Army officer, Horner commanded units at the Platoon, Company, and Battalion levels, and served extensively overseas — including duty during conflict in Panama and Bosnia. He was the transportation engineer for the Army’s AH-64 Apache helicopter project and worked as a researcher at the Lockheed-Martin Skunkworks in Palmdale, Arizona. Dr. Horner has been a featured keynote speaker at the Aspen Institute and served as a lecturer, panel member, or interviewee on numerous topics, including organizational culture and leadership, building a winning team, organizational development, project team performance, the Keirsey temperament sorter, leadership development, and many others. Donnie travels from Jacksonville Beach, Florida.

ANGIE FIFER, PH.D. – HIGH PERFORMANCE EXPERT

Keynote speaker Dr. Angie Fifer is pictured in front of scenic mountains

Angie Fifer, Ph.D. is a high performance expert who provides executive and high performance coaching and training for government and private sector organizations. Dr. Fifer is a certified mental performance consultant through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) and is working towards her certification as an Associate level coach through the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Dr. Fifer has worked with leaders and teams in high stakes settings, including in national security environments, to achieve statistically significant results in performance through cognitive enhancement training and other methodologies. Dr. Fifer earned her M.A. in Sport and Exercise Psychology from California State University at Fullerton, and a Ph.D. in Sport and Exercise Psychology from Michigan State University. Her speaking style is warm, authentic, and rooted in scientific best practices to provide audiences with practical tools they can immediately use to elevate their performance and achieve work-life balance. Angie travels from Pennsylvania.

Get in touch today to book a keynote speaker

Interested in having someone else from our team speak at your event? Do not hesitate to ask — our professional keynote speakers are eager to help you reach your goals. Learn more about HigherEchelon’s corporate training and education programs and Human Capital Services that help organizations perform at the highest level.