Topic: The Fighter Pilot Mindset

Afterburner

Afterburner is a diverse team composed of current and former Fighter Pilots. Their keynote speakers take the mindset and ways of working they learned in the cockpit of their high-performance fighter jets and transfer those lessons into your organization.

Thousands of companies including Microsoft, Google, Home Depot, and Nike have all learned the secrets to accelerating the development of their strategy and execution – and you can too! From executive leaders to the frontline team, Afterburner’s programs are crafted to inspire your leaders and their teams to consistently surpass expectations!

Afterburner’s dynamic, high-energy keynote speakers will inspire your audience to take action and set the foundation for you to build highly engaged, outcome-focused teams. They’ll bring out your inner fighter pilot and show you what it’s like at the edge of the human performance envelope, physically and mentally.

Afterburner Keynote options include:

Inspirational 1 pilot Keynote

A high energy, interactive presentation to include inspiration, storytelling, audience participation and concrete takeaway. They will customize the content to hone in on concrete tools that drive lasting impact for your audience.

Signature 2 pilot Keynote

The additional pilot provides an incredible stage dynamic and really drives home the concept of teamwork and collaboration. The pilots both speak from the stage and during their interactive pieces, the second pilot uses the roving mic. Importantly, this is also experiential so both pilots remain behind for photo ops and attend any social functions. Two pilots means there's more to go around!

CEO Keynote: Christian "Boo" Boucousis

You get Afterburner's CEO, Christian “Boo” Boucousis and their Flawless Leadership keynote. Boo is an accomplished entrepreneur who started out life as a fighter pilot and turned the fighter pilot mindset into a number of multi-million dollar businesses. Ten years ago he started speaking and now he shares how the fighter pilot mindset and ways of working to effectively lead in business, or - Flawless Leadership

Afterburner also does team building experiential programs and workshops. Enquire to find out more about their flagship program - The Top Gun Experience!

Michelle “Sonic” Ruehl

Michelle “Sonic” Ruehl is an Air Force Instructor Pilot with over 17 years of service. She flew four different aircraft and amassed over 2000 hours, including 807 combat hours in Afghanistan, providing real-time airborne targeting data to Special Operations forces. While in Afghanistan, she also volunteered to teach English to local school girls as well as a group of young Afghan men studying Business. For her service, she earned seven Air Medals, two Aerial Achievement Medals and a special award for volunteer work, the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal.

After her last deployment, Sonic returned to the U.S. Air Force Academy (class of ’03) to teach Rhetoric and Composition in the Department of English and Fine Arts. When she was not in the classroom, she was the theater director, equestrian team mentor and worked down at the airfield teaching cadets how to fly the T-53 in the Air Force Academy’s Powered Flight Program.

Sonic brings 15 years of rhetoric, communication, and debriefing skills to the Afterburner team. She earned her M.A. in Teaching Writing and Rhetoric from the University of Colorado and traveled to Ghana where she taught civic leaders how to develop community improvement plans. In Tanzania, she taught children how to write music. In Nepal, she taught English to Tibetan refugees at a Buddhist monastery. Additionally, at the request of the Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson, she designed and taught a communication course to the Air Force headquarters staff at the Pentagon. Now, she is working on her Ph.D. in Writing and Rhetoric at George Mason University.

To honor fallen military colleagues, Sonic founded Parwana LEADership Legacy, a 501c3 non-profit organization whose mission is to provide leadership camps to veterans and their families to enhance empathy, communication, and teamwork so youth can then use these concepts to lead others. Through these programs, Sonic uses her M.A. in Psychology, as well as her certification as an Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning (ESMHL) to teach children, veterans, and survivors of trauma how to heal from their experiences and become empowered leaders in their community.

Sonic excels at helping teams become their best by aligning their communication processes with their strategic goals, so she was thrilled to join the Afterburner team in 2018!

In 2020, she moved to Washington D.C. to be a White House Fellow where she was a speech writer for the US Department of Transportation Secretary and the Vice President. She now lives in Arlington, VA with her husband, who flies for a major airline, and their two young children.

Dwayne “SPIKE” Booker

Dwayne “SPIKE” Booker currently serves as the Chief Training Officer for Afterburner. He has over 2500 hours of flight time in various aircraft to include the F15E, T38A/C, T6, and Airbus A320. SPIKE received his commission through ROTC and entered the Air Force in May 2010. He graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta Ga, where he received an undergraduate degree in Physics. After completing 1 year as a Gold Bar recruiter, he attended Undergraduate Pilot Training at Columbus Air Force Base. After the completion of training, he was chosen as a First Assignment Instructor Pilot in the T-6 Texan II. During this time, he played a vital role in producing pilots for the world’s strongest Air Force and its partner nations.

Next, he completed the F15E Strike Eagle flight school and joined the 335th Fighter Squadron at Seymour Johnson AFB, NC. During this assignment Major Booker deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. Spike also has experience leading elite teams which he demonstrated while serving as the Director of Operations for the 2nd Fighter Training Squadron. This unit’s sole mission was to provide adversary air replication to our Nation’s only F22 Formal Training unit. He continues his service in the Florida Air National Guard as a part time military officer. There, he works closely with NORAD & U.S. Northern Command to execute the homeland defense mission.

SPIKE currently lives in McDonough GA with his wife and two daughters. He enjoys just about anything that gets him outdoors to include travel, boating, golf, and other recreational sports. He also enjoys using his experiences to motivate youth through speaking and community outreach.

Charles “Chaz” Campbell

Charles “Chaz” Campbell is the most senior member of the Afterburner Team. He recently retired from active service having achieved the rank of Brigadier General and accumulating over 30 years of service in the US Air Force and the Florida Air National Guard. He now shares his experiences and leadership lessons as a business motivational speaker with Afterburner clients and students in the Afterburner University.

During his career, Chaz has commanded at all levels within the Air Force, none more demanding than his last assignment as the Vice Commander of Air Forces North, First Air Force where he lead in the “can’t fail” environment of Air Defense of the entire United States airspace, helping ensure September 11th would not ever happen again.

Chaz is a graduate of the US Air Force Fighter Weapons School, after which he was selected as an instructor for the elite Air Force fighter school. He led the first F-16 team in the William Tell Air-to-Air competition and designed and commanded the first fighter Air National Guard Instructor Pilot Associate program for the US Air Force. He has been combat ready in the F-4, F-16 and the F-15 with over 3,700 hours.

In 2007, Chaz was handpicked to lead Afterburner University, Afterburner’s intensive accredited training course. In that capacity, he develops and executes the rigorous curriculum for clients that range from industry-leading oil and gas producers to Global 50 telecommunications giants. He has led some of the most complicated and enduring consultative engagements on behalf of Afterburner with extensive experience in the healthcare and energy industries.

Bobbi “Flash” Doorenbos

Bobbi Doorenbos is a seasoned leader with nearly 25 years of distinguished military service and extensive experience in various leadership positions. She joined Afterburner in 2004 and has spent nearly two decades sharing the Flawless Execution model with numerous Fortune 500 and 100 organizations. In her military career, Bobbi served in leadership roles at the White House, Headquarters Air Force, and National Guard Bureau. She held positions such as Special Assistant to Vice-President Biden for Defense Policy and Intelligence Programs and Military Deputy for Air Force Training and Readiness. She also served as the Wing Commander of the 188th Wing, overseeing the transition from the A-10 Warthog to the MQ-9 Reaper and Intelligence Analysis and Targeting missions.

As one of the first women to fly fighter aircraft, Bobbi joined the Air Force and accumulated over 1300 hours in the F-16 and MQ-1. She participated in various operations, including SOUTHERN WATCH, NOBLE EAGLE, and IRAQI FREEDOM. Bobbi is a well-educated individual, holding a B.B.A. in Finance from Iowa State University and an M.S. in Strategic Intelligence from the Defense Intelligence Agency's National Defense Intelligence College. She also completed the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business' Executive MBA program.

Outside her military and business endeavors, Bobbi serves on the boards of the National Guard Association and STEM Flights. She is a commercial airline pilot, flying the Airbus A320. In her spare time, she enjoys biking, hiking, traveling, woodworking, and is also involved in real estate investment and beekeeping.