Session Speaker

Steve Russell

Steve Russell is an American hero.  His proven leadership and problem-resolution techniques engage audiences throught storytelling while providing actionable steps as they return to their daily lives.

LTC Steve Russell (Ret) commanded the central unit responsible in the hunt and capture of Saddam Hussein.  Through leadership and joint efforts across multiple teams, a large organization worked effectively to capture one of the world's most notorious criminals.

During Operation Iraqi Freedom, LTC Steve Russell commanded the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry 'Regulars'.  His battalion was broadly covered during the first year of the war by all major media and print publications.  After the hunt and capture of Saddam Hussein, the unit's efforts were chronicled in Discovery's 'Ace in the Hole' and BBC Panorama's 'Saddam on the Run' documentaries.  Russell himself was also the subject of many books and publications.

LTC Russell retired from the US Army after serving 21 years in Airborne, Light and Mechanized assignments in the Arctic, the desert, the Pacific, in Europe and in the continental United States.  He served more than seven years overseas and has deployed operationally to Kosovo, Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Steve Russell is described by the media "...as a natural leader...with the earnestness and intensity of a missionary."  He is highly decorated with the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal with Valor Device and Oak Leaf Cluster, the Combat and Infantryman's Badge, the Valorous Unit Award and the coveted Airborne and Ranger qualifications.

As a sought after speaker, Russell draws upon personal and unit experience to share practical leadership techniques.  Through expert storytelling, he emphasizes the necessary characteristics of a true leader and the teamwork that will follow heroic leadership.

He is the Chairman and Founder of Vets for Victory, an organization that works to better the lives of America's military men and women.

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