Rudolph W. Giuliani is the former Mayor of New York City. After joining the office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Rudy Giuliani rose quickly through the ranks, becoming the Chief of the Narcotics Unit at age 29. After the inauguration of Ronald Reagan in 1981, Giuliani was named Associate Attorney General, the third highest position in the U.S. Department of Justice. In 1983, President Reagan appointed Rudy Giuliani as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Giuliani spearheaded successful efforts against organized crime, white-collar criminals, drug dealers and corrupt elected officials. Few U.S. Attorneys in history can match his record of 4,152 convictions with only 25 reversals. In 1993, Rudy Giuliani was elected Mayor of the City of New York. He focused on reducing crime, reforming welfare, and improving the quality of life and was re-elected in 1997.Under Mayor Giuliani’s leadership, overall crime was cut by 56%, murder was cut by 66%, and New York City—once considered the crime capital of the country—became the safest large city in America according to the FBI. Mayor Giuliani also implemented the largest and most successful welfare-towork initiative in the country, turning welfare offices into Job Centers and reduced welfare rolls by 640,000—nearly 60%.
On September 11, 2001, America suffered the worst attack in its history when terrorists crashed planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Mayor Giuliani was widely lauded for his steady hand during challenging times. He was named “Person of the Year” by Time magazine, knighted by the Queen of England, dubbed “Rudy the Rock” by French President Jacques Chirac, and former first lady Nancy Reagan presented him with the Ronald Reagan Presidential Freedom Award. Rudy Giuliani is an American hero. His views on leadership have helped shape our country, and have the capacity to transform the leadership of our organizations and businesses as well.
MAYOR, CITY OF COMPTONPOSITIVE CHANGE REQUIRES EXTREME BOLDNESS
On June 4, 2013, Aja Brown made history as the City of Compton’s youngest elected Mayor at the age of 31. With over 10 years of experience in community and economic development, Mayor Aja Brown has proven to be a strategic visionary concentrated on improving outcomes through policy reform, innovation and strategic partnerships, proudly serving the citizens of Compton. Since induction, Mayor Brown has made major strides in improving the quality of life for Compton residents and stakeholders alike. Mayor Brown has launched several community initiatives including the “Compton Community Policing Task Force,” a network of law enforcement agencies and community activist that implement gang intervention and prevention strategies, tackling complex social issues such as human trafficking head on.
Mayor Brown has received the prestigious University of Southern California 2014 Young Alumni Merit Award, participated as the 2013 Pat Brown Institute Distinguished Lecturer, is the recipient of the National Action Network Martin Luther King Award and is a strong advocate for youth, women’s rights and equality. Mayor Aja Brown’s bold brand of leadership is turning the tide in one of America’s most troubled cities.
Commander Rorke T. Denver has run every phase of training for the U.S. Navy SEALs and led special-forces missions in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and other international hot spots. He starred in the hit film Act of Valor, which is based on true SEAL adventures. His NY Times Bestseller, Damn Few: Making the Modern SEAL Warrior, takes you inside his personal story and the fascinating, demanding SEAL training program he oversaw.
Some people are born to lead. Rorke Denver is one of those people. Throughout his 13-year career as a platoon commander and training leader with the Navy SEALS, he constantly found himself leading in the face of danger. Denver led more than 190 combat missions and never lost a member of his team. His amazing leadership and bravery led to him running all phases of U.S. Navy SEAL training. Rorke communicates about leadership with unparalleled passion and intensity, rooted in his desire to see everyone lead to the best of their ability.
Commander Rorke T. Denver has run every phase of training for the U.S. Navy SEALs and led special-forces missions in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and other international hot spots. He starred in the hit film Act of Valor, which is based on true SEAL adventures. His first book, Damn Few: Making the Modern SEAL Warrior, takes you inside his personal story and the fascinating, demanding SEAL training program he now oversees.
After completing the SEALs’ legendary Basic Underwater Demolition program in 1999 (BUD/S Class 224), Denver began an action-filled 13-year career as a platoon commander and training leader with America’s premier special-operations force. As assistant officer in charge of BRAVO Platoon at SEAL Team THREE, he was deployed to SOUTCOM, the Central and South American Area of Operations, where his platoon was the “alert” SEAL team for maritime interdiction, hostage rescue, counter-insurgency and counter-narcotics. As SEAL officer aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard, Denver led his group’s response to a murderous uprising in the Ivory Coast nation of Liberia, launching advanced-force operations, conducting hydrographic beach reconnaissance and helping to get U.S. Marines safely ashore. At Special Boat Team TWELVE, he started the Maritime Capable Air Deployable Boat Detachment, which specialized in parachuting large assault boats from U.S. aircraft.
In 2006, Denver was officer in charge of BRAVO Platoon of SEAL Team THREE in Iraq’s Al Anbar Province in one of the most combat-heavy deployments of any regular SEAL team since Vietnam. Stationed in Habbaniya, his team conducted more than 190 missions including sniper operations, direct assaults, special reconnaissance and ground patrols. Two of his teammates were killed in action, including Mike Monsoor, who received the Medal of Honor for jumping on a live grenade to save his teammates. Denver’s team has been widely credited with propelling the “Tribal Awakening” that helped to neutralize Iraq’s Shia insurgency. Denver was awarded the Bronze Star with “V” for valorous action in combat.
After returning to the United States, Denver was appointed flag lieutenant to Admiral Joseph Maguire, commanding officer of Naval Special Warfare, traveling to Afghanistan and briefing Congress on SEAL operations. In 2009, he became First Phase officer of SEAL Basic Training including Hell Week, then rose to Basic Training officer. He went on to run all phases of training including advanced sniper, hand-to-hand fighting, communications, diving and language.
Denver is an honor graduate of the United States Army Ranger School. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Syracuse University, where he was an All-American lacrosse player and captain of the varsity lacrosse team. He earned a Master’s Degree in Global Business Leadership from the University of San Diego. He lives with his wife and two young daughters in Colorado. In his off-duty hours, he enjoys surfing, hunting, fly-fishing, reading and playing on the living-room floor with his amazing girls.