James D. “Murph” Murphy, the Founder & CEO of Afterburner, Inc., has a unique and powerful mix of leadership skills in both the military and business worlds. Murph joined the U.S. Air Force where he learned to fly the F-15. He logged over 1,200 hours as an instructor pilot in the F-15 and accumulated over 3,200 hours of flight time in other high-performance aircraft. As the 116th Fighter Wing’s Chief of Training for the Georgia Air National Guard, Murph’s job was to keep 42 combat-trained fighter pilots ready to deploy worldwide within 72 hours. As a flight leader, he flew missions to Central America, Asia, Central Europe and the Middle East.

Prior to his service in the U.S. Air Force, Murph had a successful career in imaging equipment sales, where he helped increase his company’s sales by 500%. Years later, he became Director of Sales for a small paint company. The concepts he developed and utilized in business and the U.S. Air Force would become known as Flawless Execution. Applying Flawless Execution’s continuous cycle of planning, briefing, executing, and debriefing, he increased his new employer’s sales from $5 million to $52 million per year. Realizing that all companies and organizations could benefit from these same concepts, Murph started Afterburner Incorporated in early 1996.

Through his leadership, Afterburner landed on Inc. Magazine’s Inc. 500/5000 List four times. Murph has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, Inc. Magazine, Newsweek, Meetings & Conventions Magazine and has appeared on CNN, Fox News, CNBC and Bloomberg News. He was also named as one of Atlanta’s top 50 entrepreneurs by Catalyst Magazine. To date, the Afterburner team of elite military professionals has led more than 1.5 million corporate leaders and business professionals from every industry through Afterburner’s unprecedented Flawless Execution℠ training and development programs.

Murph and Afterburner have shared the podium with notable speakers like Bill Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, J.W. Marriott Sr. and Marcus Buckingham. Murph has served as a panel member of the League of Extraordinary Minds with business and self-improvement thought leaders like Tony Robbins and Stephen Covey. He is the author of the seven books; On Time and On Target (2016), Courage to Execute (2014), Down Range (2013), Flawless Execution (2006), The Debrief Imperative (2011), The Flawless Execution Field Manual (2009) and Business Is Combat (2000). Murph has also been invited to speak at many of the world’s most notable business schools, including Harvard, Wharton, Cornell, Emory, Duke, MIT and Fudan University in Shanghai, China.

Brandon “Manson” Williams is an accomplished and results-oriented leader, executive consultant, and technical expert with proven leadership experience in managing cross-functional teams and organizations.  Manson joined the Afterburner team after serving in the United States Air Force as an

F-15E Fighter Pilot and T-38C Instructor Pilot.   He currently still serves in the United States Air Force Reserves.

Manson’s flying career has seen him amass over 3,000 flight hours, including over 315 combat hours and 63 combat missions.  He deployed in support of Operations IRAQI FREEDOM and ENDURING FREEDOM, and earned a Single Sortie Air Medal with Valor during an intense combat mission in IRAQI FREEDOM.  Manson was selected as the #1 graduate out of 571 candidates as the Distinguished Graduate from Air Force Instructor Pilot Training for 2006, and he was honored as the 2013 United States Air Force Reserve Instructor Pilot of the Year for Columbus AFB, MS.  Additionally, he has garnered two Field Grade Officer of the Quarter Awards, and two Instructor Pilot of the Quarter Awards.  Manson’s flying qualifications included 4-ship Flight Lead, Instructor Pilot, and Evaluator Pilot.

In addition to Manson’s impressive flying record, he has also held numerous leadership positions during his time in service.  His roles in the Air Force included Director of Staff, Assistant Director of Operations, Flight Commander, Safety Officer, Chief of Plans, Standardization/Evaluation Officer, and Training Officer.  As Air Boss for the 2008 Vance Air Force Base Air Show, he coordinated over $3.2B worth of aircraft and equipment for a crowd of over 40,000.  He managed operations in USAF Europe’s largest Operational Support Squadron, and oversaw daily operations for $1.5B in assets and an $86.6M Flying Hour Program as an Operations Supervisor.  Manson also attended the highly-coveted USAF Safety Officer Course, where he was certified to conduct mishap investigations and oversee risk management programs.

Manson’s resume does not stop with the Air Force.  He is a highly successful adjunct professor with multiple universities, where he has developed and taught numerous courses.  His areas of expertise in teaching include Management, Safety Program Management, and other related topics.  Finally, Manson is also a First Officer with a major airline where he is responsible for the safe and efficient operation of a $35M aircraft.  He received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy and a Master of Aeronautical Science in Aviation Management from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.

Manson’s broad range of experience brings a unique skillset to the Afterburner Team.  Whether it is formulating aligned strategy, guiding change management or facilitating Health, Safety, and Environmental management, his interaction with hundreds of business leaders and his expert knowledge on the technical aspects of leadership and communication set an outstanding basis for his Executive Consultant and Facilitator role.  Manson’s world-class facilitating and successful execution of numerous speaking engagements consistently delivers superior results for our clients in their fast-paced, dynamic, and ever-changing environments.

David “Finch” Guenthner is a 2003 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and a current member of the Montana Air National Guard.  While serving on active duty, Finch accrued almost 2000 hours in the F-16C Fighting Falcon and the T-38C Talon (a fighter/bomber trainer).  Finch has Flawlessly Executed 80 combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he was awarded 4 Air Medals for his actions.  Based on his performance, he was selected as one of just ninety Air Force representatives to handle the movement of Air Force One. As an advanced echelon member, he would provide and coordinate all the support for the arrival, stay, and departure of Air Force One and its crew. This required delicate coordination between local officials, the United States Secret Service, Embassies, White House Staff, and Foreign Governments

Finch has been recognized numerous times for his outstanding leadership and military expertise.  In 2013, he earned the 47^th Flying Training Wing’s “Field Grade Officer of the Year” and also earned the Wing’s 2011 “Company Grade Officer of the Year.”  No other officer in the history of the wing has earned both awards.  In 2012, he was named Air Education and Training Command’s nominee for the Colonel James Jabara Award for Leadership, and was also named the Air Force Association’s Officer of the Year for the State of Texas.

Throughout his active duty career, Finch placed a priority on higher education.  He holds two Master’s degrees in Military Leadership and Aeronautical Science.  He was named a distinguished graduate and earned a 4.0 GPA.  In 2013, Finch was honored when his graduate thesis, “Weapon of Mass Information:  Incorporating Social Media in the Information Instrument of National Power,” was selected for the Future Trends Study Award and named the #1 of 507 graduate theses.  Additionally, he is a distinguished graduate of the US Air Force’s Squadron Officer School, a 6-week program that focuses on leadership and management.

In 2011, Finch founded a non-profit 5K/10K race series – Running with the Bulls – to support a local food bank.  To date, the program has raised over $165,000 and has provided meals to over 100,000 individuals in need.  Finch was appointed to the organization’s Board of Directors and now oversees their fundraising goals and operations.

Finch has recently separated from active duty and is now flying the C-130 Hercules for the Montana Air National Guard.  In addition to providing world-class consulting services for Afterburner, Finch is also a contributing editor for a not-for-profit, non-partisan website that hopes to spur responsible change in our federal government and make it more responsive to the needs of the people.

Tracy “JackieO” LaTourrette, one of the first female fighter pilots in the world, has flown missions globally as a combat mission-ready F-16 fighter pilot. JackieO has flown over 3300 hours as an F-16 fighter pilot, C-21 Learjet pilot, and AWACS Air Weapons Controller. She served on the Colorado National Guard’s Joint Staff as the Deputy Director of Current Operations and retired after 22 years of Air Force service as a Lieutenant Colonel. She is a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate with a coveted appointment by President George H.W. Bush. Post 9-11 JackieO flew Presidential protection missions, and flew in a classified location in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

JackieO earned multiple Aerial Achievement Medals, Meritorious Service and Combat Readiness Medals and more. She is a Top Gun and Turkey Shoot Champion, and a graduate of Navy Early Warning Weapons School interoperability training at the Top Gun facility. Tracy has a Bachelor of Science in Human Factors Engineering from the Air Force Academy, and is a graduate of Fighter Electronic Combat School, Air Force Squadron Officer School, Air Command and Staff College, and Air War College. She has an extensive background in weapons and tactics, training, mobility, scheduling, and operations. JackieO brings her expertise in discipline, flexibility, debriefing and process improvement to the thousands she trains nationally & abroad.

JackieO’s customization is best in class. She is known for her ability to readily assess the most complicated businesses, accurately speaking their language and addressing company specific real world issues from the stage and in breakouts. Her energetic style creates an environment where clients learn the Flawless Execution ModelSM, and the pitfalls of channelized attention and task saturation. Her debriefing techniques promote camaraderie and trust while aligning and focusing teams. JackieO arms her clients with powerful tools they immediately apply for accelerated results.

A 2000 veteran with Afterburner Inc., JackieO’s international experience makes her highly sought after and requested by Fortune 100 companies. Mass Mutual, Pfizer, Deloitte, HSBC, State Farm, Jiffy Lube, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Staples, and more, accelerate their corporate success through JackieO’s training. JackieO’s flexibility and attention to detail make her a top choice for customizing complicated programs for Associations with a varied audience such as National Apartment Association, and Executive Women International. This fighter pilot mother of multiples was featured in Aviation for Women magazine, on the cover of Contractor Magazine, and is also on the cover of Afterburner’s book, “Flawless Execution”. JackieO has spoken at Harvard Business School and is our only speaker to have closed for a U.S. President.

Chris “Elroy” Stricklin is a combat-proven Air Force Leader who successfully bridged the gap between military leadership and civilian desire to learn about leadership. An acclaimed leadership writer with almost 100 publications, he has been recognized as the #1 writer for Switch & Shift, General Leadership and many other online blogs. In addition to leading professionally for the US Air Force and writing online, he also is a leadership advisor at multiple non-profits where he helps ensure future employment for the many transitioning US military officers. He was recently featured in the Military Times article: Leaders Who Tweet, recognized with awards as “Top 10 Business Innovation Posts,” and served the role of Chief Growth Officer driving the fasting growing leadership blog on the web and earning “Top 100 Most Socially-Shared Leadership Blogs of 2014.”

As one of our dynamic team members, his unique experience as a U.S.A.F. Thunderbird coupled with Pentagon-level management of critical Air Force resources valued at $840B, multiple N.A.T.O. assignments, White House and DARPA fellowships, and command-experience in the United States Air Force allow his unique synthesis of speaking, following, leading, management, negotiations, continuous improvement and positive change. Chris is also a Certified Manager with degrees in Economics, Financial Planning, Strategic Studies and Operational Art and Science. He authored a negotiation primer subsequently published and adopted as required Air Force Pentagon new action officer orientation.

Throughout his Air Force career, he has flown combat sorties over both Iraq and Afghanistan and logged more than 50 Ground-Combat convoys throughout Afghanistan. During his time working for NATO, he lead the effort to defend against terrorism and served as lead American negotiator for a hijacked Turkish Airliner (Flight 1476) which ended safely with the hijacker apologizing to the passengers as he deplaned.

Elroy’s inspiration for writing began with the publication of his first work: Stories Around the Table: Laughter, Wisdom, and Strength in Military Life