Ambassador 'Sully' Sullenberger
Leading Your Team to Success
How you prepare, train and lead makes all the difference when confronted with a challenge. Ambassador 'Sully' Sullenberger's life-long pursuit of learning and investing in himself shows the importance of education and preparedness and illustrates that true leaders must always lead by example.
In this presentation, Ambassador Sullenberger will challenge and inspire teams to establish a foundation of passion for their work, build trust in each other, and commit to always reaching for the highest standards.
About Ambassador 'Sully' Sullenberger
Ambassador 'Sully' Sullenberger has been dedicated to safety his entire adult life. He considers it one of the greatest honors of his life to be asked by President Biden to serve in 2022 as U.S. Ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). During his tenure, he reasserted effective U.S. leadership at ICAO, tackling the aviation crises involving Belarus, Russia, a Middle East airspace dispute and climate change.
As a keynote speaker to world audiences, Sullenberger advocates for global air travel safety. He graduated from the United States Air Force Academy and served as a fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force, becoming a flight leader, training officer and captain. After serving in the Air Force, he became an airline pilot with Pacific Southwest Airlines until he retired from commercial flying in 2010. He still flies privately.
After logging more than 20,000 hours of flight time, Sullenberger became internationally renowned on January 15, 2009, when he, as Captain, and his First Officer Jeff Skiles safely guided US Airways Flight 1549 to an emergency water landing in New York City’s frigid Hudson River, during what has been called the “Miracle on the Hudson.” The Airbus A320’s two engines had lost thrust following a bird strike. An extraordinarily experienced flight crew, the two pilots had 75 years combined flying experience and 50 years of airline flight.
Sullenberger, Skiles and their crew received international acclaim for their actions that day, including the passage of a Congressional resolution recognizing their bravery. Sullenberger was ranked second in TIME's "Top 100 Most Influential Heroes and Icons of 2009” and was awarded the French Legion of Honour.
As the #1 New York Times best-selling author of Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters, Sullenberger also wrote Making a Difference: Stories of Vision and Courage from America's Leaders. Clint Eastwood directed the Academy Award-nominated film Sully, based on the book and starring Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart and Laura Linney.
Sullenberger is an international lecturer and keynote speaker about the importance of aviation and patient safety, high-performance systems improvement, leadership, crisis management, lifelong preparation and living a life of integrity.
Speaker Highlights
Ambassador Sullenberger's Book
On January 15, 2009, the world witnessed a remarkable emergency landing when Captain 'Sully' Sullenberger skillfully glided US Airways Flight 1549 onto the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 passengers and crew. His cool actions not only averted tragedy, but made him a hero and an inspiration worldwide. His story is now a major motion picture from director-producer Clint Eastwood, starring Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, and Laura Linney.
Sully’s story is one of dedication, hope, and preparedness, revealing the important lessons he learned through his life, in his military service, and in his work as an airline pilot. It reminds us all that, even in these days of conflict, tragedy, and uncertainty, there are values still worth fighting for—that life’s challenges can be met if we’re ready for them.
