ABOUT AUSTIN

Hi, friend!
I’m Austin.
Nice to meet you!

I'm a leadership speaker, facilitator, and culture strategist who works at the intersection of strategy and humanity — helping people lead, connect, and belong.

This work is an opportunity to pay it forward for the many who helped me develop as a person and a leader. It would be a privilege to do the same in partnership with you.

Let's Get to Work! →

Ready My Why ↓

THE SHORT VERSION

A bit more about me.

I'm a speaker, facilitator, and consultant who has spent more than 14 years helping organizations, campuses, and communities strengthen their people and their culture. Whether I'm energizing a room of 500, guiding a corporate team through a culture shift, or helping a student leader find their voice — I show up with one goal: to help people and organizations grow with purpose, lead with clarity, and create spaces where everyone belongs.

My work spans higher education, K-12, corporate teams, professional associations, and nonprofits. I've partnered with organizations across all of these spaces — not as a "shot of espresso" speaker who shows up and disappears, but as a full-service partner who offers genuine follow-through: workshops, assessments, and ongoing collaboration built around your specific goals.

People call it "golden retriever energy." I bring warmth, humor, and genuine care to every room I walk into — whether that's a main stage keynote or an intimate leadership retreat. But don't let the warmth fool you: I'm also here to challenge you to grow.

I've worked in higher education and student affairs, organizational development, event strategy, learning design, and brand consulting. That cross-sector experience shapes the way I think about people, culture, and what it takes to build spaces where everyone can do their best work.

A smiling man with a beard, wearing a black polo shirt and jeans, sitting on a beige sofa in front of large industrial-style windows with a brick wall background.

WHAT MAKES THIS DIFFERENT

Grounded in research.
Built for how people actually learn.

I'm not just a motivational speaker. I have deep roots in instructional design and curriculum development — which means every program I deliver is grounded in research, structured around how adults actually learn, and designed to create lasting behavioral change.

That background informs everything. The sequencing of a workshop. The questions I ask before building a keynote. The assessments I use to diagnose what an organization actually needs. You don't just get a good day in the room — you get something built to hold up after you leave it.

Group Development

Tuckman's Model informs how I meet teams where they are — not where I assume they should be.

Adult Learning Theory

Adults learn differently. My facilitation design accounts for how people actually engage and make meaning.

Relational Leadership

Leadership that's purposeful, ethical, empowering, and inclusive — not just positional power.

Social Change Model

Developing leaders at the individual, group, and community levels — because real change requires all three.

WHY I DO THIS WORK

The story behind the strategy.

I spent years searching for where I belonged. Leadership became my vehicle — student director of this, chair of that, always raising my hand for the next opportunity. I told myself it was passion. But if I'm honest, it was also a way to stay busy enough that I didn't have to sit with harder questions about who I was and where I fit.

I was the over-involved leader who couldn't say no. I thought doing more meant being more. And for a while, it worked — until it didn't. I burned out, lost my sense of direction, and realized the very thing I thought was building me up had become a way to avoid my own growth.

What changed everything? Mentors and peers who saw me — really saw me — and helped me reframe what leadership and involvement could be. They helped me understand that saying no wasn't letting people down; it was creating space for others to say yes. That being a "work in progress" wasn't something to hide, but something that made the often-imperfect practice of leadership more honest and more human.

I learned that collective action brings deeper impact than individual hustle. That being part of teams and organizations is just as much about discovering who you are and finding your people as it is about the work itself. And that we have the power to reframe the spaces we're in — to make room for people to mess up, to figure it out, to belong.

Getting involved in opportunities that allowed me to experiment and grow as a leader changed my life. But how I learned to show up — with intention, authenticity, and care for myself and others — is what made the difference. This work is how I pay it forward. Every keynote, every workshop, every conversation is my way of thanking the people who invested in me — by investing in you.

Let's Work Together! →

WHAT I BELIEVE

The principles behind everything I do.

Belonging Comes First.

People can't lead, grow, or contribute their best until they feel like they belong. Culture work doesn't start with strategy — it starts here. Everything else builds on that foundation.

Leadership is for Everyone.

You don't need a title to lead. The best organizations develop leadership at every level — and create genuine space for people to grow into it at whatever stage they're in.

Practical Over Perfect.

I'd rather give you three tools you'll actually use than ten frameworks you'll forget by Friday. Every program is built to be applied — not admired and shelved. You leave with a plan, not just goosebumps.

Collective Action Over Individual Hustle.

We build better things together than we do alone. The most sustainable outcomes come from investing in people, trusting the team, and creating structures where everyone has room to contribute.

BACKGROUND & EXPERTISE

14 Years.
Four Sectors.
A lot of rooms.

My career has taken me from the front lines of student affairs to director-level leadership development roles to brand strategy consulting and beyond. That range isn't accidental — it's the thing that lets me walk into a corporate boardroom and a student leadership conference in the same week and be genuinely useful in both.

I'm also deeply committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion — not as a program add-on, but as a lens that runs through everything. I have extensive experience helping organizations create more inclusive and accessible spaces, diagnosing where they need to improve, and building actionable plans to get there.

MASTER’S DEGREE

Higher Education

Illinois State University — with a focus on leadership and organizational development

BACHELOR’S DEGREE

Mass Communications

University of South Florida — with a focus on writing, branding, and digital design

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

Associate Director, Leadership & Adjunct Faculty

Oversaw learning and development strategy for 30,000+ students, 700 student organizations and their advisors, and 1,400+ organizational leaders. Also served as university-level instructor in leadership studies.

SIMPSONSCARBOROUGH & CARNEGIE

Account Lead & Client Success Partner

Serving as strategic partner, revenue owner and client success leader for some of the nation’s most prominent and recognizable institutions at two of the leading marketing and branding agencies in education.

NACA - NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CAMPUS ACTIVITIES

10+ Years of Conference Leadership

Volunteer leader including serving as Conference Chair — managing 700 participants, 60+ educational sessions, and a 142-booth exhibit hall for one of the nation's leading higher education conferences.

“I cannot say enough good things about the content that was delivered, nor the way it was delivered. Austin’s organization, communication, and presentation skills made his time with us one of the most talked about events our company participated in during our time together over those few days.”

PAR TECHNOLOGY & DATA CENTRAL
"Austin was a beacon of light for our leaders at our annual Leadership Conference. Many "ah-ha" moments were had by all as he discussed the importance of connection and authenticity in his presentation. His enthusiasm and passion provided great inspiration for our leaders as they learn and try to navigate this new normal."

Alpha Rho Chi Fraternity

WHEN I’M NOT WORKING

Nashville. Cold brew.
A very good dog.

I call Nashville home, where I spend my time enjoying all of the live music, hunting for the city's best pizza, hanging out with my very chill rescue pup Fogarty, and proudly holding the title of "Uncle of the Year" to my niece, Capri.

I believe the best conversations happen over good food, good coffee, and a willingness to laugh at yourself.

THE FAVES

Coffee: Cold brew, black. Maybe Vanilla, if we are feeling spicy.
Food: Tacos, soft pretzels, pasta - basically, carbs.
TV Shows: Parks & Recreation, VEEP, and Hacks
Music Artists: Kelly Clarkson, Zach John King, Kelsea Ballerini - to name a few.
Podcasts: “Good Hang with Amy Poehler,” “This Might Get Weird,” “Las Culturistas”