Mike Pompeo Speaker Biography
70th Secretary of State (2018-2021), Former Director of CIA (2017-2018)
Michael R. Pompeo served as the 70th Secretary of State of the United States, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and was elected to four terms in Congress representing the Fourth District of Kansas. Mike graduated first in his class from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1986. He served as a cavalry officer in the U.S. Army, leading troops patrolling the Iron Curtain. Mike left the military in 1991 and then graduated from Harvard Law School, having served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review. Up next was almost a decade leading two manufacturing businesses in South Central Kansas – first in the aerospace industry and then making energy drilling and production equipment.
Career
In 2010, Mike watched government grow too big and decided to run for Congress. He won and was re-elected three more times to represent South Central Kansas – the heartland of America. Becoming America’s most senior spy, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, was Mike’s next chance to champion American values. President Donald Trump saw that good work and decided to make Mike America’s 70th Secretary of State. As our nation’s most senior diplomat in the Trump Administration and President Trump’s chief negotiator, Mike helped to craft U.S. foreign policy based on our nation’s founding ideals that put America First. America became a massive energy exporter and a force for good in the Middle East with real peace cemented in the Abraham Accords. Mike placed special emphasis on renewing alliances with key allies, including India, Japan, Australia, and South Korea. He also led a return to America’s founding principles and a focus on every human life being worthy and the protection of the unborn. The largest human rights gatherings ever held at the State Department occurred under his leadership.
Book
Mike’s new book, “Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love,” which released in January 2023, includes stories from his heart detailing his time as Secretary of State and CIA Director and was named a New York Times bestseller.
Married to Susan, Mike and his wife have one son, Nick. Mike and Susan were thrilled to see their family grow to include a daughter-in-law when Nick married his wife, Rachael, in 2022! The Pompeos dedicated many volunteer hours to their home church — including teaching 5th grade Sunday School and Mike’s time as a church Deacon. Mike and Susan’s two retrievers, Sherman and Mercer, each named after important American generals, are patriots too!
Mike Pompeo Speaking Topics
MISSION: Small Team or Complex Organization—One Common Task (LEADERSHIP)
From assistant manager at Baskin-Robbins to being fourth in line for the Presidency, Mike Pompeo has demonstrated his ability to harness the best of every team member to deliver quality, mission-focused outcomes. His experience set – including tank platoon leader, cavalry troop executive officer, small business machine shop CEO, Congressman from Kansas, CIA Director and most recently Secretary of State – has honed Secretary Pompeo’s command of the central tenets of leadership that have helped him build successful, impactful teams for over three decades. With this keynote, Secretary Pompeo shares experiences and encourages attendees to consider various points of view. This serious, yet joy-filled exposition of how Mike has lived out his sense of duty and commitment to excellence should bring a smile to lots of faces, along with an arsenal of ideas.
FROM MACHINE SHOP TO SPY SHOP: Lessons From Leading Talented People from Machinists to Espionage Professionals (LEADERSHIP)
We’ve all read good spy novels, but what’s a leader to do when he is tasked with running the world’s finest espionage service focused on delivering for the greatest nation in the history of civilization? In this keynote, Mike shares highly-unclassified-but-unique stories about his time as the Director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and how his previous leadership experiences—including as CEO of a manufacturing company--helped him deliver the best information for America’s national security leaders. The opportunity of a lifetime to ask, “is area 51 real?” or “was America responsible for [pick your favorite]?”. You’ll get, some, answers.
WHEN THE TIME COMES: A Few Moments Matter Most, Prepare Well and Crush Them (CRISIS MANAGEMENT)
Secretary Mike Pompeo’s military experience, business leadership and public service have cemented one idea: There are a few moments that make or break a team’s success. Every other moment must be aimed at preparing for them. Whether meeting with Chairman Kim Jong Un or pitching for a contract your company must have to survive, you must have built your team around preparing for these moments. Some moments come as crisis, some as planned culminations of prolonged efforts, but, either way, the daily discipline both personal and team-wide is crucial. In this keynote, Secretary Pompeo shares the moments where he and his teams had the chance to make a big difference. Hear details of the largest worldwide emergency repatriation effort ever conducted by the U.S. He will challenge the attendees to build for those turning points and to seize the opportunities when they present themselves.
WE’RE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE: Invite, Don’t Dodge, Difficulty—Grab Challenges and Improve Everyone Around You (CRISIS MANAGEMENT)
Asking for a raise, telling the President he’s got it wrong or pulling out the driver when a 3-iron probably gets it done. Secretary Pompeo has spent a good amount of his life out of the comfort zone and challenging himself and his team to do what seems hard. This applies as much to his most important purpose – being a good husband and father -- as it does to delivering a tough message to a dictator with nuclear weapons. A Kansan, Mike shares funny tales from times at his family’s farm, his days in charge of M-1 tanks and his time traveling the globe as America’s most senior diplomat that reinforce the central idea that good things follow from pushing boundaries and taking risk.
TALK SOFTLY BUT CARRY AMERICA WITH YOU: Inside Negotiations on the World Stage (NEGOTIATION)
How do countries, companies and family members who appear to have no common ground, establish a baseline and find matching interests? Hear Secretary Pompeo share negotiation strategies he has employed—in the corporate world after 9-11, in multi-party settings -- such as the negotiations that led to the historical Middle East Abraham Accords, and with his own family members. Mike negotiated with Chairman Kim in North Korea, sat across the table from the Taliban, laid down a path for China’s leaders that would chart the China-U.S. relationship, and sat with European leaders in critical negotiations for America. A “win” is defined differently in each setting. But, nothing will be as memorable as Secretary Pompeo’s insights from negotiations aimed at returning Americans to their loved ones as Secretary Pompeo led a hostage negotiation team for the President that has been touted by many as having “unparalleled success.”
Mike Pompeo Books
