Terry Virts Keynote Speaker

Colonel Terry Virts (ret) served in the United States Air Force as a fighter pilot, test pilot and NASA astronaut. He is a former Commander of the International Space Station. On February 8 2010, he made his first spaceflight as pilot of the Space Shuttle Endeavour during mission STS-130. His next launch was the Russian Soyuz TMA-15M on November 23 2014. The following year, in March, he assumed command of the International Space Station (ISS) as Commander of Expedition 43.

Terry travels the world, inspiring his audiences from his stories in space to his insights into life on earth. Terry brings his unique perspective to businesses around the world, touching upon diverse topics including: the environment ent; global wealth; intercultural leadership; crisis and risk management; innovation; strategy and vision; and decision making.

He recently directed his first film, “One More Orbit” that was about his Guinness World Record-breaking mission in July 2019, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. His book, “The Art of Space Travel” is due to be published in September 2020. He has also authored “Apo11o: To the Moon and Back”; a collector’s edition reproduction of the original flight plan Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Mike Collins and the mission control team in Houston used to plan and execute man’s first mission to land on the moon. Terry is also involved in several television and film projects. And serves on corporate boards, promotes public policy and pursues photography. While in space, he took over 300,000 photographs of planet Earth, which then became an integral part of the IMAX film, “A Beautiful Planet”. His photography has been featured in his National Geographic book, “View from Above”.

He is one of the only four astronauts to have piloted a Space Shuttle, flown a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, performed space walks and commanded the ISS. He is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and Harvard Business School.

Terry has performed National Geographic Live talks, delivered keynote addresses to corporate and non-profit entities worldwide. He impacts his audiences with his wit, fascinating stories from his time up in sapce, breathtaking images and his wisdom about life on Earth.

Speaking Topics

• Our beautiful planet and its fragile environment
• Why your organization needs to innovate like the Apollo program
• How to build, motivate, and lead an intercultural team
• The necessity of vision and strategy
• Why you can’t succeed without debriefing and feedback
• Fascinating perspectives on global wealth and wellbeing
• Risk and Crisis management in space, the cockpit of an F-16, or at work