Captain Russ Bartlett, U.S. Navy (retired), is a combat-seasoned F/A-18 Hornet pilot and the former Commanding Officer and Flight Leader of the legendary Blue Angels. He has accumulated over 4,400 flight hours and 841 aircraft carrier arrested landings, 333 of them at night. In the Navy, he served as a Hornet Instructor Pilot, was a squadron Commanding Officer twice, and acted as the Navy liaison officer to the U.S. Special Operations Command.

Upon retirement from the Navy, he applied the lessons learned from flying and leading—especially with the Blue Angels—to the Aerospace and Defense industry. He served as:

• President of Beechcraft Defense Company, building military trainer aircraft
• CEO of Textron Airborne Solutions, an Adversary Air services company providing adversary fighter jets and pilots to the U.S. Department of Defense
• COO of Kaman Aerospace Corporation, a manufacturer of precision aerospace, defense, and medical components

Following his last executive leadership role, Russ pursued a lifelong dream of becoming a professional speaker, sharing the lessons of his life and career. When not on the road, he’s likely indulging his passions on or around Lake Anna, Virginia, piloting anything with an engine. With cars, motorcycles, and a wakesurfing boat, there’s always something exhilarating to drive.