Col. Nicole Malachowski

First Woman Thunderbird Pilot, Combat Veteran, Fighter Squadron Commander, White House Fellow & Adviser, and Indomitable Spirit
Col. Nicole
Malachowski

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AVAILABLE FOR

Keynote
Fireside Chat
Virtual Presentation

Fee ranges

Domestic In-Person (USA):

$25,000 - $35,000*

International In-Person:

Please inquire

Virtual:

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Other:

* Ranges are presented as a guideline only. Speaker fees vary by engagement type and are subject to change without notice. For an exact quote, please contact Gravity Speakers.

Traveling from

Colorado, USA

About

Col. Nicole Malachowski, USAF (Ret.) defies stereotypes. Yes, she was a jet fighter pilot, but if you think you know her based on that, you’d be wrong. A leader, a combat veteran, the first woman pilot on the Thunderbirds Air Demonstration Squadron, a White House Fellow, and an inductee into both the National Women’s Hall of Fame and the Women in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of Fame, Nicole’s distinguished 21-year Air Force career exceeded her wildest dreams. But the dream came to an end when a devastating tick-borne illness left her struggling greatly to speak or walk for almost nine months. An indomitable spirit, Nicole fought back against overwhelming odds and prevailed. Drawing on stories from her career and personal life, Nicole inspires audiences to rethink the challenges they face every day. She urges them to go beyond resilience and become resurgent. Nicole’s empowers people with three key beliefs: failure and risk is the price of entry for achieving something great; sometimes you need to yield to overcome; and her personal mantra – “nobody wants to lead a scripted life."

Nicole brings her experience to the stage and holds audiences spellbound with an easygoing authenticity of someone who’s achieved greatness. She’s been a member and leader of exceptional teams. She has faced overwhelming challenges and adversity and has come out on top.

While other high school students were practicing for their driver’s license, Nicole was accumulating flight time. She was sixteen years old when she took her first solo flight and from that point on there was no stopping her. While in high school, she joined the Civil Air Patrol and participated in Air Force Junior ROTC. Nicole’s professional story began when she earned her commission from the United States Air Force Academy in 1996. Following graduation, she attended Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) at Columbus AFB, MS and began her career as a pilot. Competitively selected to fly combat aircraft, she was among the first group of women to fly modern fighter aircraft.  As a career pilot, she served in combat as an F-15E Flight Commander, Evaluator, Instructor Pilot and Flight Lead. Over her 21-year career, Nicole achieved the rating of Command Pilot with over 2,300 flight hours in six different Air Force aircraft. She was also selected to fly as Thunderbird #3 with the USAF Air Demonstration Squadron – the first woman to fly on any Department of Defense military jet demonstration team. Colonel Malachowski has served as a mission ready fighter pilot in three operational F-15E fighter squadrons and has flown over 188 combat hours, including her proudest moment as a fighter pilot: leading the first fighter formation to provide security for Iraq’s historic democratic elections in 2005.

On the ground, Nicole was a White House Fellow, class of 2008-2009, where she served on the Presidential Transition Support Team (PTST) while assigned to the U.S. General Services Administration. The White House Fellows Foundation and Association awarded Nicole the 2019 IMPACT Award for demonstrating both remarkable achievement and transformational contributions in her field, as well as a sustained commitment to the White House Fellows program. Nicole also served two high-level staff assignments at the Pentagon – one in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD P&R) as well as the Secretary of the Air Force Office of International Affairs (SAF/IA). She also served as the Executive Director of the White House’s national ‘Joining Forces’ initiative where she directly advised former First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden on all topics relating to service members, veterans, and military families to include employment, education, mental health, veterans’ homelessness and more.

Nicole’s operational F-15E assignments include two tours of duty at RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom as well as one operational assignment to Seymour Johnson AFB, NC. She has also served alongside the United States Army 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Red Cloud, Republic of Korea, as an Air Liaison Officer. During her second assignment to Seymour Johnson AFB, NC, she had the honor of commanding the 333rd Fighter Squadron, leading an elite cadre of F-15E Instructors in the training of the next generation of combat aviators. Further, she was responsible for resources totaling over $1.1B and the execution of a $119M annual flying hour program.

Nicole earned a Master of Arts, with honors, in National Security Policy from American Military University and a second Master of Arts, with highest distinction, in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College. While there, she earned the Admiral Stephen B. Luce Award as the class honor graduate, the first Air Force officer in the history of the Naval War College to do so. Nicole has been recognized with several honors for her consistent contributions to community service. As Nicole continues to recover from her neurological tick-borne illness, she embraces any opportunity to educate others about her medical journey and gains energy from educating others about this growing epidemic. She is on the Board of Directors at the LivLyme Foundation and is a Patient Advisory Board Member of The Dean Center for Tick Borne Illness.

Colonel Nicole Malachowski, USAF (Ret.) was born in Santa Maria, CA and graduated high school in Las Vegas, NV. She and her husband Paul have twin children; son Garrick and daughter Norah. Paul is a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and former F-15E Evaluator Weapons Systems Officer.

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Topics

Topics

Harnessing Headwinds of Change

Pushing The Envelope: Being the Best When it Counts

Breaking Barriers: Conquering Self-Doubt and Cultural Paradigms

Videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB0bTJhzu3s
Harnessing Headwinds of Change: Sometimes You Have to Yield to Overcome
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ro8xUVP9vzI
Pushing the Envelope for Maximum Performance: Being the Best When It Counts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNI6ACXtEqQ
Breaking Barriers: Conquering Self-Doubt and Cultural Paradigms: The Work Life Balance Myth

Articles

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Books / Movies As an Amazon Associate, Gravity earns from qualifying purchases.

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Testimonials

“As we know, Nicole Malachowski is amazing; and our members now know it, too. I know she is one of your top speakers already but just know she may be the most inspirational speaker I have ever hired. Our attendees could not stop singing her praises at our reception following the presentation.”

American Boiler Manufacturers Association

“We engaged Nicole to speak at our conference on Advancing Women in Law Firm Leadership. Nicole is a captivating speaker with a truly motivational story. She is energetic, personable, and authentic – and the audience was riveted throughout her entire presentation. I wholeheartedly recommend Nicole as a speaker!”

Senior Vice President, Attorneys’ Liability Assurance Society (ALAS)

“Automotive News had the pleasure of having Colonel Nicole Malachowski serve as the closing keynote speaker at our 2018 Leading Women Conference on October 30th. She was outstanding and delivered an authentic, actionable message that hit home for every executive — male or female — who is trying to set clear goals, break barriers and improve their career path. Her thought-provoking message was delivered with passion and authority. She left our audience of leading women with a clear path to achieve greatness, create change and make better, brave decisions.”

Conference Director, Automotive News

“Your presentation was amazing! Everyone thoroughly enjoyed it and were so inspired by your story. I can truly say you were the highlight of the conference. I heard so many positive comments from so many of our attendees who were touched by your talk.”

MCAA

“…she was the absolute ‘best’ speaker we have ever hired. With that, the leadership from Major Account Summit have asked, how do we give her a bonus? She was that good.”

Manager, Meeting & Events, Kaiser Permanente

“Everyone sitting near me (including myself) agreed that you were the best speaker we have ever heard, hands down.” – Senior Counsel, Member Service, ALAS “…not only did she receive a standing ovation, but the line of attendees seeking to talk with her after the meeting was the longest I had ever seen at such an event – and she took the time to meet all of them.”

Law Firm Vendors Association

"Everyone...I mean everyone…left raving about your message. As you can imagine being in healthcare as executive I hear a lot of people speak. You are an exceptional speaker and have an incredible message to share with anyone that’s looking at ways to be motivated to improve themselves. So yes, count me in as a card holding member of your fan club"

Chairman, Board of Directors, National Association of Specialty Pharmacy (NASP)

“I want to thank you so much for being THE highlight of our Women in Specialty Pharmacy luncheon last week! Your keynote address was one of the most empowering and impactful that I have ever heard. Our attendees could not stop talking about how fabulous you are and I think the line of folks who wanted to meet you and have their picture taken with you is a testament of how well your message resonated with our attendees.”

Executive Director, National Association of Specialty Pharmacy (NASP)

"We cannot thank YOU enough for bringing your inspiring, moving, profound, vulnerable, INCREDIBLE story to our team. If your ears have been ringing it is 120 people saying you were the absolute highlight of the whole offsite. And many told me you were the BEST speaker they have ever heard. [And these people hear a lot of speakers.]"

Training Manager, Genentech