core principles of leadership monthly podcast

James Howard a retired Captain in the United States Army grew up in Lynchburg, Va. a part of a large military family.  Three generations that served from WWII through the War on Terror with the 82nd Airborne. He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 2002 and commissioned into the Army.  He had the privilege of serving in Iraq and completing Ranger, Sapper, Jumpmaster and Special Forces courses. James medically retired in 2010 after numerous combat and training injuries that left him a quadriplegic in a wheelchair. 

He considers his injury as "a blessing by misfortune" which led him to start two all-volunteer non-profits. REACHcycles as well as Veterans and Athletes United. Both nonprofits have supported thousands of children and veterans with disabilities.  James also helped design and coordinate the effort to build the VAU travelling fallen heroes’ memorial flag, which we had the privilege of hosting recently in Hobart, OK.

He works and volunteers for many other non-profits: SOCOM Care Coalition- mentor, former Quality of Life Foundation- Case Manager, Christopher Reeve Foundation- Military Veterans Program MVP Coordinator, National GWOT Memorial Foundation-Ambassador and Paralyzed Veterans of America-member.

  

 Andrew is a senior at Benedictine Military School in Savannah, GA. He was on the winning Ethics Team at the 2025 Four Star Leadership, which earned him a $2,000 scholarship.  He will be retuning in 2026 as an Alumni Counselor to assist with the program.

 Kelsey is a senior at Eagle River High School in Alaska. Last year at Four Star, she earned the top honor and was awarded the $5,000 Four Star Leader of the year scholarship. The award is given to the outstanding leader who exemplifies the core characteristics of a Four Star Leader, but most importantly, it is voted on by the Four Star Leader students in attendance. Kelsey has recently been notified she earned a congressional appointment to the United States Air Force Academy and will continue her journey of service this summer after graduating high school.