Our Team

Bill Blackburn
Facilitator

Location

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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In addition to the open enrollment events below,
I am also available for In House Training
and One to One Executive Coaching.
Request A Call

Upcoming Events

2025

February 25-27, 2025
Philadelphia, PA
April 8-10, 2025
Philadelphia, PA
May 20-22, 2025
Philadelphia, PA
September 23-25, 2025
Philadelphia, PA
October 14-16, 2025
Philadelphia, PA

Bio

Bill Blackburn, CDR, USN (ret) is the founder and President of Blackburn & Associates, LLC and an Affiliate of Academy Leadership. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Leadership for Villanova University. Bill has spent three careers and over 36 years immersed in the study and practice of leadership and exceptional performance. During his 20 year career as a naval officer and aviator, he served in critical leadership roles that required both his own personal leadership and his ability to build teams and organizations to achieve highly complex assignments. On multiple occasions, he commanded CH-46 helicopter units on extended overseas deployments supporting the Navy’s aircraft carrier battle groups. After attending the US Army War College, he served on the joint staff of the Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific as one of the key briefers in the Strategic Plans Division. Bill also served as the Executive Officer of the NROTC Units at Villanova University and the University of Pennsylvania.

In 15 years as a consultant for Gap International, a firm known for its expertise in breakthrough business results, Bill honed his skills as an effective executive coach for senior business leaders. His partnership with these leaders and their teams consistently resulted in their businesses producing sustainable exceptional business performance. He is a skilled facilitator in leadership development, strategic and operational planning, organizational alignment and team building.

Since joining Academy Leadership in 2009, Bill has lead both public programs and designed and delivered internal leadership programs for public and private organizations.

Bill graduated from the US Naval Academy with a BS in Aerospace Engineering and from San Diego State University with a MA in Education. He is also a graduate of the US Army War College. Bill resides in Chester County with his wife, Kristi, and their twin sons, Chase and Colten.

Testimonials

Extremely worthwhile two days of leadership education. Included incredibly meaningful content in developing a personal leadership philosophy, communications, motivation and coaching. Professionally presented. Our small group, terrific curriculum and fantastic facilitation provided for a high level of engagement.
Dan Serfass, Assistant Superintendent, Elizabethtown Area School District
Leadership Foundations Course Attendee
Leadership Boot Camp is a transformational program. Even with a pretty solid leadership background, the course showed me how much I still have to learn — and helped me take concrete steps to plan for this journey. I now see clear areas where I can become a better leader for my team, and feel strongly motivated to put this into action!
Diane Henker, Associate Registrar, University of Delaware
Leadership Boot Camp Attendee
Very interactive and engaging. Instructor kept the mood light and positive and encouraged participation. Exercises really forced you to think and step out of your comfort zone. I learned a lot and the program makes it easy for you to see how you can apply these principles in your current job whether you manage a team or not.
Kayla Killian, Senior Implementation Consultant, TriNet
Leadership Boot Camp Attendee
Intensive look at what leadership is and what it should look like. Forces a positive inward look at who you are as a person and leader, and also gets you thinking of who you want to be/can be as a leader. There's no 1 right way, but plenty of tools to make you better. You'll come away with these tools, but its up to you to implement.

Timothy Chretien, SVP - Regional Manager
Leadership Excellence Course Attendee
Thought provoking. Makes you really dig deep about yourself. Knowing yourself is key to knowing your people. Learn techniques and how to implement to self and those with whom you work and/or manage. Also great for you personal life, too!

Diana Kimmich, Recruiting Manager
Leadership Excellence Course Attendee
“I had the pleasure of attending Academy Leadership's Leadership Excellence Course, taught by Bill Blackburn in Fall of 2017. I can honestly say it was one of the most beneficial training seminars I've attended in my 22-year career. Bill's passion for leadership, engaging speaking style, and compassion for helping others succeed blew me away. The course was very intense, packed with relevant modern-day material, methodologies, advice, war stories, multimedia, and heavy group interaction. Bill's experience as a leader shined in this course, and his personal stories and mentor-ship augmented the material in a way that made it really hit home for me. It didn't end there. Bill has gone the extra mile to keep in touch with me with personalized mentoring and monthly check-ins. Thanks to Bill and Academy Leadership, I now have a newfound confidence in my leadership ability and have already reaped the rewards. I highly recommend Bill and Academy Leadership to every leader in every organization. The return on your small investment will be well worth it.”

Senior Advisory Software Engineer, Aerospace & Defense Industry
Leadership Excellence Course Attendee