Accelerent - Denver

At 19, Jeremy Poincenot was your typical college sophomore. Friends, sports, fraternity and most importantly, perfect 20/20 vision. Then it happened, no warning, no time to prepare. Life began to blur. Over the next few months, Jeremy lost central vision in his right eye, followed closely by his left. The diagnosis: a rare genetic disorder called Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON), a disease that affects a mere 100 people in the U.S. each year with no treatment or cure in sight. At first, Jeremy thought losing his vision meant forfeiting his life. But he soon learned that with every challenge comes an opportunity for growth.

When Jeremy lost his central vision, he thought the game of golf he loved was over. But with some hard work, dedication, and the support of his family and friends, he quickly learned that his golfing career had just begun. At 20 years old and with his Dad as his guide, Jeremy competed in and won the 2010 World Blind Golf Championship with a dramatic chip-in in a playoff. They have since gone on to win 8 National Championships, an Australian Blind Open, an Italian Blind Open and two more World Blind Golf Championships. In 2011, Jeremy was honored as the San Diego Hall of Champions Challenged Athlete of the Year. Like all things, it’s the most difficult trials that shape who we are—and Jeremy is a better athlete and person because of this sport.

Now, Jeremy strives to raise awareness of LHON, and along with the help of his friends, they have created the C.U.R.E. (Cycling Under Reduced Eyesight) Ride, an annual fundraising bike ride that has raised over $350,000 for LHON research. Their goal is to raise a million.

Today, Jeremy is an Inspirational Speaker traveling the world, sharing his story to inspire audiences to take control of life and turn trauma into triumph. Jeremy is not your ordinary motivational speaker. With a powerful personal narrative, a little wit and a strong inspirational message, he has made it his mission to help his audiences rise up to their biggest obstacles and see them as opportunities.

Jeremy’s objective when he steps in front of an audience is not to dictate how to succeed in life; it’s to convince individuals that independence is good, while interdependence is great. He speaks from experience and has discovered that with a focus on the good, key insights, and the determination to persist through the challenges, anything is possible.

Jeremy has had the privilege of being featured on ABC's 20/20, ESPN.com, CNN’s “Great Big Story” and MTV's True Life and has spoken for many prestigious companies including Aflac, Honda, John Hancock, Kaiser Permanente, Wells Fargo and many more.

Chosen as the nation’s 12th Presidential pilot, Colonel (ret) Mark W. Tillman served as pilot and commander of Air Force One from 2001-2009. Col. Tillman was at the controls of Air Force One through numerous national events. Most notably, he protected the President on September 11, 2001 by keeping him out of harms way and connecting the flying oval office to the nation’s first responders. Another historic event was being the first pilot to fly the Commander-in-Chief into a war zone. The challenge was unprecedented--transport the most targeted man in the world into the heart of terrorism. One mistake would have left the President open to attack and cost the lives of US service members. Col. Tillman personally orchestrated and executed the covert operation with flawless success. His planning, done in complete secrecy, allowed for a complete surprise to the entire world. Col. Tillman’s distinguished career spans 30 years in the United States Air Force. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 2004 and promoted to Brigadier General by the President of the United States—the first military line officer to receive this honor. A man devoted to serving his country, this captivating storyteller will give you a first-hand account of remarkable moments in history.

How's your elevator pitch?  Chris Westfall has created multi-milliondollar revenue streams for companies on four continents, with innovative newstrategies on leadership communication. He’s a regularcontributor to Forbes, the publisher of seven books, and theauthor of Leadership Language, BulletProof Branding andEasier. As the US National Elevator Pitch Champion, he'shelped clients to land on Shark Tank, Dragon’s Den, andShark Tank - Australia. A consultant to financial leaders andFortune 100 companies, he’s helped entrepreneurs to launch a broad array ofbusinesses, and successfully re-branded products and services around the globe.Working with thousands of business leaders, he's helped launch over 70companies, while raising over $350 Million (and counting!) in investment capital.He’s coached teams to victory in the Intel Global Capital Conference, SXSW, theHarvard Executive MBA Pitch Competition, and the Rice Business PlanCompetition (the largest and most lucrative pitch competition in the world).

Chris' clients include HP, Cisco, Old Dominion, Unilever, DISCOVER Card,Great American Insurance, The Jewish Federations of NorthAmerica, American General Insurance, Transwestern, EY and many more.

Focused on the leaders of tomorrow, Chris has worked with a number ofuniversities across North America, including Texas A&M, Kansas State, TheUniversity of Pennsylvania, SMU, The University of Chicago, and dozens ofothers. An award-winning MBA instructor, his latest book is called Easier (Wiley,2022) the follow-up to the international best-seller, The NEW Elevator Pitch.