Warrior and Starman: Leadership Lessons From Land, Sea, and Space

Chris Cassidy is a modern-day legend. From earning Bronze Stars in Afghanistan to traveling among the stars on Disney+, Captain Cassidy is an American hero straight out of central casting. He’ll also be the featured keynote speaker at BOILER 2022, where he will inspire and instruct attendees on how to achieve greatness in leadership and life.

Maximizing time and learning to lead

In an age where cynicism and apathy have become commonplace, Captain Cassidy is a throwback to a time when leaders earned your respect and courage proved contagious. After growing up in one of the oldest towns in the United States (York, Maine), Chris completed Naval Academy Prep School. He would go on to receive a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics at the U.S. Naval Academy, after which he joined the Navy SEALs. In time, he became a platoon commander of SEAL Team Three.

During the moments when he wasn’t attending to duties such as combat diving, underwater demolition, long-range and desert reconnaissance, noncompliant ship-boarding, parachuting, fast roping, or rappelling, he earned a master's degree in Ocean Engineering from MIT. Two weeks after 9-11, the “fresh-faced” MIT graduate was leading troops in Afghanistan for the first of his four combat deployments there, during which he earned two Bronze Stars and a Presidential Unit Citation.

Remaining calm under pressure

In 2004, Captain Cassidy was selected by NASA to complete astronaut candidate training. In 2009, he became only the 500th person to fly into space.

During his tenure at NASA:

·       Captain Cassidy has accrued 378 days (about 1 year) in space

·       Completed 10 spacewalks

·       Chalked up close to 55-hours OUTSIDE of a spacecraft.

One of his spacewalks (to use NASA’s overtly calming descriptor of events) was unplanned...but necessary to fix an ammonia coolant leak. However, he stated that his scariest moment in space involved a spacewalk that was cut short when his partner had a slight malfunction....with his space helmet!

Chris was promoted to Chief Astronaut in 2015, only the 14th in NASA’s history.

Throughout his lifetime of exceptional achievement, Captain Cassidy has excelled in the most demanding, technical, and extreme environments imaginable...both physical and mental. In addition, he has learned the skills that allow him to provide calm, decisive, and effective leadership under pressure. During his keynote address at BOILER 2022, attendees will have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn leadership lessons that can build and inspire teams and future leaders.

What you’ll learn at BOILER 2022

“Chris will inspire BOILER 2022 attendees to believe that it’s in all of us to thrive in clutch moments and successfully lead when challenges arise.”

 Scott Lynch, president, ABMA.

Captain Cassidy’s story can motivate you to take chances intelligently, make decisions effectively, and convert uncertainty into impactful action that will help you succeed when everything is on the line.

·       Think on your feet

·       Adapt on the fly

·       Make high-stakes decisions

·       Lead through change

As only the second-ever Navy SEAL to become a NASA astronaut, Captain Cassidy has spent nearly 30 years in high-stakes leadership roles such as platoon commander, NASA chief astronaut, and commander of the International Space Station (ISS).

He will share his unique perspective on leadership with little-known details from the battlefield and space. Lessons forged from battles (such as his nine‐day operation at the Zharwar Kili Cave, which earned him his first Bronze Star-w/combat V), will illustrate military planning concepts such as “the enemy also gets a vote.” The secrets of planning, mitigating risk, gathering information, adapting, and integrating diversity of thought will help your teams work toward common goals to overcome impossible odds and achieve seemingly unattainable goals.

BOILER 2022 - ABMA Boiler Technology Conference & Expo, takes place April 11-13, 2022, at the Hyatt Regency in Dallas. It is the first and only event focused exclusively on the boiler supply chain. Register now to reserve your spot and take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Check BOILER2022.com regularly for updates and additional information.

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