Ray Jefferson

Ray’s life literally changed in a flash. In 1999, he lost the 5 fingers on his left hand while trying to protect his U.S. Special Forces teammates from a defective hand grenade that was detonating prematurely during atraining exercise. While his career with some of the Army’s most elite units was at an end, this life-changing moment led him to exemplify the adage that “the death of a dream can be the birth of a destiny,” and he committed himself to practicing leadership outside the uniform. In many respects, his career was just beginning.After his recovery, Ray earned two graduate degrees from Harvard, served as a White House Fellow, a McKinsey leadership consultant, and served as a Senate-confirmed Presidential appointee heading a national agency for President Barack Obama. Today, Ray draws upon his personal journey to inspire and develop others, helping them to realize their potential and to achieve their goals.

Ray’s dedication to helping individuals and organizations achieve their potential is based on years of experience in the military, government and private sectors. His interests have always focused on organizational change, inspirational leadership and peak performance. He is an outstanding speaker on these topics, has been profiled in numerous articles, and delivers leadership development programs in these areas for some of the world’s premier organizations.