Listen to Noomii's interview with Barry Holder

About Me

I’m an ICF Associate Certified Coach, with a diverse and extensive Human Resource background. Having worked 35 plus years in the Department of Defense, the Federal Government, small and large consulting, as well as university academia, I have experienced many challenging management and leadership situations. Serving the first five years in the U.S. Air Force enlisted, getting my commission, and then working my way up through the ranks to retire as a Colonel, I know what it takes to be an exemplary follower and an authentic leader. As a former college Cross-Country All-American and National Class Marathoner, I also understand what it means to set personal goals and work hard to achieve them.

With all that said above, I learned a couple very important things. One, is to always have fun with your work and team. It's not at all wrong to inject humor and laugh as a leader. Second, I was able to grasp how to balance my personal goals with my professional goals. Wanting to achieve the rank of Colonel, I knew I had to stay on top of my professional goals. But as a single father of a son and a competitive distance runner, I had to keep my personal goals in focus as well.

More details about me:
I served over 27 years in the U.S. Air Force, retiring as the Deputy Director of Manpower, Personnel and Training for the Air National Guard, responsible for a team of 225 personnel. I’ve worked as a Senior Program Manager for a large consulting firm and a Data/Training Analyst for a small consulting firm, managing IT operations teams of 100+ personnel, while performing systems training for U.S. Army personnel across the globe, respectively. I was an Adjunct Professor for Vanderbilt University, Organizational and Human Development department, where I instructed, coached, and mentored internship students on preparing for a successful career. I have also coached NCAA distance runners at West Virginia University.