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Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch    

Veteran & Former Highest-Ranking Mexican-American Woman in the Combat Support Field of the U.S. Army; Youth Empowerment & Leadership Development Speaker

Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch is a renowned speaker, celebrated for her engaging and powerful delivery, known to move audiences to standing ovations. With a deep-seated mission to empower the next generation of leaders, she has imparted her expertise on effective leadership in today’s global marketplace to numerous schools, colleges, universities, corporations, and government institutions both in the U.S. and internationally. Born and raised in a small barrio in Laredo, Texas, Castillo Kickbusch understands the obstacles of poverty, discrimination, and illiteracy. Despite these challenges, her immigrant parents instilled in her a wealth of culture, tradition, values, and faith.

Throughout her service in the United States military, Castillo Kickbusch's childhood values were reinforced. After graduating from Hardin Simmons University, she joined the U.S. Army, serving as an officer for twenty years and becoming the highest-ranking Hispanic woman in the Combat Support Field. Opting against further military advancement to fulfill her mother’s dying wish, she retired to focus on community leadership. In 1996, she established Educational Achievement Services, Inc. (EAS, Inc.), aiming to cultivate leadership skills among the youth through grassroots initiatives.

Castillo Kickbusch’s work has earned her numerous accolades, including an honorary Doctorate from the Iberoamerican Institute of Higher Studies for her comprehensive contributions to education and community service. Her accolades include the 2012 CHCI Medallion of Excellence for Leadership and Community Service, the 2017 National Dropout Prevention Center (NDPC) Crystal Star Award of Excellence in Dropout Recovery, Intervention, and Prevention, the 2021 Outstanding Friend of Public Education award from the Horace Mann League, and the 2022 Dr. Héctor P. García Legacy Award awarded by the National Diversity Council. She also received an award from the President at the White House, recognizing her significant contributions to leadership and public service.

Having authored "Journey to the Future: A Roadmap for Success for Youth," Castillo Kickbusch has also produced educational materials, including videos like "¿Por Que No -- Why Not?" and "Journey to the Future," aimed at fostering self-esteem and leadership among youth. She has been featured on multiple media platforms including HBO’s "The Latino List," CNN’s "Latino in America," and Univision’s "Don Francisco Presenta," as well as in publications such as Hispanic Business magazine’s 100 Most Influential Hispanics in America, O Magazine, and Glamour magazine.

Beyond her professional endeavors, Castillo Kickbusch values her role as a mother and enjoys quality time with her husband, daughters, and grandchildren, cherishing the family legacy she continues to build and strengthen.

Speech Topics

Living a Legacy

Are you living your legacy? A legacy is not just something a person leaves behind after they die; rather it is the way in which they live their life. Through an interactive and introspective presentation, Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch guides participants through their vision of the future and the goals that they want to accomplish for themselves and for their community. She inspires and challenges participants to become living legends in their professional and personal lives. Her unique emotional style of delivery that has the audiences rolling with laughter, attempting to hold back tears and inevitably on their feet in a standing ovation. Through humor and hard-hitting facts she encourages participants to be servant leaders at work and in their community. Participants learn to live their legacy by leading with their soul.

Going Forward without Forgetting - Avanzando y No Olvidando

This keynote focuses on reflecting on ones traditions and values of times past and their importance in our development and growth today. Appreciation of diverse cultures and their contributions to today’s society is emphasized. We can “go forward without forgetting” what a rich heritage our cultures offer, and apply under-appreciated ethics and values to today’s world. The issues of self-esteem and leadership styles are presented in a context in which the past is melded with the present, and offers alternatives we can use in our personal development that will enhance our leadership styles. This is especially relevant to professionals going into the 21st century with a renewed spirit to meet new challenges, pursue higher educational opportunities, and to cherish the joys of living in today’s world!

Shared Leadership: A New Call to Duty

Leadership is not about you. Leadership is about serving. This keynote addresses the philosophy of servant leadership and one’s call to duty. Using her life as an example, from barely surviving in the barrio of Laredo, Texas to receiving an award from the President at the White House, Consuelo serves her audience by challenging them to look inwards and rise to the call of action. In this presentation, Consuelo stresses the importance of Preparing Tomorrow’s Leaders Today! The audience will not leave without hearing the message that “leadership” is not just a framed, wall decoration, but it is an action that one must take for the betterment of his community and the generation to follow. Her lectures on Servant Leadership move audiences to standing ovations, and move people to serve.

Valuing Diversity

This keynote provides participants with the different dimensions of diversity in today’s environment. Learning to accommodate cultural differences is important for managers and employees in order to be successful in the work environment. Moreover, it is important in parenting and education as well. Aspects of cultural differences, strengths and challenges will be examined and examples will be provided. LTC Kickbusch will provide her personal story of challenges and triumphs as a child of the “barrio” who succeeded in spite of many cultural, social and educational obstacles. She gently guides her audience to a better understanding of cultural differences and similarities, as she emphasizes that appreciation of diverse cultures and their contributions to today’s society is a very important element of team-building and team-work, which makes for a successful, productive work environment. LTC Kickbusch will provide insights on yet another necessity for successful professional development and personal growth. This introspective keynote will force participants to look inward at themselves, their work environments, and communities and motivate them to take action.

Courageous Leadership

Leadership traditionally is a lonely and complex job to accomplish. Leaders and educators are expected to be the ones with the answers while taking charge of morale and team support. How then does courage play a unique role in leadership especially during a time of crisis? Consuelo’s journey has been a lifetime of Courageous Leadership beginning when she left her traditional home where she was raised in an Immigrant Mexican home to becoming the highest ranking Latina in combat support field in the US Army; and then later starting a small business company without any outside income all while facing discrimination. Through her humor, reflection, and utilizing her story telling gift, Consuelo shares her wisdom and Servant Leadership framework. Every participant will walk away with another “tool “for their Leadership Toolkit and some perspective on how Courageous Leadership can get you through the storm. Her favorite words are, “This Too Shall Pass.”

N.O.P.A.L.I.T.O.S.

LTC Kickbusch will provide her personal story of challenges and triumphs as a child of the “barrio” who succeeded in spite of many cultural, social, and educational obstacles. This keynote will challenge audience members to self-reflect and shift perspectives using the cornerstones represented in N.O.P.A.L.I.T.O.S. Strategies will be modeled and discussed through the lens of engaging and immersing parents and students into a successful learning environment and the development of positive lifelong Social-Emotional skills and habits.

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