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Jake Wood            

Executive Chairman of Team Rubicon, CEO of Groundswell, Former U.S. Marine

Jake Wood is the Executive Chairman of Team Rubicon and Founder and CEO of Groundswell, a financial technology company dedicated to innovating philanthropy and employee compensation through its social impact platform. Groundswell, identified as a venture-backed software company, has gained recognition for its industry-leading donation match and distribution timeline, reflecting Wood's vision to revolutionize corporate social responsibility.

In addition to his role at Groundswell, Wood is the co-founder and current chairman of Team Rubicon, a top-notch nonprofit organization that recruits, trains, and deploys military veterans to disaster zones around the world and within the United States. Under his leadership, Team Rubicon has expanded to include over 150,000 volunteers and has responded to nearly 1,000 disasters and humanitarian crises. The organization has been named one of the top nonprofits to work for in America five times and has raised approximately $300 million for its operations and growth, demonstrating Wood's effective management and innovative approach to disaster response.

Before his entrepreneurial successes, Wood served as a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, where he was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan as a Scout Sniper, earning the Navy-Marine Commendation Medal. He has also been an active veterans’ advocate, engaging with presidents and testifying before a Senate committee on veterans’ issues. Wood's insights on leadership, organizational culture, and crisis management are frequently featured on major network and cable news programs. Wood is also a two-time author, with his books "Once A Warrior" and "Take Command: Lessons in Leadership" providing further testament to his leadership expertise and commitment to service. His keynote programs, including "Conquering Chaos" and "Crossing The Rubicon," highlight his approach to overcoming adversity and leading through crises.

Speech Topics

The One & The Nine

For every 100 people in a typical organization or on your team, there are 10 people who shouldn't even be there, 80 who at their best have a neutral impact, 9 who perform exceptionally, and one who is a true leader capable of taking command and creating a winning team or culture. This reality is forcing organizations to rethink what they know about leadership, change management and risk. Those that can adapt will thrive, while those that refuse change will flounder and fail. Jake gives organizations the framework for becoming a better leader and building more agile organizations. Using his own remarkable journey as an Athlete, Marine Scout Sniper, and co-founder of Team Rubicon, Jake shows how you can find and build the team needed to win life's battles and become the "one" others look to.

Conquering Chaos

The world is fast moving and full of uncertainty. No situation demonstrates this like the battlefield, which is why the US military developed VUCA, a framework for understanding - and defeating - chaos. VUCA, representing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity, helps leaders define the challenges they confront and how best to conquer them. Listeners will learn how Vision, Understanding, Clarity, and Agility interact to help teams thrive in chaos, whether in the boardroom or the marketplace. Wood's experiences as a Marine Sniper in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as an entrepreneur who has built the fastest growing disaster response organization in America, provide him with compelling real-life stories to draw upon that help listeners understand the key lessons of Conquering Chaos.

Crossing the Rubicon

Jake Wood will take listeners on his journey from college football's largest stadiums, to the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, to the founding and development of America's fastest growing disaster response organization, the highly acclaimed Team Rubicon. Audiences will be captivated by rich storytelling and compelling visuals, and will feel as if they are alongside Jake in disaster zones around the world. Each participant will be left inspired to cross their own Rubicon, irrevocably committed to tackling what's most important in their life.

News

Jake Wood transformed disaster relief and is reinventing philanthropy
Jake’s titles jump off the page, but his path to making a difference was not a neatly defined 10-step plan. It was hard work, Midwestern grit, and enduring confidence that led Jake to who he is today—a startup CEO with $15 million of seed funding and an idea that could shake up the world.

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