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Home > Our Experts
Our Expert Change Management Consultants
James D. "Murph" Murphy, the Founder & CEO of Afterburner, Inc., has a unique and powerful mix of leadership skills in both the military and business worlds. Murph joined the U.S. Air Force where he learned to fly the F-15. He logged over 1,200 hours as an instructor pilot in the F-15 and accumulated over 3,200 hours of flight time in other high-performance aircraft. As the 116th Fighter Wing's Chief of Training for the Georgia Air National Guard, Murph's job was to keep 42 combat-trained fighter pilots ready to deploy worldwide within 72 hours. As a flight leader, he flew missions to Central America, Asia, Central Europe and the Middle East.
Prior to his service in the U.S. Air Force, Murph had a successful career in imaging equipment sales, where he helped increase his company's sales by 500%. Years later, he became Director of Sales for a small paint company. The concepts he developed and utilized in business and the U.S. Air Force would become known as Flawless Execution®. Applying Flawless Execution's continuous cycle of planning, briefing, executing, and debriefing, he increased his new employer's sales from $5 million to $52 million per year. Realizing that all companies and organizations could benefit from these same concepts, Murph started Afterburner Incorporated in early 1996.
Through his leadership, Afterburner landed on Inc. Magazine's "Inc. 500 List" twice. Murph has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, Inc. Magazine, Newsweek, Meetings & Conventions Magazine and has appeared on CNN, Fox News, and Bloomberg News. He was also named as one of Atlanta's top 50 entrepreneurs by Catalyst Magazine. To date, the Afterburner team of elite military professionals has led over 1 million executives, sales professionals, and business people from every industry through Afterburner's Flawless Execution Model℠, and its unique, high-energy programs.
Murph and Afterburner have shared the podium with notable speakers like Bill Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, Marcus Buckingham, Colin Powell, J.W. Marriott Sr. and Terry Bradshaw. Murph serves as a panel member of the League of Extraordinary Minds with business and self-improvement gurus such as Tony Robbins and Stephen Covey. He is the author of the groundbreaking books Business Is Combat and Flawless Execution through Harper Collins publishing and has spoken at many of the world's most notable business schools to include Harvard, Wharton, Cornell, Emory, Duke and Fudan University in Shanghai, China.
 Michael Kenny is one of the most experienced members of the Afterburner Team. Since 1997 he has worked with hundreds of different companies providing Flawless Execution℠ solutions. He has been called upon by some of the top CEO's in the Global 1000 to facilitate their Strategic planning, Project Management, Product Launches & Standard Operating Procedures. He is also our Subject Matter Expert and a leading authority in the area of Corporate Debriefing. His clients include companies such as Kellogg, Bank of America, New York Life, Union Pacific, Bausch & Lomb, Pfizer, H&R Block, CIBA Vision, & TIBCO, to name few. Michael is also a contributing author of Afterburner's 2005 release Flawless Execution (Harper Collins).
After graduating from the US Naval Academy with a degree in Mathematics, He went on to be a Marine Pilot for over 20 years. For 5 years he flew the AV-8B Harrier and then the F/A-18 Hornet for the last 15 years, accumulating over 3800 Tactical flight hours. His Combat experience includes 36 missions during Desert Storm and combat operations in Somalia.
In 1992 he was handpicked to attend the elite Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron (MAWTS) course or the Marine equivalent of "Top Gun". From 1993-1997, he was an instructor at the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC); A Naval Aviation training center of excellence in Fallon, Nevada. These Top notch training environments afforded him the requisite skills to teach Businesses how to lead, train and standardize their Teams.
Michael has over 23 years of leadership experience as a Marine Corps Officer and is now a Colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve. At Afterburner he is our Senior Consultant and Solutions Director.
Charles "Chaz" Campbell is the Director of Afterburner University. He is retired from active service having achieved the rank of Brigadier General and accumulating over 30 years of service in the US Air Force and the Florida Air National Guard. He now shares his experiences and leadership lessons with Afterburner clients and students in the Afterburner University.
During his career Chaz has commanded at all levels of the Air Force structure. None more demanding than his last assignment as the Vice Commander of Air Forces North, First Air Force where he dealt with the "Can't fail" high pressure environment of Air Defense of the entire United States airspace...helping ensure "9-11" will never happen again! Chaz is not only a graduate of the US Air Force Fighter Weapons School; but, was also selected as an instructor in the most elite of the Air Force fighter schools. He has been combat ready in the F-4, F-16 and the F-15 with over 3,700 hours of flight time.
Chaz was handpicked in 2007 to lead the Afterburner University.
In that capacity he develops and executes the highly successful curriculum
of the Flawless Execution University (FLEX U) program. During 2008 alone,
he delivered Leading Flawless Execution℠ to over 300 business leaders.
Chaz has worked with cutting edge companies crossing all industry sectors
such as Northrop Grumman, Bank of America, Bausch and Lomb, Champion Enterprises,
Sea Ray, Brinks Security, Humana, Lockheed Martin and Tree Island Industries....
Helping each improve execution and close their Execution Gap.
Jim Demarest joined Afterburner, Inc. in 2002 as a main speaker and international corporate consultant delivering his leadership and consulting experience to companies including Sara Lee, Genworth, Kohler, Motorola, Meridian Gold, Wet Design, Lockheed Martin and GMAC.
After four years at the United States Air Force Academy, Jim graduated as class president. From there he went on to graduate at the top of his pilot training class in 1984, when he began his operational flying career as an F-15 fighter pilot. Jim completed tours flying the F-15 at Bitburg Air Base in Germany and Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. During his military career Jim was an F-15 Instructor Pilot and Mission Commander recognized as a Distinguished Graduate of the prestigious Air Force Fighter Weapon School "Top Gun" program. Jim's Air Force service ended in 1992 following a tour in Desert Storm.
In 1995 Jim graduated from Cornell Law School as the Managing Editor of the Cornell Law Review, and thereafter spent over 9 years as a Commercial Litigation attorney in Florida. In addition to his work at Afterburner, Jim is also pursuing his entrepreneurial interests with several companies in Southern Florida.
Will Duke is Afterburner's Knowledge Manager. His duties include coordination of the management and development of intellectual property, software, and training materials. He also serves as a consultant to process and continuous improvement management programs.
Will graduated from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, while earning his commission as an officer in the U.S. Navy from nearby Vanderbilt University NROTC. As a bridge officer and engineering officer on active duty, he logged over 1,800 hours piloting the world's most complex machine, a Nimitz-class, nuclear-powered, Super Carrier. After leaving active duty in, Will earned a second degree in education and taught for several years before serving 8 years as a Regional Operations Manager at Sears Product Repair Services.
His 19 years of professional experience has focused heavily upon management methods and training. He practiced Total Quality Management, Statistical Process Control and Just-in-Time management during his active duty Navy career. He also became deeply involved with Six Sigma projects and training, and ISO 9001 certification and auditing in his eight years in operations for Sears. Will currently serves as a Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve and has held numerous command and command-staff positions throughout his career.
 Dan McAtee has over 20 years experience in the Industrial and Manufacturing Industry, having held several senior executive and board positions. He joined the Afterburner team in August of 2009 as the President of Consulting.
Most recently, Dan served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Tree Island Industries, a public Income Trust located in Richmond, BC focused on the global production, procurement and sales of steel-based construction products. In this position he grew sales and profitability consistently over a three-year period with the aid of Flawless Execution methods and the Afterburner team. Additionally, the combined Tree Island / Afterburner team completed the acquisition and integration of a Beijing-based steel company and set up a functioning trading company in Hong Kong growing sales by over 150% in the region in less than eight months.
Gained from a variety of commodities and material-based businesses, Dan possesses extensive global management experience. Prior to joining Tree Island, he served as the President of Tyco International A&E Products Group, a plastic products company with operations in over 30 countries. Prior to joining Tyco, he held progressively senior management positions across five different GE businesses including GE Corporate R&D, GE Superabrasives, GE Quartz, GE Lighting and GE Industrial Systems.
Dan is a certified GE 'Master Black Belt' and 'Trainer' of the Six Sigma Quality management system. He holds a BS degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Colorado, has studied MBA coursework at Ohio State University, and is the author of several US Patents and technical papers.
 Anthony J. "Roby" Roberson joined the Afterburner team in 2008. Roby has conducted Flawless Execution consulting to a host of diverse companies like USAA, Kwikset (Black and Decker), Smith and Nephew, Integrated Electrical Systems, Sea Ray Boats and Underwriters Laboratories. Roby's leadership and human capital development, strategic planning, organizational management and tactical execution strengths are tried, tested and proven. From developing leading edge tactics and training programs for the Department of Defense, to authoring academic curriculum for the largest training wing in the US Air Force and developing major theater engagement, action and combat plans for the nation, he is a first call on resources for any industry in need of breadth of talent and expertise.
Roby graduated from the US Air Force Academy with military distinction in 1989. While at the Academy, he led the Western Athletic Conference in all-purpose yardage in 1987 and 1988 as a National Strength and Conditioning Association All-American athlete. Roby is the only player in Air Force Academy football history to be honored with all three of the team's top awards; Most Valuable Player Award, Brian Bullard Award (unselfishness, total team commitment, 110% effort) and the Mr Intensity Award in 1988. Following academy graduation, Roby completed 18 years of Air Force service as a highly decorated combat fighter pilot and lauded military strategic planner. During his career, Roby amassed over 2,200 flying hours, 101 combat missions and supported combat and contingency operations in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. He is one of the original architects of the Operation IRAQI FREEDOM air campaign effecting the rapid regime removal of Saddam Hussein. Roby is a distinguished graduate of the Air Force F-16 Reserve Training Unit, an honor graduate of the Joint Firepower Control Course, a graduate of the Air Force's Fighter Weapons Instructor Course (Top Gun), and the Advanced Command and Control Warriors Course. He spent his final years on active duty as an Assistant Football Coach and national recruiting scout for the Air Force Academy football Falcons, helping lead the team and staff to consecutive Armed Forces Bowl appearances in 2007 and 2008. Roby retired from active duty in May of 2009 in the middle of a combat zone, at Balad Air Base, Iraq, during a joint ceremony honoring America's Original Tuskegee Airmen and his personal service and sacrifice to our nation.
He holds a graduate degree in Aeronautical Science & has served as an adjunct instructor at the undergraduate & graduate levels for Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. Roby recently co-authored a book with several other accomplished leaders and the long time Air Force Academy Head Football Coach, Fisher DeBerry entitled The Power of Influence.
 A former Gulf War era M1 Abrams tank gunner, Weapon's instructor and Combat Lifesaver, Scott Leonard is one of the newest members to join the Afterburner team, bringing experience from the Development, Real Estate, Hospitality and Consulting sectors. As both an employee and as a consultant, Scott has trained, managed and advised consultant associates, HR Directors, compensation and employment professionals, operations staff, sales professionals, line and VP management, call center employees and trainers in the US and abroad within multiple sectors.
Scott has 12+ years experience in the vacation ownership, hotel, real estate & development sectors, operating in nearly every vertical. He has worked and consulted for both public and private companies such as Hewitt Associates, CitiGroup, Cendant, Intercontinental Hotel Group, Central Florida Investments (Westgate Resorts), Sunterra Resorts (now Diamond Resorts) and Fairfield Resorts (now Wyndham Vacation Ownership).
His own company, The Resort Principle, provided consulting work for vacation ownership, resort and development companies in South Carolina, Florida, Nevada, Georgia, California and the Caribbean. His areas of experience include resort management, interval and fractional ownership, business process improvement, acquisitions & dispositions, operations, IT, construction, sales, marketing, e-commerce, financial processing and project management. Throughout his tenure at these organizations and via his own company, Scott has established a multitude of vendor relationships that are applicable across multiple sectors. Scott is a strong communicator at home in the presentational environment and a leader practicing servant leadership with his teams.
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