Brigadier General Jim “Boots” Demarest is a professional speaker and consultant with decades of leadership experience. A graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, he spent 10 years as an active duty F-15 Fighter Pilot, and was a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Fighter Weapons School “Top Gun” program. He served in Desert Storm as an F-15 pilot and Chief of the Combat Mission Planning Cell in Saudi Arabia.
Following his active duty service, Jim graduated from Cornell Law School where he served as Managing Editor of the Cornell Law Review while specializing in Advocacy and International Law. He then spent nine years as a commercial litigation attorney and partner in a national law firm in Naples, Florida.
Boots returned to military service in 2009 when he joined the Florida Air National Guard (FLANG) as a JAG, and last served as the Chief of Staff for the 2,000 member FLANG. He is a sought after speaker on topics including leadership, strategic and tactical planning, and execution improvement.
He has been a professional speaker since 2002, and has worked with NFL Teams, Fortune 500 and Global 2,000 organizations, and established companies and teams in the finance, healthcare, pharmaceutical, sales, legal, consumer products, banking, medical devices, and technology industries.