Rick Bommelje, Ed.D., CLP

I am the Founder & Chief Listening Officer of The Leadership & Listening Institute, Inc., a consultancy that serves organizations, teams, and leaders at all levels to develop and connect the dynamic behaviors of leadership and listening to achieve extraordinary results.

I have had the privilege of working with thousands of leaders at all levels in a wide variety of organizations serving individuals, teams, and organizations to develop and connect the dynamic behaviors of leadership and listening together through leadership coaching, workshop and seminar facilitation.

Additionally, I am a member of the global network of nearly 300 independent facilitators of the Center for Courage and Renewal, founded by Parker Palmer. I specialize in guiding Courage to Lead® retreats designed to empower those who wish to live and work more wholeheartedly, reclaim their vocational vitality, and deepen their professional practice through the power of deep listening.

A Professor Emeritus in Organizational Communication at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, I created the first Listening course at the College as well as a wide variety of specialized Leadership courses and have learned with thousands of students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. I was blessed to be selected by the Princeton Review as one of the top 300 college professors in the nation. I share this award with all of my students, who are the “real teachers”.

I am a Certified Listening Professional through the International Listening Association, served as a past president and was inducted into the Listening Hall of Fame. I have authored/co-authored 3 listening books: Listening Leaders: The Ten Golden Rules to Listen, Lead & Succeed; Listening Pays: Achieve Significance through the Power of Listening; and Be Quick to Listen: Practice the Spiritual Discipline of Christian-Listening.

I am a U.S. Army veteran with tours of duty in Vietnam and Thailand.

Most importantly, I am the proud husband of Quin who is a world-champion ballroom dancer and appeared on America’s Got Talent Season 13 and she and her partner Misha won the Golden Buzzer. Over 32 million people have viewed their unforgettableperformance on YouTube. She performed at the Hollywood Dolby Theater in the live show in front of a standing room only audience and 18 million TV viewers. Quin continues to compete at the highest ballroom dance levels.