DeDe Halfhill

Colonel DeDe Halfhill, USAF (Ret.), is a military leader, international keynote speaker, and strategic advisor with a 25-year career in the United States Air Force. Halfhill was twice deployed to Iraq, where her leadership experience was shaped by commanding and advising organizations through challenging environments. Her military service highlighted that mission outcomes often depended on leaders' ability to recognize the unseen dynamics within their teams, such as unnoticed struggles or unspoken resistance.

As a senior advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Halfhill contributed to developing solutions for complex military challenges and served as the military's lead spokesperson for the Department of Defense's global communications strategy. She held roles including Director of DoD Press Operations, advisor to the Commanding General of the Multi-National Force–Iraq, national security fellow at Georgetown University Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, deputy director of public affairs for U.S. Pacific Command, commander of the 332nd Force Support Squadron at Joint Base Balad, Department of Defense congressional fellow, senior advisor to the Air Force chief of staff, and chief of public affairs for the Thunderbirds Air Demonstration Squad.

Halfhill is a Certified Dare to Lead Facilitator and an executive coach certified through Georgetown University Executive Leadership Coaching Program. She has taught Women in Leadership in National Security and Foreign Policy at Georgetown University. Halfhill holds a master's degree in leadership from American Military University and a B.A. in communications from the University of Iowa, and is a graduate of Air War College, Air Command and Staff College, Squadron Officer School, and Defense Information School. Her leadership approach has been featured on "60 Minutes," and she has been recognized by Dr. Brené Brown for her perspective on the role of vulnerability and humanness in leadership.

Halfhill is the founder and CEO of TAIOH Partners. As a keynote speaker and leadership expert, she draws on her experience in high-stakes environments to provide organizations with frameworks for building trust, fostering communication, and developing effective teams. Her work focuses on human-centered leadership, organizational culture, and the unseen dynamics that influence team performance.