Eric Maddox

Eric Maddox is an author, motivational speaker, and consultant who teaches audiences worldwide in the art of Empathy Based Listening. He is the author of the book "Mission: Black List No.1," which details his lead in the search and capture of Saddam Hussein.

After graduating from the University of Oklahoma in 1994, Maddox enlisted in the U.S. Army where he was a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division, a jumpmaster, and graduate of Ranger School. He then reenlisted in 1997 as a Chinese Mandarin linguist and interrogator. In 2003, he was sent to Tikrit, Iraq where he joined a Delta Force team who was searching for high value targets on the infamous Deck of Cards. After five months and over 300 interrogations, Maddox was able to track down and eventually give the team the exact location of the spider hole in which Saddam hid. For this, he was awarded the Legion of Merit, the National Intelligence Medal of Achievement, the Defense Intelligence Agency Director’s Award, and the Bronze Star.

Following the capture of Saddam, Maddox was hired as the first ever civilian interrogator by the Defense Intelligence Agency where he went on to conduct over 2,700 interrogations of prisoners from 25 different countries.

Having served in the U.S. Army and Defense Intelligence Agency for 20 years, Maddox now devotes his work full time to teaching what he learned during that time to audiences worldwide—the art of Empathy Based Listening.