Robert Pizzini

Robert Pizzini is a U.S. Navy veteran, entrepreneur, author, and leadership coach whose career encompasses military service and business leadership. Pizzini retired from the U.S. Navy after 26 years in Navy Special Operations, serving as a Master Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technician and EOD Officer. His military credentials include Master EOD Technician, Master Naval Parachutist, Master Training Specialist, Mixed Gas Deep Sea Diving Officer, United States Parachute Association Accelerated Free Fall Instructor, and Six Sigma Green Belt. He completed a combat tour with the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force, Arabian Peninsula, Balad, Iraq, and received the Bronze Star.

Pizzini developed iFLY Va Beach Indoor Skydiving, introducing advanced indoor skydiving technology to Virginia Beach. iFLY Va Beach features a NASA engineer-designed vertical wind tunnel and is located in the city's oceanfront resort area. The facility includes a 14-foot diameter, 52-foot tall, climate-controlled recirculating flight chamber powered by four fans generating 1,400 horsepower, with variable wind speeds exceeding 180 mph. iFLY Virginia Beach received the Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year Award. Pizzini also established US Indoor Skydiving to serve as the National Governing Body for the sport of indoor skydiving in the United States and serves as its executive director.

Pizzini launched Elevate Your Leadership, a leadership development experience for executives and teams. The framework began as a company-wide seminar and expanded into a three-day online seminar. He authored the book "Elevate Your Leadership, How to Develop, Maintain, and Advance Lifelong Leadership." His work in leadership earned the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce Leadership Award.

Combining Navy Special Operations experience with business leadership, Pizzini works with executives, entrepreneurs, and public leaders to build high-performing teams. As a keynote speaker, he addresses topics such as leadership development, team building, health and wellness for leaders, and the distinction between leadership and management. Pizzini holds a Bachelor of Science in liberal arts from New York Regents College and a Master of Science in international relations and national security from Troy State University. He is an Air Command and Staff College graduate and has served as an adjunct professor with American Military University School of Homeland Security. His professional affiliations include the Executive Committee of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce and board membership of The Warrior For Life Fund.