John Michel is a widely recognized expert in culture, strategy and individual & organizational change. An accomplished unconventional leader and proven status quo buster, John has successfully orchestrated several multi-billion dollar transformation efforts. He has dedicated over 26 years of service to America as a former United States Air Force Brigadier General and former Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer and President of MV Global for MV Transportation, the largest privately help transportation company in the United States. John’s work has been featured in a wide variety of articles & journals, including Harvard Business Review, Washington Post, National Geographic, Joint Forces Quarterly, Huffington Post, Switch and Shift and Innovation Excellence.

A lifelong entrepreneur and avid learner, Smith has created, operated and scaled a wide variety of successful hospitality and retail businesses including Polly Esther’s and Culture Club entertainment venues as well as multiple retail locations of the popular Right-On Futon in Chicago, IL. Most recently he founded, built and scaled the Matchbox Food Group which currently has 15 units in California, Maryland, Texas, Virginia, and Washington, DC. In 2013-2014 Smith founded Emerson Byrd, LLC and The Avalon Institute, innovative incubators dedicated to mentoring, assisting and investing in small business start-ups and professional development. He has a particularly strong interest in developing millennial leadership strategies, strategic coaching tools and elite performance for clients in the DoD and amateur and professional athletics. Perry Smith graduated from Lehigh University with a BA in History in 1987 and received an MA in Communications from New York University. At Lehigh, he was a member of the 1-AA Football team, the Phi Alpha Theta Historical Honor Society and Chi Psi Fraternity. At NYU, Smith was an assistant to the Sports Information Director, graduating with honors in 1992.