Jan 13 2025
Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour is America’s first Black female combat pilot, an entrepreneur, an author, and a keynote speaker known for motivating audiences to Get Gutsy.
Combat tests you. Being a beat cop tests you. Life tests you. Three brothers and being the only girl…tests you. Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour has been tested her whole life. A gutsy trailblazer, her resume is an impressive collection of “firsts,” including America’s first Black female combat pilot. Vernice Armour is available to be booked for corporate and private events. She is also well-known for his keynote and motivational speaking. Contact the Mollie Plotkin Group today to inquire about Vernice Armour’s fees.
Contact the Mollie Plotkin Group at 215-510-6607 to book Vernice Armour for corporate or private events, keynote speeches, workshops, fireside chats, motivational speaking, or virtual appearances. Our agency will work directly with your organization and our keynote speakers to create an unforgettable event.
The Mollie Plotkin Group is the leading keynote speakers agency and entertainment bureau bringing excitement to audiences, clients, and employees. We represent subject-matter experts in every possible field, so whether we’re your partner in creating a memorable meeting, or your meeting planner’s secret weapon in securing the perfect keynote speaker, we’re in this with you.
In 1993, Vernice Armour enlisted in the Army Reserves and joined the Army ROTC program while at Middle Tennessee State University. After seeing the image of a young Black female in an Army flight suit during an Army ROTC career day, the idea of becoming a pilot was planted in Vernice’s mind.
In June of 1996, after a brief stint as a Nashville Sheriff’s Department correctional officer, Vernice took a break from college to accept an invitation to the Nashville Police Academy. She graduated in December 1996 and later became the 1st woman of color on the Nashville Police Department’s motorcycle squad. After graduating from MTSU in December of 1997 and earning a B.S. in Physical Education with an Exercise Science concentration, Vernice chose to pursue her passion of becoming a military pilot.
With the aviation seed in full bloom, Vernice was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps on December 12th, 1998. In short, she was on her way to flight school. When Vernice ultimately earned her wings in July 2001, she ranked No. 1 in her class and the last 200 students to graduate. She made the Naval Air Station’s prestigious Commodore’s List, received the Academic Achievement Award, and went on to make history as the Marine Corps’ 1st African American female pilot.
After flight school, Vernice was stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton near San Diego, CA, piloting the AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopter. While there, she was Camp Pendleton’s “Female Athlete of the Year” and two-time title winner in their “Strongest Warrior” Competition.
Then in 2003, she was deployed as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. That deployment led the Department of Defense to recognize Vernice as America’s first African American female combat pilot. In Iraq, Vernice flew above the deserts in her missile-equipped attack helicopter, engaging the enemy and scouting the roads from her cockpit, to ensure the safety of her fellow Marines and soldiers on the ground. While in the military, Vernice was also a diversity liaison officer to the Pentagon for Marine Corps Headquarters.
After the completion of two tours in Iraq, FlyGirl revved up her career in the private sector as an entrepreneur, consultant to business, and author of Zero to Breakthrough. In 2007, FlyGirl launched VAI Consulting & Training, LLC. Through that work, she helps individuals and organizations make gutsy moves and create breakthrough results by applying her Zero to Breakthrough™ Success Model – a mindset that helped propel her career and kept her safe in air combat. Currently, she is writing her next book, The Gutsy Move as she manages her business career and daughter Noah…her gutsiest move yet.
As a Black gay woman and single mom, FlyGirl also brings vital experience to her role as a member of the Forbes School of Business & Technology Board of Advisors and the COMCAST/NBCUniversal Joint Diversity Council.
As a speaker, FlyGirl unleashes hard-hitting advice and amazing anecdotes from her adventures on the battlefield and in business. She helps individuals and organizations “Get Gutsy” and build a sustainable conviction that yields significant success. FlyGirl regularly takes her message to premier meetings and conferences worldwide and is a Gutsy Confidence Mentor for elite senior executive Women in Tech. Among keynote speakers with a military background, Vernice Armour is one of the best that organizations can hire.
Find out how to hire Vernice Armour to appear at your next event. Contact the Mollie Plotkin Group to inquire about Vernice Armour’s availability and cost. When booking Vernice Armour for an event, we need to know the type of venue and location the event will take place. Vernice Armour is a popular choice for corporate events, private events, and virtual events. So, you can click the Check Availability button or contact us and an MPG Vernice Armour booking agent will get back to you within 48 hours.
How much to book Vernice Armour depends on the type of event. So, the cost to hire Vernice Armour for corporate or private events is available by contacting a Mollie Plotkin Group Agent. Notably, Vernice Armour is available for conferences, festivals, private parties, and events. Just contact the Mollie Plotkin Group and tell the booking agent the proposed date, time, and location.
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Gutsy Leaders create Gutsy Teams that make Gutsy Moves. They’re proactive – not reactive. In fact, they create the future by summoning the courage to adapt and align. Drawing on her trailblazing career as a U.S. Marine combat helicopter pilot, Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour unloads valuable lessons learned under the most stressful of circumstances – about leadership, teamwork, resilience, communication, execution, and building a culture of unshakable trust. FlyGirl’s storytelling lights up people’s imaginations – showing them new ways to achieve more than they ever thought possible.
Helicopter pilots spring into action from where they are. They don’t need a runway. It’s their edge in battle. Marine chopper pilot Vernice believes this metaphor is perfect for uncertain times where speed and agility are survival skills. FlyGirl fires up audiences with her energy and storytelling – relating hard-learned lessons with tactics for quickly adapting to the forces of change. This presentation is perfect for audiences navigating uncertainty or looking to accomplish audacious goals.
How you react to personal and professional obstacles, adversity, and disappointment is a choice. It also determines your future. Black, female, gay, and a child of divorce, Vernice learned this early in her pioneering journey from motorcycle cop to America’s first Black female combat pilot. FlyGirl’s energy rocks the house as she recounts for audiences her challenges, adventures, and ultimate triumph. Her authenticity, enthusiasm, and positivity inspire people to Get Gutsy and finally reimagine what’s possible.
It’s time! This is about coming together – working to create an equitable culture for employees, stakeholders, and customers. A place where ALL can feel like they belong and are part of the team. It starts by establishing rules of engagement for civil, productive conversations that find solutions – not fault. Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour was a diversity officer for U.S. Marine Corps HQ; its liaison to the Pentagon. As a gay Black woman, she brought valuable personal experience to her work. She learned that when you bring people together, their differences can result in tension…THIS IS NORMAL! How you MANAGE that diversity is the key!
but the way she told stories and related them to our team was impactful. I would highly recommend Vernice for those looking to bring their team together and unite them under one message. – Vlatko Andonovski, U.S. Women’s National Team Head Coach
She got a standing ovation and everyone thought she was one of the best speakers ever! Not sure how we’re going to top her next year! – Straumann USA
I have seen and heard and hired many speakers in my career and Vernice is more than a speaker. I have watched her recording four times now and still she kept me engaged, made me smile every time and made me really feel good. For her to be able to do that through a recording is a magic I have never experienced with any other speaker. – VP, Global Conference & Meeting Services, Berkshire Hathaway (Virtual Event)
was engaging, humorous, energetic, and challenged us all to strive for success. – Director, United States Secret Service
