Ali W. Palmer

            Ali W. Palmer’s professional career spans multiple decades and includes a diversity of private, non-profit, higher-education, military and government experiences. A 1997 West Point graduate, Ali spent 10 years as an Airborne Ranger-qualified Engineer and operations officer, company commander and General’s Aide with deployments to Kosovo, Macedonia and Iraq (earning a Bronze Star for actions in combat).

             Ali left military service in 2006 to pursue an MBA from Harvard Business School and spent the next 10 years in multiple civilian roles including Operations Director at DaVita Dialysis, District Manager at Sodexo (a global facilities management company), and Senior Faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership©, a tier-one executive training institute that provides leadership development solutions to thousands of corporate, education and government clients worldwide.

              In 2013, Ali started his own business advisory and coaching company – LIFECON, LLC where he helps college students, junior employees, mid-level professionals and senior executives enhance their personal and professional growth journeys. He also trains select leadership development programs for small businesses and higher-learning institutions. In 2014, Ali re-entered military service in the Army Reserves; in 2016 he was promoted to Major, and subsequently served as Division Operations Officer in the US Army Corps of Engineers (Atlanta Division), focusing on the 2020 Hurricane and COVID Response Teams. Ali launched another startup in late 2019 – Royal Technology & Agriculture, a cutting-edge agriculture technology firm providing quality assurance & consulting solutions to a myriad of farmers, brands, retailers and agribusinesses nationwide.

             He was Vice President of a mid-market management consulting firm (Evolution Management Inc) and adjunct faculty at the Intrepid Leadership Group – a premier corporate leader development company. In 2021, he was selected ahead of his peers (below the zone) to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and will take command of an Engineer Training battalion in August of 2023. Ali previously served as Senior Vice Commander of his local NC Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8297, West Point Field Force Recruiter and Congressional Academy Nomination Committee Member for the late Honorable Howard Coble (NC-06). He is a member of the Army Ranger Association, sits multiple boards, speaks three languages, authored an Entrepreneurship in Education Reform Point Paper and is a Certified Engineer in NY State.

              Married to former Melissa Heald (retired Delta Flight Attendant from Nashua, NH), with three sons – Corey Nadeau (US Marshal candidate), Austin and Bennett. They reside in Atlanta, GA.