Challenger Initiative
Auxiliary Services has started an exciting new program called the Challenger Initiative. This initiative will bring to campus individuals who have achieved success in areas of leadership and supervision to share their insight exclusively with our Auxiliaries team.
Upcoming Speaker
Brian Gilman, Col. USMC (Ret)
January 4th, 2024
Brian grew up in Butte, Montana, and is a retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel. A Recon Marine and Intelligence Officer, Brian commanded Marines at the platoon, company, battalion, and regimental level. He led Marines in combat during multiple tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan and is proud to have completed his active duty service as the Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) Chief of Staff. He holds a B.S. degree from Montana Tech and graduate degrees from the United States Naval War College and the United States Army War College. Brian left active duty to join the WQW Team and feels blessed for the opportunity to continue serving veterans and service members back home in Montana.
During his active duty service, Brian spent three years advocating for veterans and transitioning service members on behalf of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This experience nurtured Brian’s passion for enabling our nation’s transitioning service members and veterans to maximize their potential as the civic assets that they are.
Brian is an avid outdoorsman who spends as much time as possible fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, and skiing in Montana’s great outdoors. His proudest accomplishment is marrying his wife, Marianne, and raising their two awesome teenage sons Tyler and Gabe.
Past Speakers
Sara Calhoun
August 2nd, 2023
Calhoun has been called a woman of courage, a community mobilizer, and an inspiration. The unlikely story of a farm girl turned national award-winning entrepreneur has struck a chord with audiences across the country. She tells the story of how Red Ants Pants came to be. How success was found by simply working hard and listening to her gut. How big things can happen in small towns.
Calhoun’s talks are full of humor, honesty, and self-deprecation that leave audiences laughing, crying, cheering….and above all inspired.
Business organizations, civic groups, women’s conferences, trade specific events, and student audiences have all taken advantage of Calhoun’s message.
Kendall Switzer
January 4th, 2022
Brigadier General Switzer brings over 36 years of leadership experience in successful, high performance cultures operating in hostile environments throughout the world. A U. S. Naval Academy graduate and Marine Corps F/A-18 pilot, he attended and graduated from the elite TOPGUN fighter weapons school, served as a Naval Strike Warfare Instructor, and flew as a demonstration pilot with the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron (Blue Angels). Additionally, General Switzer served in the United States Air Force/Air National Guard as an F-16 Pilot, Instructor and Commander. He is a Certified Mediator and a leadership / performance trainer and coach. He has enabled owners, managers, and workers achieve higher levels of performance in the construction, oil, gas, mining, aviation, and real-estate industries.