Our Centers for Ethics:

The Institute’s trainers, speakers, and consultants

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Josephson Institute offers speaking and consulting services from distinguished and experienced professionals in a variety of areas, including:

• Education and youth service
• Sports ethics
• Police ethics

The Institute's most popular speakers and consultants in the business world are:

• Michael Josephson – Ethicist, speaker, author, consultant, radio commentator. Read more »
• David C. Beard – Business ethicist, speaker, trainer, HR consultant. Read more »

See list of clients and partners »
Call 800-711-2670 to schedule a speech or consulting services.

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Michael Josephson
Ethicist, speaker, author, consultant, radio commentator

Michael Josephson is one of the nation’s most sought-after and quoted ethicists. Founder and president of Josephson Institute, he has conducted more than 1,000 programs for more than 100,000 leaders across nearly every spectrum of society.

He taught law for almost 20 years, then founded a publishing company and a national chain of bar-exam preparation courses. After selling his businesses, in 1987 he established the nonprofit Josephson Institute, from which he takes no salary or other reimbursement. All fees and honoraria from his services support the Institute and its mission.

In 1993 Josephson Institute launched CHARACTER COUNTS!, now the nation’s largest character-education program. Through the Institute, Michael Josephson also founded the Pursuing Victory With Honor sportsmanship campaign. Virtually every athletic organization in the country has endorsed this sportsmanship initiative.

Speaking: Mr. Josephson’s expertise, engaging presentation style, and commitment to enhancing the ethical climate of society has motivated audiences from the government, business, journalism, law, education, sports, law enforcement, military, and nonprofit communities.

Consulting: Mr. Josephson presents numerous ethics workshops each year and consults with the nation’s most prestigious corporations and institutions.

Media: In addition to being profiled in most of the country's major newspapers and magazines, Mr. Josephson is an award-winning radio commentator. His daily broadcasts on ethics and character are aired on such radio stations as KNX-1070 (the largest news station in Los Angeles) and the American Forces Network. He also publishes a weekly e-newsletter of his commentaries that reaches nearly 80,000 subscribers.

• Read commentaries »
• Subscribe to newsletter »

keynote speeches  |   customized programs

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David C. Beard
Business ethicist, speaker, trainer, HR consultant

David C. Beard’s motivating, emotional, and informative presentations enlivened by gut-wrenching life experiences have inspired thousands of educators, academics, government staffers, corporate executives, and military audiences.

During his 25-year career at Northrop Grumman, a major defense contractor, Mr. Beard served as director of human resources as well as the Sector Ethics Program. In the latter role, he has delivered ethics and leadership presentations and training workshops to more than 15,000 employees nationwide.

A former Marine pilot, test pilot, and astronaut nominee, Mr. Beard draws on his many years of military experience as well as his expertise in management development, employee relations, workforce diversity, community relations, and values-based ethics implementation.

Speaking: Mr. Beard’s inspiring keynote addresses, with their thought-provoking message of hope, glory, and character, routinely trigger standing ovations and off-the-scale ratings from the many diverse audiences he addresses. Organizations he has spoken to include:

• Anchorage Rotary Club
• Arrowhead Credit Union
• Association of Government Marketing Assistance Specialists
• Marine Harrier Squadron
• Northrop Grumman
• U.S. Navy Test Pilot School

keynote speeches  |   customized programs

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Charles C. Schmidt
Chief Operating Officer of the Arizona Interscholastic Association, speaker, trainer

Chuck Schmidt is the chief operating officer of the Arizona Interscholastic Association where he oversees finance,
technology, media, public relations, marketing, tournaments, state legislature political liaison, member school relations, and the AIA Academy. In addition, he’s been a driving force in developing and implementing the AIA’s Pursuing Victory With Honor sportsmanship program in Arizona’s 270-plus member schools.

Schmidt began his career coaching baseball at the collegiate level, then was a high school teacher, coach, and administrator.

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Harold Slemmer
Executive Director of Arizona Interscholastic Association, speaker, trainer, former principal and coach

Harold Slemmer has been executive director of the Arizona Interscholastic Association since 1999 and has stood at
the forefront of the state’s Pursuing Victory With Honor sportsmanship initiative since its implementation.

During his career, he’s coached a variety of sports and was an assistant principal before becoming the inaugural principal of Mountain Pointe High School in Phoenix, Arizona. Since 1992, he’s served as a part-time instructor for Northern Arizona University and Arizona State University, teaching graduate courses in educational leadership. Dr. Slemmer has delivered workshops and made presentations on a variety of educational topics in over a dozen states.

He’s received certifications in professional training and accumulated honors as a student-athlete, coach, and administrator including the North Central Accreditation Circle of Excellence Award and the National Football Federation Distinguished Arizonan Award. During Governor Jane Dee Hull’s term, he served on her Commission on Character Education. Dr. Slemmer received his doctorate of education in Educational Leadership from Arizona State University.

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Gary Smit
Speaker, trainer, consultant, former school superintendent, principal, and teacher

Dr. Gary Smit knows education. He was a superintendent for 25 years in Illinois and Wisconsin and has been a school principal and classroom teacher. His expertise from being in the trenches is evident in the one-day awareness seminar presentations he gives on character education and school leadership.

Gary is a trainer for the CHARACTER COUNTS! Character Development Seminar and the Pursuing Victory With Honor initiative. In addition to his work in schools, he teaches CHARACTER COUNTS! to the Child and Youth Services staff of the U.S. Army and presents one-day workshops on “Living Up to the Public Trust: Ethical and Risk-Management Issues for School Administrators.”

Taking the perspective that the goal of education is not only to have students do their best academic work but to be their best self, Gary provides educators with useful and relevant strategies to use in building classrooms and schools of character. An attention-grabbing and practical presenter, Gary gives keynote addresses for schools and districts that speak not only to the head but the heart. No one leaves without grasping the passion and desire to live a life in which character truly matters.

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Larry Smith
Mediator, speaker, trainer, consultant, former Marine, former Los Angeles assistant watch commander

Larry Smith is a multi-jurisdictional mediator and arbitrator for the Superior Court system and in private practice. He holds a multi-disciplinary Ph.D. in Biblical Studies and Applied Ethics and a Master of Behavior Science degree with postgraduate work in cross-cultural conflict management.

A former Marine and Vietnam veteran, Dr. Smith was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor. He’s also a former Los Angeles assistant watch commander responsible for law enforcement and related services for more than 300,000 people and served as an Officer Defense Representative for over ten years. He’s now retired after 20 years of service.

Dr. Smith is a faculty member for the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police Executive Leadership College and has trained representatives from more than 100 police agencies in the last five years. He’s also a court-certified Expert Witness for Ethics in Law Enforcement. A resident of the Austin, Texas, area, he currently directs a nonprofit organization that trains schools, communities, and organizations in servant leadership and creating an ethical culture and is a former consultant to the Department of Justice for school safety. A member of Josephson Institute’s national faculty for the past ten years, Dr. Smith lectures to and trains schools and communities in Ethics in Law Enforcement, Pursuing Victory With Honor, and CHARACTER COUNTS!.

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Mark J. Wittenberg
Speaker, trainer, consultant, police professional

Mark J. Wittenberg has assisted police professionals with organizational and personal development needs for over 20 years. A certified California Commission on Peace Officer’s Standards and Training (POST) presenter, he’s led team-building workshops for many California police departments. With his 30 years of experience as a police professional, he’s known as an innovative trainer, developer, presenter, and communicator.

Wittenberg also has many years of experience leading leadership development seminars. As one of the original facilitators for the POST Supervisory Leadership Institute, he’s presented the foundations for effective leadership to hundreds of supervisors. His background and experience have led to long-term relationships with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department and the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department where he’s facilitated seminars
enabling sworn and non-sworn supervisors to work on leadership and effective teamwork.

Given his desire to help peace officers and departments make the most informed decisions and develop the most effective relationships, he regularly audits police performance and consults with chiefs of police to help their agencies perform to the highest possible standards. He’s been a subject-matter expert in several California curriculum-development steering committees (e.g., the Field Training Officer Committee, the Management of the Field Training Officer Program Committee, and the Command College Curriculum Review Committee) and has served as a subject matter expert on a committee to integrate leadership, ethics, and community-oriented policing into the basic Academy. He also serves as national trainer for Josephson Institute.

Wittenberg has a bachelor’s degree in History from the California State University at Long Beach and a master’s degree in Public Administration from the California State University at Long Beach Center for Public Policy. A graduate of the California Command College (Class #30), he was elected co-class speaker by his classmates. His Command College project on auditing police performance led to presentations at chiefs' and sheriffs’ conferences throughout California.