Speaker Leader Builder Advocate Father Changemaker Executive Resilient Speaker Leader Builder Advocate Father Changemaker Executive Resilient
Speaking

Keynotes your audience will remember.

Leadership lessons from building a $35M operation. Personal stories about resilience, loss, and what it means to show up. Not motivational fluff. Real talk from someone who has done the work.

Khary Penebaker speaking at Everytown for Gun Safety rally
Formats
Keynotes (30-60 min)
Panel Discussions
Fireside Chats
Workshops
Podcast Appearances
Virtual / Hybrid
Topics

What Khary speaks about

02

Gun violence, resilience, real talk

My mother Joyce died by suicide with a gun when I was 20 months old. This keynote is about carrying grief while showing up, breaking silence after 36 years, and authentic vulnerability without a script.

Advocacy Nonprofit University
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03

Building teams that deliver

Turning broken operations around. Team transformation that sticks. Practical implementation over theory. Culture, accountability, and trust from someone who built it from the ground up.

Corporate Leadership
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04

Culture, accountability & trust

How to build a team culture where people actually want to show up. Accountability that doesn't feel like surveillance. Trust that survives pressure.

Corporate HR
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05

Construction leadership

Workforce development, skilled trades, safety culture, and scaling operations in an industry where the margin for error is measured in lives, not just dollars.

Construction Trades Industry
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Khary Penebaker at rally podium with arms raised, wearing Moms Demand Action shirt with Gun Sense Voter badge
Speaking at a gun violence prevention rally
100+
Keynotes Delivered
50K+
Audience Members Reached
10+
Years Speaking
88+
Media Features
Watch

See Khary on stage

It's ok, not to be ok
Keynote on resilience and mental health
Random acts of kindness speech
Community leadership and service
Who hires Khary

Built for every stage

🏢
Corporate teams
Leadership, culture, and resilience for teams that need more than a motivational speech. Practical takeaways from someone who has built and led real companies.
🤝
Nonprofits & advocacy groups
Mission-driven leadership and community impact from someone who has lived the work. Gun violence prevention, civic engagement, and authentic advocacy.
🎓
Universities & student groups
Real talk on leadership, adversity, and building something that matters. No platitudes. Stories that stick with students long after graduation.
🎤
Event planners & conferences
Keynotes your audience will remember. Standing ovations, not polite applause. A speaker who connects because he leads with honesty.
Khary Penebaker speaking with microphone, close-up
Speaking at a gun violence prevention event. Photo: Milwaukee Independent
What people say

One of the most compelling speakers I've seen. Khary connects with any audience because he leads with honesty and doesn't hide behind a script.

Event Organizer / Conference Speaker Series

Khary is the kind of leader who makes everyone around him better. He built our team culture from scratch, and the results speak for themselves.

Industry Colleague / Construction

His advocacy work is deeply personal and that authenticity is what makes it so powerful. Khary does not just talk about change, he shows up and does the work.

Advocacy Partner / Gun Violence Prevention

Limited 2026
dates available

Keynotes, panels, fireside chats, and workshops. Let's talk about your event.

Book Khary to Speak