Nicole Malachowski | First Woman Thunderbird Pilot, Combat Veteran, Fighter Squadron  Commander, White House Fellow & Adviser, and Indomitable Spirit

Nicole Malachowski

First Woman Thunderbird Pilot, Combat Veteran, Fighter Squadron Commander, White House Fellow & Adviser, and Indomitable Spirit

Nicole Malachowski
Biography

Col. Nicole Malachowski, USAF (Ret.) defies stereotypes. Yes, she was a jet fighter pilot, but if you think you know her based on that,
you’d be wrong. A leader, a combat veteran, the first woman pilot on the Thunderbirds Air Demonstration Squadron, a White House
Fellow, and an inductee into both the National Women’s Hall of Fame and the Women in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of Fame
– she even has a Star Trek Federation starship named after her, the USS Malachowski (NCC-1619). Nicole’s distinguished 21-year
Air Force career exceeded her wildest dreams. But the dream came to an end when a devastating tick-borne illness left her struggling
greatly to speak or walk for almost nine months. An indomitable spirit, Nicole fought back against overwhelming odds and prevailed.
Drawing on stories from her career and personal life, Nicole inspires audiences to rethink the challenges they face every day. She
urges them to go beyond resilience and become resurgent. Nicole’s empowers people with three key beliefs: failure and risk is the
price of entry for achieving something great; sometimes you need to yield to overcome; and her personal mantra – “Nobody wants to
lead a scripted life.”


Nicole brings her experience to the stage and holds audiences spellbound with an easygoing authenticity of someone who’s achieved
greatness. She’s been a member and leader of exceptional teams. She has faced overwhelming challenges and adversity and has
come out on top.


While other high school students were practicing for their driver’s license, Nicole was accumulating flight time. She was sixteen years
old when she took her first solo flight and from that point on there was no stopping her. While in high school, she joined the Civil Air
Patrol and participated in Air Force Junior ROTC. Nicole’s professional story began when she earned her commission from the United
States Air Force Academy in 1996. Following graduation, she attended Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) at Columbus AFB, MS
and began her career as a pilot. Competitively selected to fly combat aircraft, she was among the first group of women to fly modern
fighter aircraft. As a career pilot, she served in combat as an F-15E Flight Commander, Evaluator, Instructor Pilot and Flight Lead.
Over her 21-year career, Nicole achieved the rating of Command Pilot with over 2,300 flight hours in six different Air Force aircraft.
She was also selected to fly as Thunderbird #3 with the USAF Air Demonstration Squadron – the first woman to fly on any
Department of Defense military jet demonstration squadron. Colonel Malachowski has served as a mission ready fighter pilot in three
operational F-15E fighter squadrons and has flown over 188 combat hours, including her proudest moment as a fighter pilot: leading
the first fighter formation to provide security for Iraq’s historic democratic elections in 2005.


On the ground, Nicole was a White House Fellow, class of 2008-2009, where she served on the Presidential Transition Support Team
(PTST) while assigned to the U.S. General Services Administration. The White House Fellows Foundation and Association awarded
Nicole the 2019 IMPACT Award for demonstrating both remarkable achievement and transformational contributions in her field, as
well as a sustained commitment to the White House Fellows program. Nicole also served two high-level staff assignments at the
Pentagon – one in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD P&R) as well as the Secretary of the Air Force Office of International
Affairs (SAF/IA). She also served as the Executive Director of the White House’s national ‘Joining Forces’ initiative where she directly
advised former First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden on all topics relating to service members, veterans, and military families
to include employment, education, mental health, veterans’ homelessness and more.

Nicole’s operational F-15E assignments include two tours of duty at RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom as well as one operational
assignment to Seymour Johnson AFB, NC. She has also served alongside the United States Army 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Red
Cloud, Republic of Korea, as an Air Liaison Officer. During her second assignment to Seymour Johnson AFB, NC, she had the honor
of commanding the 333rd Fighter Squadron, leading an elite cadre of F-15E Instructors in the training of the next generation of
combat aviators. Further, she was responsible for resources totaling over $1.1B and the execution of a $119M annual flying hour
program.


Nicole earned a Master of Arts, with honors, in National Security Policy from American Military University and a second Master of
Arts, with highest distinction, in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College. While there, she earned the
Admiral Stephen B. Luce Award as the class honor graduate, the first Air Force officer in the history of the Naval War College to do
so. Nicole has received several prestigious honors in recognition of her significant contributions to various endeavors, including the
2023 Award of Inspiration from The Ninety-Nines, Inc.®, an international organization of women pilots who are dedicated to
encouraging and inspiring people to chase their dreams, whether in aviation directly or in other arenas.


As Nicole continues to recover from her neurological tick-borne illness, she embraces any opportunity to educate others about her
medical journey and gains energy from educating others about this growing epidemic. She is on the Board of Directors at the LivLyme
Foundation and is a Patient Advisory Board Member of The Dean Center for Tick Borne Illness. In November 2020, Nicole was
announced as one of 2020’s “Mighty 25” by We Are The Mighty for her passionate advocacy on behalf of veterans’ health. The
Mighty 25 is a recognition bestowed each year to change makers in the veteran, active duty, and military family space.

Colonel Nicole Malachowski, USAF (Ret.) was born in Santa Maria, CA and graduated high school in Las Vegas, NV. She and her
husband Paul have twin children; son Garrick and daughter Norah. Paul is a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and former F-15E
Evaluator Weapons Systems Officer. 

Nicole Malachowski
Featured Videos

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Nicole Malachowski
Featured Keynote Programs

Breaking Barriers
Conquering Self-doubt And Cultural Paradigms

Everyone faces barriers, both personal and professional, that may appear to place limits on what’s possible. When people pursue only what is expected, accept cultural norms that hold them back, and view barriers that appear unsurmountable, their personal and professional lives become limited—scripted. A powerful trailblazer herself, Nicole Malachowski reminds audiences to not let others draw their boundaries, and to break tradition with grace and purpose. She inspires people to see obstacles and challenges as opportunities to grow—a chance to reach new levels of personal and professional excellence.

Nicole delivers actionable insights for pursuing dreams, making choices, and living an unscripted life.

-Define your own possibilities and overcome self-doubt

-Reevaluate traditions, paradigms, and overcome limitations

-Welcome challenges to the status quo

-Why having the courage to ask for help is key to, reaching your potential

-Acknowledge the work-life balance myth

Harnessing Headwinds Of Change

Leaders across every industry and experience level share one thing in common: To be successful they need to effectively navigate failure, organizational change, and the unknown. Like headwinds to a pilot, these perceived barriers can force you to change direction, cost you momentum, and even take away options. These headwinds can feel confusing, disorienting, and downright uncomfortable. In this talk, Nicole Malachowski uses the aviation-based idea of headwinds as a metaphor to show how with the right mindset, individuals and teams can learn to harness the energy of these headwinds in their advantage.

Nicole inspires individuals and organizations and bolsters their ability to:

-Overcome personal and professional failures

-Effectively navigate organizational and cultural change

-Endure the discomfort of the unknown

-Increase resilience, reinvention, regroup, and adaptability

-Have courage to rise above self-doubt and cultural paradigms

-Support and mentor others on the team

Conquering Fog and Friction
Leading Through Times of Crisis

“No war plan survives first contact with the enemy” is a truism. In the military, leaders must acknowledge and address the fog (things we can’t see, know, or predict) and friction (the forces which impede progress) of war. In such times, effective leadership is more crucial than ever. Using the challenges and uncertainties of combat as a metaphor for organizational challenges, Nicole stresses perspective, priorities and positive leadership as she provides tools for leaders to use in times of crisis—or anytime—to keep their organizations successfully moving forward.

Nicole Malachowski offers leaders a framework to lead through fog and friction in times of crisis.

-How to proceed regardless of the unknowns your organization facing

-How to maneuver around or through impediments to your organization’s progress

-Understand the leadership challenges that are unique to times of crisis

-Keep focused on your purpose; perspective is critical to manage risk and adapt

-Positivity and calmness are essential. Instill confidence; don’t add to the chaos

The Mach 2 Mindset
Decision-Making in a High-Speed Environment

One popular pilot saying is “speed is life,” because without enough speed, an airplane is nothing more than an expensive rock. In the business world, especially when technology is involved, speed can be just as crucial. The organization that moves the fastest often realizes the most success. Having flown a high-tech fighter aircraft that can reach speeds of up to twice the speed of sound, Nicole Malachowski offers principles that keep any organization functioning smoothly, efficiently, and at high speed, even when chaos and the unexpected occur.

Nicole’s insights help leaders create a culture where decisions get made quickly.

-Assess the dynamics that slow your organization down

-How turmoil in your operating environment slows you down

-How does a need for speed impact decision-making

-Trust, clear roles, and communication are vital to navigate the unknown at speed

-Practice, planning, and preparation underpin organizations that move quickly

Nicole Malachowski
Featured Reviews

Nicole Malachowski
Featured Articles & Resources

MIGHTY 25: Meet Nicole Malachowski, from first female Thunderbird pilot to health advocate

Retired Air Force Colonel Nicole Malachowski didn’t set out to make history as a female fighter pilot but… she did. As for making waves with her passionate advocacy on...
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Topics:   Leadership ,   Motivation

Nicole Malachowski - Flying a Weapon

Brian Lord: Today, we have the first female Thunderbird pilot, a White House Fellow, and a survivor, Nicole Malachowski, as she shares what it's like flying a weapon, losing her...
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PAST: Nicole Malachowski | 6/19

Harnessing Headwinds Of Change In flying, headwinds slow you down. At their worst, they cause you to change your plans and impact the effectiveness of weapons in combat....
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Topics:   Leadership ,   Change ,   Virtual Presentation

The Role of Failure on the Path to Greatness

Colonel Nicole Malachowski (USAF, Ret.) was the first female Thunderbird pilot and the first woman to fly on any Department of Defense military jet demonstration team. Nicole...
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Col. Nicole Malachowski, first woman Thunderbird pilot, available for fall keynotes

A 21-year veteran of the United State Air Force, Nicole became the first woman pilot for the Thunderbirds Air Demonstration Squadron. Nicole flew with five other aircraft at...
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