About
AT A GLANCE:
Founder, Strategic Leaders Academy
RESEARCH AREAS:
• Strategic Leadership
• Insurgency and Counter Insurgency
• Military
BIOGRAPHY:
Colonel (Ret) Chris Kolenda helps leaders create a better future. He also writes life-changing
books and bicycle for great causes, like the 1700-mile Fallen Hero Honor Ride.
Chris is a warrior-diplomat, combining assertiveness, statesmanship, and practical wisdom to help his clients gain dramatic wins. A West Point graduate, internationally renowned combat leader, and retired Army colonel, Chris led an 800-paratrooper task force in eastern Afghanistan, motivating a large insurgent group to stop fighting and switch sides.
A trusted adviser to three 4-star generals and two Secretaries of Defense, Chris became the first American to have both fought the Taliban as a commander in combat and negotiated successfully with them in peace talks.
His unique warrior-diplomacy has been featured in the New York Times bestselling books,
including The Outpost by Jake Tapper. He’s been featured and interview in the world’s
leading newspapers and broadcast channels.
His books include Leadership: The Warrior's Art, and INDIES #1 War & Military book of 2021 Zero-Sum Victory: What We’re Getting Wrong About War.
PUBLICATIONS:
Leadership: The Warrior’s Art, published by Stackpole Books, 2021
Zero-Sum Victory: What We’re Getting Wrong About War, University Press of Kentucky, 20212
CONNECT / FOLLOW:
Facebook: @christopher.kolenda.7
X: @Chris_Kolenda
LinkedIn: @chriskolenda
IG: @colchriskolenda