Dr. Tony Kern is CEO and Senior Partner at Convergent Performance, LLC, a small veteran owned firm formed and dedicated to reducing human error in high-risk environments. Dr. Kern is one of the world’s leading authorities on human performance in aviation and the author of five books on the subject, including Redefining Airmanship, Flight Discipline, and Darker Shades of Blue: The Rogue Pilot. He is an internationally recognized expert in the field of applied human factors and performance improvement, and has lectured on the subjects in Mexico, Japan, Argentina, Australia, Canada, and Russia. Dr. Kern has deep operational roots as a Command Pilot and Flight Examiner on the B-1B bomber, as well as senior staff and leadership experience, including service as the Chair of the Air Force Human Factors Steering Group and Director and Professor of Military History at the USAF Academy. Upon retirement from the U.S. Air Force in June of 2000, Dr. Kern served as the National Aviation Director for the U.S. Forest Service, where he directed the largest non-military government aviation program in the world in support of federal wildland fire suppression. He is a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute and Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program. He has appeared frequently on talk radio and TV, including segments on the Discovery Channel, NBC Nightly News and 48 Hours with Dan Rather. Tony holds Masters Degrees in Public Administration and Military History as well as a Doctorate in Higher Education, specializing in human factors training design.
