Vern Hazard

Background

About Vern Hazard

It’s not where we start in this world, it’s where we finish. Finish Strong.” This is more than a motto for Vern Hazard; it’s a way of life. With more than 40 years of experience spanning education, leadership development, and global communications, Vern has devoted his career to helping others find their purpose, lead with courage, and serve with heart. His journey has taken him across continents and classrooms, from global advertising to Texas high schools, but one thread has never changed: his belief that it only takes one person to change a child’s life.Vern graduated from the University of Olivet in Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and a triple minor in speech, communications, and theater. While there, he captained the football team, earned varsity letters in both football and baseball, and received the prestigious Walter B. Sprandel Award for outstanding senior male in athletics, academics, and leadership. He was also inducted into the University of Olivet Hall of Fame for football and baseball.Following graduation, Vern spent nearly nine years abroad working in global advertising across Australia, Japan, Italy, France, and the UK. However, a call from a former college coach led him back to Texas, and ultimately, to his life’s purpose. He joined Deer Park High School as a theater teacher and varsity coach, where he also taught Teen Leadership, one of the first courses to utilize the Capturing Kids’ Hearts® Process. It was there that Vern witnessed firsthand the power of relationships to transform a campus, students, and educators.When he joined the Flippen Group more than 25 years ago, the organization was just beginning to grow. Vern helped shape the CKH™ Leadership Blueprint™ Training, which would later reach millions of educators and students nationwide. Today, as Senior Vice President of Solutions, he leads national initiatives, delivers keynote presentations, and coaches superintendents and district leaders with one goal in mind: to help schools become places where every child feels seen, safe, and loved.Vern often says, “Great leaders see greatness in others that they don’t yet see in themselves.” His passion is helping others discover that greatness and giving them the courage to finish strong. A proud father to his daughter, Alexandria, Vern credits her with changing his life in the most powerful way. Vern lives in College Station, Texas, and continues to live out the mission that drives his work and his heart: seize the day, serve others well, and never lose hope.