Dr. Johnny Welch, M.T.S., M.B.A. is a professional speaker on topics related to influence, leadership, power, and grit. He hosts the Classic Influence Podcast, and teaches a graduate course on change leadership at Columbia University. Dr. Welch’s broad experience ranges from serving as the program manager for the Columbia Coaching Certification Program, to corporate training and consulting, to teaching undergraduate and graduate leadership courses in Southern California and New York City. He has coached leadership teams in large ministries, and served in the district offices of members of the California State Senate, the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. He earned a master’s degree in business administration from San Diego State University and a master’s degree from Harvard University where he split his time between the Divinity School and the Kennedy School of Government. He completed his doctorate in the department of Organization and Leadership at Columbia. Johnny currently lives in Southern California and, in his free time, enjoys weight training, running, traveling and, above all, surfing on some clean, hollow, warm water waves.