Transformational speaker & trainer for young people and the adults who serve them

Helping young people turn adversity into identity, direction, and leadership.

From schools and youth development programs to alternative education and juvenile justice settings, Kenn Collier delivers powerful keynotes and interactive training that help young people make stronger choices—and equip the adults around them to support lasting change.

Check Availability Explore the programs
  • Youth & young adults
  • Keynotes · Workshops · Staff training
  • Atlanta-based · Available to travel
Kenn Collier speaking onstage with a microphone
Kenn Collier Transformational Speaker & Trainer · Author · Public Servant
Young PeopleStronger choices & leadership ParentsConnection starts at home ProfessionalsReach the leader in front of you

Across systems. One connected mission.

Choose who you want to reach.

Each program stands on its own—or all three can become one connected experience for your school, youth organization, alternative education program, juvenile justice setting, or community.

Kenn brings the same belief to every room: no young person should be defined by one decision, one label, or one chapter of their life.

Kenn Collier standing with a group of young people
01One program · Adapted for every setting

Built to Lead™ for Young People

An honest, engaging leadership experience that helps young people own their story, take responsibility for their choices, and turn adversity into direction and leadership.

Settings: Schools and student leadership programs · Alternative education programs · Youth organizations and community programs · Diversion, detention, reentry, and other juvenile justice settings

The setting may change. The belief in the young person does not.

Keynote · Workshop · Combined experience Bring Built to Lead™ to Your Young People
Kenn Collier engaging an audience during a live presentation
02Parents & caregivers

Built to Lead Starts at Home

A practical family-engagement experience about connection, communication, accountability, grief, and helping young people move forward.

Parent keynote · Family workshop Bring Kenn to your families
Kenn Collier speaking with students and educators in a classroom
03Educators · Staff · Youth professionals

Building the Leaders in Front of Us

A professional-learning experience that helps adults see what may sit beneath behavior while keeping expectations and accountability intact.

Keynote · Training · Professional development Bring Kenn to your team
Kenn Collier leading a workshop for young people

Book one program—or build a complete experience.

The complete partnership

The Built to Lead Community Experience

One connected experience—adapted for schools, alternative education, youth organizations and community programs, or juvenile justice settings.

  1. ReachYoung PeopleBuilt to Lead™ keynote or workshop
  2. EquipStaff & TeamsBuilding the Leaders in Front of Us
  3. ConnectFamilies & CommunityBuilt to Lead Starts at Home
Ask About a Custom Experience

Kenn's lived experience · A practical philosophy

Accountability + Opportunity

Young people must be accountable for their choices. They also need adults who refuse to treat one decision as the end of their story.

As a teenager, Kenn was arrested and entered the juvenile system. Along the way, adults saw potential in him—even when he had not fully learned to see it in himself. Judges, mentors, educators, program leaders, and family members held him accountable, challenged him, and continued to give him opportunities to choose a different direction.

That journey led to Georgia Youth Challenge Academy at Fort Gordon, a GED in 2004, college, entrepreneurship, community leadership, and public service.

Kenn brings that perspective into every room: consequences matter, support matters, and the next right move can change a life.

Bring This Message to Your Community

A tool they can use after the applause

The Four Questions™

Four words. Four honest pauses. One repeatable way forward.

01

Honest

What’s really going on with me?

02

Hands

What am I holding onto that I need to put down?

03

Help

Who can help me move forward?

04

Next

What is my next right move?

Young people don’t have to remember every word of a speech. They need a tool they can use on a hard day.

Experience across systems

Organizations Kenn has worked with.

Schools, youth development programs, alternative education and juvenile justice settings, healthcare, public agencies, and community organizations across metro Atlanta and beyond.

Trusted in rooms where young people, families, and community leaders come together.

Organization names and logos identify professional experience and collaboration. Their inclusion does not imply endorsement.

Kenn Collier speaking on a professional conference stage

Why Kenn

The story is real. So is the responsibility.

Kenn Collier is a transformational speaker and trainer, father, author, community leader, and incoming Georgia State Representative for House District 62. He became a father at 14 and later attended Georgia Youth Challenge Academy at Fort Gordon, where he earned his GED before continuing into college, entrepreneurship, and public service.

This work is deeply personal. Gun violence took both Kenn’s son, Kenneth “Kenn” Collier Jr., and his son’s mother. Those losses deepened his commitment to helping young people recognize their value, ask for help, make choices that protect their futures, and find a path forward through adversity.

Kenn does more than tell young people to do better. He helps them understand what leadership looks like when life is hard—and gives the adults around them practical ways to support that growth.

Our past can explain us, but it does not have to define our next move.

Planning your event

What booking partners usually ask.

Who are the programs designed for?

Built to Lead serves young people across schools and student leadership programs, alternative education, youth organizations and community programs, and juvenile justice settings including diversion, detention, and reentry. Companion programs support parents, caregivers, educators, counselors, and youth-serving professionals.

Can we book a keynote and a workshop?

Yes. Programs can be delivered as a keynote, an interactive workshop, or a combined experience based on your audience and available time.

Can our organization book all three programs?

Yes. The Built to Lead Community Experience can bring together a youth session, staff development, and a parent, caregiver, or community-engagement event.

Does Kenn travel?

Yes. Kenn is based in Atlanta and is available for speaking engagements throughout Georgia and beyond.

Now booking

Tell us what your community needs right now.

Share your organization, audience, preferred date, and desired outcome. We’ll help you choose the right Built to Lead experience.

  • Schools and student leadership programs
  • Alternative education programs
  • Youth organizations and community programs
  • Diversion, detention, reentry, and other juvenile justice settings
  • Family engagement events
Atlanta-based · Available to travel

Bring Kenn to Your School or Organization

Tell us about your audience, event and desired outcome. Submitting this form requests availability but does not confirm a booking.

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