Chandler Comerford

Chandler Comerford is a born leader with a passion for youth development and leadership training programs that enable people to develop the skills to effectively communicate.

A former National Champion Collegiate Boxer and U.S. Navy SEAL, Chandler has lived in Australia since 2001, working as a facilitator, trainer, primarily with youth and people with disabilities. He has also worked as a strategic risk consultant in the oil and gas, mining and government sectors. Chandler has completed risk assessments for numerous Australian “Vital National Installations” during which time he has obtained two Australian Innovation Patents related to the quantification of IT security risk.

More about Chandler Comerford:

Chandler Comerford attended the United States Naval Academy where he was a National Champion Collegiate Boxer and earned a Bachelor of Science in Oceanography. In 1995 he received his commission as an officer and was one of 16 (out of a class of over 1000) Naval Academy Graduates selected to become a SEAL. SEAL Teams are the US Navy’s primary special operations force and the acronym SEAL stands for Sea, Air and Land, which is the environment in which all SEAL Teams operate.

In order to become a SEAL Team member, trainees must first pass Basic Underwater Demolition School – a six month long training program with attrition rates between 60% and 80%. After completing training, Chandler was assigned to SEAL Team One in San Diego California. Chandler left the Navy in 2001 to move to Australia.

Chandler’s passion is for leadership development focusing on developing “non-positional” leadership training programs where people develop the skills to effectively communicate. The “non-positional” training involves a blended group of participants from corporate environments and people with neuro-diversity and intellectual disabilities. The idea is that if any leader can develop their communication skills, they will be more effective.

Chandler has developed and facilitated Rights of Passage (RoP) programs to assist young people with intellectual disabilities to recognise their strengths and develop “Teams”. With a special interest in youth development, her has delivered keynotes and workshops to high school students.

Chandler writes regularly and has been published by the Blackstone Society (Blackbird Publication) in a feature designed to assist University of Western Australia (UWA) Law Students better manage wellness issues.

With wide ranging experience in the military, as a trainer, consultant and father of three, Chandler offers a unique perspective on the capabilities that we all possess – delivering it in a grounded, thoughtful and engaging manner. Using the backdrop of SEAL training (with supporting videos) to engage his audience, he offers three concepts (regarding perspective, fellowship and commitment) to take away, which can assist participants discover what they are capable of.

Chandler Comerford speaks about:

You are capable of more than you think: Chandler relays three tools (Perspective, Fellowship and Commitment) which can help students manage change as they finish high school and prepare for the next phase of their life. This talk is given against the backdrop of SEAL Training (where using these tools was especially helpful).

One decision can change your life: Chandler speaks about choice and the power of conscious decision making. Once students recognise they always have a choice, hopefully they will choose to exercise that choice in a positive way. This talk is given against the backdrop of a SEAL mission that was made into the movie Lone Survivor.

The hardest thing I ever did: This talk is about the balance between friendship and leadership. Sometimes the most painful things we experience are emotional. This talk is given against the backdrop of my experience as a SEAL Team Platoon Commander.