Khary Penebaker
Nearly 30 years in construction and home improvement. Built companies from startup to $35M+ revenue with 180 employees. Gun violence prevention advocate and former DNC representative.
Khary Penebaker speaks from experience, not theory. He has spent nearly three decades building, scaling, and sometimes losing businesses in one of the most demanding industries in America. His mother, Joyce, completed suicide with a gun when he was 20 months old. That loss shaped a career defined by resilience, direct leadership, and a commitment to making hard conversations productive. Audiences walk away with frameworks they can use the next day, not just inspiration that fades by lunch.
Leadership Under Pressure
Making decisions when the stakes are high and the margin for error is zero.
Resilience and Adversity
What resilience actually looks like. Not motivational quotes. Real decisions in real moments.
Building High-Performing Teams
Hiring, accountability, and culture systems that scale from 5 to 180 employees.
Gun Violence Prevention
Personal tragedy, policy advocacy, and turning loss into lasting community change.
Construction Leadership
Crew management, safety culture, workforce retention in the trades.
Culture and Accountability
Building accountability that feels like fairness, not fear.
- Corporate leadership retreats and offsites
- Industry conferences and trade associations
- Construction and home improvement events
- Nonprofit galas and advocacy summits
- University and MBA programs
- ERG and DEI initiatives
"The most impactful session of our entire conference. Khary connected with our audience in a way that none of our other speakers managed. People were still talking about it weeks later."Conference Organizer, Leadership Summit