Joe DeRing is the founder and CEO of EMPOWER Leadership Adventure Center. In 2000, Joe graduated from the University of Delaware with a bachelor’s degree in political science and was commissioned into the U.S. Army as an infantry officer with the rank of second lieutenant. As a lieutenant, Joe led light and motorized platoons of up to 60 men in combat operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Joe, now a former Army Captain and Army Ranger, is regularly invited to speak to high school and college students regarding his leadership experiences.