Jacob Leadership Institute Instructor
Michael "Bret" Hood
Leadership, Ethics & Organizational Culture
Michael "Bret" Hood brings decades of real-world leadership
experience to the Jacob Leadership Institute, combining lessons
from a 25-year FBI career with his work helping organizations build
ethical, resilient cultures.
FBI Career
25 Years
Training Firm
21st Century Learning & Consulting
Faculty
ACFE & University of Virginia
TEDx
Two Talks on Ethics
About Bret
Michael "Bret" Hood spent 25 years as an FBI Special Agent
leading complex investigations focused on leadership,
financial crimes, corruption and money laundering.
After retiring from the FBI in 2016, he launched
21st Century Learning & Consulting, LLC,
a training and consulting firm focused on helping leaders build
meaningful connections and create ethical, resilient cultures
that can prevent misconduct before it begins.
Teaching & Leadership Development
Following his FBI career, Bret was recruited as adjunct faculty by
both the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and the
University of Virginia.
His teaching and interactive training programs address leadership,
fraud, corporate governance, implicit bias, ethics and
decision-making.
Leadership
Ethics
Implicit Bias
Decision-Making
Corporate Governance
Fraud & Misconduct Prevention
Recognition & Experience
Bret received the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners'
James R. Baker Speaker of the Year Award in 2020
for his speaking and training.
He currently serves on the Southern Illinois University Board of
Accounting and previously served on the advisory council for the
forensic accounting program at Mount St. Mary's University.
During his FBI career, Bret earned multiple Special Agent of the
Year honors and received two FBI Director's Awards recognizing his
leadership and innovation in creating interactive executive
leadership curricula.
A Sought-After Leadership Speaker
In 2023, Bret was invited to deliver two separate TEDx talks on
ethics.
He has been interviewed and quoted by international media,
including the Financial Times, and is sought after by
Fortune 500 companies and global organizations for interactive
programs addressing leadership, ethics, fraud and the role of
implicit bias in decision-making.
Author
Bret is the author of two leadership books built around concise,
practical lessons.
Eat More Ice Cream
A Succinct Leadership Lesson for Each Week of the Year
Get Off Your Horse!
52 Succinct Leadership Lessons from U.S. Presidents
Watch Bret's TEDx Talks
Explore Bret's TEDx presentations on ethics and decision-making.
Learn From Bret Through JLI
Bret leads the Jacob Leadership Institute's interactive leadership
development experience, helping participants explore how they lead,
communicate, make decisions and influence others.
Explore the Jacob Leadership Institute
