Strengths-based action, inspired by the end state
About us
The greatest among you shall be your servant.
Matt 23:11
• We envision schools with aspiring individuals who value freedom to educate, and are accountable for positive change in their environment, regardless of their personal background.
• We see a health-conscious drug-free culture in our nation’s schools.
• We see energetic teachers igniting beliefs, instilling hope, and providing unconditional love in their classrooms.
• We envision Fire Power 40 becoming a household name and an innovative resource for cultural change with a personal development “touch system.”
Fire Power 40, Inc. provides a high-energy, scenario-based program, which instills a mindset of personal growth for a lifetime of positive change.
Grateful: We will begin and end our day with gratitude. Isa 61:3
Reconcilable: We value forgiveness as a foundational virtue for success. 2 Cor 5:18
Accountable: We hold ourselves accountable, first to our personal calling in this service to mankind, then to each other as team members working towards a common goal. Rom 14:12
Committed: We are committed to what we are building, and committed to the people we serve. Neh 6:3
Enthusiasm: We have fun! We will do what we do with enthusiasm, as though we are doing it for Him. Col 3:23
OUR VALUES
OUR VISION
OUR MISSION
Dave Valero
President/Founder
A retired Fire Captain who served in the El Paso Fire Department for 21 years. Dave created El Paso's first Firefighter Combat Challenge Team upon the start of his firefighting career in 1994 and has been competing on a global platform alongside the fittest firefighters on the planet in what has been hailed by ESPN as "The Toughest Two Minutes in Sports". Dave is currently the Grand Nationals Champion in the 40 and over category and is ranked 7th in the world among competitors 50 years and over.
Dave has established a solid foundation of trusting relationships since 2001 with local school administrators, juvenile judicial agencies, as well as the private sector and local military installation through the delivery of FirePower40. He is a Certified Crises Response Facilitator and received the majority of his training from some of the most prestigious fire, rescue and homeland security training centers and was a member of a core cadre, that delivered a state of the art leadership training course for rising fire officers for the final seven years of his career. His journey and passion for leadership training and personal development is highlighted by certifications from Brian Tracy, Dale Carnegie, John Maxwell, and Mission Centered Solutions.
Dave’s zeal for competition, his love for people, and a challenging loss in his personal life inspired the creation of Fire Power 40, Inc., a scenario-based leadership development organization, which focuses on maximizing individual potential and team results.
Dr. Corey A. Givens
Vice President/Strategic Planning and Operations
A 1998 West Point graduate and United States Army Colonel, Corey is a mission minded and highly decorated leader with 19 years of military experience and excellence in combat and tactical planning. Corey graduated, with distinction, from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a bachelor's degree in Engineering Psychology with a commissioning date of May 30, 1998. While at West Point, Corey played varsity soccer for four years and served as team captain, completed Air Assault School and Airborne School. Additionally, he completed Ranger School after graduating from the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course at Fort Sill, OK.
Joyce D. Yellock
Treasurer/Vice President of Grants and Funding
Retired School Administrator with over 30 years of educational and administrative experience in public and private education. Joyce is skilled in the ability to plan, coordinate and direct large diverse projects and has extensive expertise in making a positive impact on the community. She is highly respected for her accomplishments in the public school system in the El Paso Community.
Our Partners
Kris Yagel
CEO/Diligent Plans
IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19: FREE CRISIS MANAGEMENT COACHING SESSION
https://youtu.be/kOUqgillPuU
Kris Yagel is a servant leader with a proven record of winning. Believing that everyone has value and purpose, he passionately helps others to recognize the worth that lies within themselves and then equips and mentors them to achieve their highest potential.
Success came early on for Kris. After building a foundation as a scholar athlete, he became his high school’s first attendee of The United States Military Academy at West Point. Following the Academy’s rigorous four-year course of personal development, he graduated and was commissioned as an officer in the United States Army Military Police Corps. By empowering his subordinates and building cohesive teams, Kris received top honors as a special weapons and tactics (SWAT) team commander and Army base police chief in the wake of 9/11 and as an Army unit commander of over 100 active duty soldiers.
After six years of military service, Captain Yagel decided to leave the Army to lead others in the corporate world. He reached top honors, again, in the new endeavors of project management, medical device sales, and business development. Ultimately, after taking stock of his experiences, Kris realized that his life had been a carefully woven sequence of events that prepared him to continue serving others by founding his leader development, team optimization, and inspirational speaking company, Diligent Plans.
Today, Kris is known as a gripping motivational speaker, astute consultant, innovative trainer, and empathetic connector.
Mary Thompson
CEO/Trajectory Forward
Mary received her BBA in marketing from the University of Texas-El Paso, and IBM quickly hired her as a marketing representative. She was steeped in an excellent training and development culture, which provided a foundation to her consulting approach today.
Carrying her corporate experience to the nonprofit world, Mary developed a training program for a large organization with a paid staff of six and a volunteer base of 250. In conjunction with that project, she consulted and helped implement a complete overhaul of its organizational structure. Starting in 2015, Mary helped to architect an adult internship program with 20-30 students and professionals participating each term. She continues to direct the program today.
In addition to consulting, Mary founded a successful business, has taught middle school and volunteered in various capacities in the community.
Mary is married to her longtime husband, partner and best friend, Brent, and together they have reared three successful grown children, with a fourth charging through her teens!
Carmen Foy
CEO/Rated Purity Girl, Inc.
Carmen Foy has a passion for training, equipping, and helping teen girls, and those who serve them, to see and reach their full potential; hence was the reason for the launch of PurityGirl, Inc. Carmen's thought is that every girl wants to be a part of something and it is up to her, as a Community Leader, to ensure that what they are a part of is both positive and life empowering.
A dynamic domestic and international speaker, Carmen has devoted herself to growing in wisdom, both spiritually and professionally. A graduate of Pittsburg State University with a B.A. in the field of Communications, she is actively involved in her church youth ministry programs, a certified Trauma Healing Facilitator (by the Trauma Healing Institute, Philadelphia, PA) and is an advocate for dismantling social issues that cause teen girls to become stagnant due to having wounded hearts and possible identity crisis. She retired from Southwest Airlines (Dallas, Texas) in August 2018 as a Corporate Facilitator/Instructor for Leadership & Employee Training and Flight Attendant Training after 22 years of service in order to devote herself full time to her ministry and purpose. Her husband, Barak Foy also serves as a Board Member and Vice President of PurityGirl, Inc. and the two are often referred to by
others as “God’s Power Couple”.
Carmen believes that God has definitely given her a heart for teen girls, and she is committed to helping them to discover the power and purpose that awaits them; by any means necessary.
Outdoor Adventurist
Albert Alvarez
Albert, a native El Pasoan, is a retired Naval Officer who holds two Masters Degrees. His passion is rock climbing, but is an avid outdoor enthusiast. As a certified American Mountain Guide Association (AMGA) guide Albert is one of the lead instructors and guides for Sessions Climbing and Guiding.
His expertise broadens the outreach of Fire Power 40, as a partnering speaker and presenter. There are no boundaries in the Fire Power 40 leadership training experience with Albert on board, as the vision has now reached the highest heights a neighboring high rise building or nearby mountain excursion can offer.
Albert is available for the following:
-Hueco Tanks Bouldering Tours
-Outdoor/Indoor Climbing Instruction
-Outdoor Recreational Climbing and Guiding
-Technical Rescue Courses for Climbing
-Hiking and Rock Art Tours
-Backpacking Tours
-Wilderness Survival Training
-Outdoor Leadership and Team Building Classes
FP40 East Coast Ambassador
Rex A. Witkamp
Retired Firefighter/Paramedic, Survivor, Scuba Instructor, Boat Captain, Entrepreneur, Mentor, Motivator. Rex has a passion to create and instill a positive mindset in the youth of today. His mission is to expand FirePower 40 to reach the audiences of the East Coast and specifically the Florida Keys.