Scott Mann
U.S. Army Green Beret, Pineapple Express Mission Leader

Retired Lieutenant Colonel Scott Mann is a former U.S. Army Green Beret who specialized in unconventional, high-impact special operations missions in do-or-die environments all over the globe. In a distinguished 23-year military career, Lt. Col. Mann operated at the highest levels of the Special Operations Community and has been widely recognized for his successful leadership of teams in complex situations. He grabbed global headlines when, alongside fellow Green Beret veterans and other volunteers, he led “Pineapple Express” — a grassroots leadership campaign using Rooftop Human Connection Skills to honor a promise and save more than 1,000 Afghans from a life-threatening situation amid the chaos of America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. Following his military service, Lt. Col. Mann founded Rooftop Leadership.

In more than two decades serving the Special Ops Community, including 18 years as a Green Beret, Lt. Col. Mann led pivotal stability missions in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Afghanistan. Lt. Col. Mann is the author of Leading Through Chaos and the New York Times bestseller Operation Pineapple Express, which details the story of the dangerous rescue mission of several hundred of our allies in Afghanistan. 

He is also the founder of Task Force Pineapple, a nonprofit organization that provides safe passage of our Afghan allies away from unstable environments and supports them in relocating and resettling to the U.S. In a similar vein, he is the founder of The Heroes Journey, a non-profit which provides warriors, first responders, and their families an outlet to share their stories as a way to heal and transition home from service. Lt. Col. Mann has advocated on behalf of our troops and Afghan allies in front of Congress and on national media outlets, including CNN, Fox, and ABC.

Share this on Social Media

Powered by Leading Authorities Inc.

Media Inquires

For media inquires, please email our Speaker Series Lead, Conor Russo.

View more speakers

Michael Sears

Michael Sears

Michael Sears leads the Leadership Innovation Laboratory, where he introduces faculty, staff and students to some of the latest developments in technology and science, with the aim of making learning deeper, more relevant, and more interesting. The Laboratory produces...

Roger C. Mosby

Roger C. Mosby

Roger C. Mosby is the 14th Scout Executive, President and CEO of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), a non-profit youth organization started in 1910 and chartered by the US Congress in 1915. Mr. Mosby spent the majority of his professional career as an executive in the...

Brad Tilden

Brad Tilden

Brad Tilden, the 39th national chair of the BSA, is one of the organization’s top two volunteers (along with the national commissioner). The national board is responsible for providing oversight of the BSA’s strategic direction. A Distinguished Eagle Scout, Tilden has...

Hakeem Oluyesi

Hakeem Oluyesi

Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi, author of the critically acclaimed memoir, A Quantum Life: My Unlikely Journey from the Streets to the Stars, is an internationally-recognized astrophysicist & science TV personality. Most recently, he served as an Astrophysicist and Space...

DeDe Halfhill

DeDe Halfhill

U.S. Air Force retired Colonel, DeDe Halfhill is a proven leader with 25 years of command experience and as a senior advisor to the military’s highest-ranking officials. Twice deployed to Iraq, DeDe’s sought-after leadership insights are grounded in personal...

Eric Traupe

Eric Traupe

A powerful voice in the Intelligence Community and one of its leading national security professionals, Eric Traupe is the former assistant director of the CIA for the Near East and served on the front lines of U.S. counterterrorism efforts for more than 20...