About Us
Leadership Team
Learning Leaders is guided by a high-trust, mission-focused leadership team with broad experience spanning national security, education, and organizational transformation:
- Mark Kern, Founder & CEO: A retired U.S. military officer with over 50 years of experience in training, leadership development, planning and strategy, and organizational execution. Brings a legacy of operational excellence and talent cultivation to every engagement.
- Annie Kern, SVP for Strategy and Operations: A senior leader with more than 25 years of experience leading organizations, managing multi-billion dollar budgets, and working in national security, cybersecurity, and risk, Annie brings a systems-thinking lens and deep expertise in aligning people, processes, and technology.
Past Performance
The Learning Leaders team has delivered strategic support, learning solutions, and advisory services across a broad portfolio of federal agencies, private sector partners, and individual clients. Our team has experience working with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Pretrial Services Agency for the District of Columbia (PSA).
We have also supported executives and professionals through individualized private coaching, and provided management consulting services for private sector and non-profit organizations.
This diverse portfolio reflects our ability to deliver tailored, high-impact solutions across mission-critical environments.
Our Approach & What Sets Us Apart
Learning Leaders takes a focused, collaborative approach built on mission alignment, practical execution, and sustainable capability development. We tailor every engagement to the client’s context, ensuring relevance, scalability, and measurable results.
Our strength lies in integrating strategy, training, leadership development, and technology to help organizations adapt and perform under pressure. With deep experience across federal operations, cybersecurity, and adult learning, we translate complex challenges into actionable solutions.
We also bring value as a teaming partner. Learning Leaders regularly collaborates with prime contractors on government initiatives, providing targeted expertise in program management, instructional design, and workforce transformation. As a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), we offer both subject matter depth and contracting agility to help primes meet mission and compliance requirements.
Clients trust us for our precision, adaptability, and proven ability to deliver in complex, high-stakes environments.