New book: Building Trust Deeper · Pre-order a signed copy

Keynote speaker · Author · Trust researcher

Trust is your competitive advantage.

Dr. Cory Scheer shows leaders, teams, and organizations how to measure trust, find the gaps, and close them. His keynotes pair research with stories from whitewater rivers, marathon courses, and 25 years of leading people.

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Trusted by

Just some of the organizations Cory has served

  • Missouri National Guard
  • YMCA
  • United Way of Greater Kansas City
  • Liberty Hospital
  • America's Car-Mart
  • EPCOR
  • National Beef
  • TouchNet
  • Barkley
  • SHRM of Greater Kansas City
  • Transportation Marketing & Sales Association
  • Agriculture Future of America
  • Olathe Public Schools
  • Kansas City Kansas Public Schools
  • Christian Leadership Alliance
  • Utility Economic Development Association
  • Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals
  • Hillcrest Hope

Keynotes

Four talks, one through-line

Every keynote is built on Cory's doctoral research and national studies, tailored to your audience, and can extend into a hands-on workshop. Available in person or virtually.

Cory speaking from the stage to a full ballroom
Signature keynoteBased on the book Closing the Trust Gap

Closing the Trust Gap

Why trust is declining and how to rebuild it

Trust is falling fast across workplaces. Drawing on his doctoral research, national studies, and decades of leadership, Cory shows leaders how to diagnose trust gaps, measure trust, and put proven solutions in place. Attendees see trust as a measurable driver of retention, engagement, and performance, and learn how it shapes reputation, customer loyalty, and long-term success outside the organization too.

  • Why trust is declining, and what it costs
  • How to diagnose and measure a trust gap
  • Proven steps to restore and strengthen trust
  • Trust's effect on reputation and customer loyalty
Leadership conferences, HR and culture events, association meetings
Cory presenting a slide that reads Trust before Value
Signature keynoteBased on Cory's research and the Structure of Trust® framework

The Trust Advantage

Unlocking leadership, team, and organizational greatness

Trust is more than a soft skill. It is a measurable, strategic asset that fuels leadership effectiveness, team performance, and organizational growth. Drawing on his doctoral work, national studies, and international consulting, Cory uses the Structure of Trust® framework and real-world case studies to show how to build, repair, and sustain trust at every level.

  • The Structure of Trust® framework
  • Building and repairing trust through conflict and change
  • Trust across generations
  • A clear roadmap to make trust your competitive edge
Corporate events, executive summits, leadership conferences
Cory smiling on a conference stage
Signature keynoteBased on Cory's personal story of recovery and resilience

From Trauma to Triumph

The trust-fueled path to resilient leadership

A deeply personal keynote that turns adversity into leadership insight. Cory tells the story of surviving a near-fatal cycling accident and going on to complete 30 marathons, including 13 in 12 months to support clean water. He shows how trust, resilience, and purpose carry people and organizations through their hardest moments.

  • Leading with grit when the path is uncertain
  • Building trust amid uncertainty
  • Creating cultures where people rise stronger together
Annual meetings, nonprofit events, resilience and wellbeing programs
Cory speaking during a conference panel
Signature keynoteBased on the new book Building Trust Deeper

Building Trust Deeper

Strengthening the 7 Layers of Workplace Trust

Based on Cory's new book, Building Trust Deeper. Many organizations have some trust in place. Fewer have trust strong enough to hold up under pressure, turnover, and change. Cory shows leaders how to move past surface-level trust and build it into the way their people work, decide, and lead, so it holds when it matters most.

  • Why surface-level trust breaks under pressure
  • Building trust into daily habits, decisions, and policies
  • How leaders deepen trust over time

Workshops

Turn the keynote into action

Hands-on sessions that help leaders and teams put trust to work, on their own or paired with a keynote.

Two copies of the TrustCentric Leadership Workbook

Signature workshop

TrustCentric® Leadership Workshop

A new way of thinking. A new way of leading.

Cory's signature workshop takes leaders beyond the keynote. Working through the TrustCentric® Leadership Workbook together, participants apply the Structure of Trust® to their own teams and leave with practical steps they can act on right away.

  • Every participant receives their own 16-page TrustCentric® Leadership Workbook
  • Guided, hands-on exercises leaders work through together
  • Pairs with any of Cory's four keynotes, or stands on its own
Book the workshop
Cory leading a workshop around a conference table

More workshops

High Performing Teams

What separates good teams from great ones. Teams build the trust, clear roles, and shared commitment that high performance depends on, and agree on how they'll work together going forward.

Weekly Activity Dashboard

A centering document for a team, or an employee and supervisor: six areas of focus, five success indicators for each, a weekly assessment, and the tasks to improve.

Also available: Strengthening Organizational Trust · Work Breakdown Structure · 7 Deadly Sins of Organizational Distrust · Root Cause and Remedy of Low Employee Engagement · Stakeholder Mapping · 90-Day New Employee Onboarding · Active Listening · Situational Leadership

Meeting & retreat facilitation

Need someone to guide the room, not just speak to it? Cory facilitates leadership retreats, strategic planning sessions, and board and team meetings, keeping conversations honest and focused so your group leaves aligned on what comes next.

Ask about facilitation →

Speaker reel

See Cory in the room

Three minutes from conference stages, workshops, and the people who were in the audience.

Speaker reel · 2:54More talks and clips on YouTube @TrustCentric

Press & praise

In their words

ForbesJuly 30, 2026 · by Rodger Dean Duncan

As featured in Forbes

“Trust is not adjacent to performance. Trust fuels it.”

The Leadership Mistakes That Quietly Erode Trust Read the interview →
“I really enjoyed your talk and how all your strategies and tips are wrapped in stories. Very engaging!”
Conference attendee
“It's a rarity to find a keynote speaker that is so engaging.”
TMSA
“Cory, you were inspirational, educational, and entertaining.”
Conference attendee
“Cory facilitated great conversation, provided invaluable insight.”
Olathe Public Schools
Cory on stage in front of a ballroom audience Cory speaking at the Ozarks Regional YMCA Cory speaking on a conference panel Cory presenting in front of a slide about toxic workplaces Cory leading a small-group conversation in a lounge Audience listening to Cory at a TrustCentric event Workshop room full of participants listening to Cory
Portrait of Cory Scheer in front of a brick wall

About Cory

A researcher who has led real teams

Dr. Cory Scheer has more than 25 years of leadership experience across business, education, nonprofits, ministry, municipalities, and the military. He is the founder of TrustCentric®, where he helps organizations make their people, practices, and policies more trustworthy so the numbers that matter move with them.

Cory's first leadership lab was the river. Over more than 8,000 commercial whitewater miles, he guided thousands of people and trained hundreds of guides, learning firsthand how trust holds a team together when the stakes are real. Away from work, he's an avid runner with more than 30 marathons behind him, including Boston. Nothing matters more to him than time with his family and friends.

25+years leading people and teams
30marathons, including Boston
Ed.D.Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis, University of Missouri
EMBAExecutive MBA, Rockhurst University
Download the speaker kit (PDF) Connect on LinkedIn

The speaker kit has bios, an introduction script, and keynote descriptions. Download high-resolution photos (ZIP).

Featured in & on

Cover of Building Trust Deeper: A Leader's Guide to Strengthening the 7 Layers of Workplace Trust, by Cory Scheer, Ed.D.

New book · Available for pre-order

Building Trust Deeper

A Leader's Guide to Strengthening the 7 Layers of Workplace Trust

From the author of Closing the Trust Gap. Many organizations have some trust in place. Fewer have trust strong enough to hold up under pressure, turnover, and change. Cory's new book walks leaders through the 7 Layers of Workplace Trust™, from keeping commitments to leading with integrity, and shows how to strengthen each one.

  • Why surface-level trust breaks under pressure
  • How to find your strongest layer and the one that needs work
  • Practical ways to strengthen every layer, from transactional to self trust
$25Signed copy · Shipping included

Pre-order directly from Cory and he'll sign your copy before it ships.

Pre-order a signed copy · $25 See the keynote

Secure checkout through Stripe. Also coming to Amazon in early 2027. Ordering for a team or event? Request bulk pricing.

Cover of Closing the Trust Gap: Taking Action on What Matters Most for Leaders, Teams, and Organizations, by Cory Scheer, Ed.D.

Also by Cory

Closing the Trust Gap

Taking Action on What Matters Most for Leaders, Teams, and Organizations

A practical guide to assessing how much your organization is trusted, adopting a framework for building trust, and creating a long-term plan that improves retention, productivity, and culture.

Many event organizers pair a keynote with copies for attendees. Request bulk pricing.

Get the book

Book Cory

Bring trust to your next event

Tell us a little about your event. Cory's team will follow up within two business days with availability and options.

Prefer email?

cory@trustcentricconsulting.com

Many organizers pair a keynote with copies of Cory's books for attendees. Choose the books in the form for bulk pricing.

Planning an event? Download the speaker kit with bios, an intro script, and photos →
1Check Cory's availability

Books for attendees (optional)

Cory's team replies within two business days. Privacy policy

National research

What the data says about trust at work

Cory has led two national studies in partnership with BrandCertain. Each has its own executive brief. Download either one free.

1New · 2026 study

The National Study on Workplace Culture & Organizational Trust

400 U.S. leaders and managers · Fielded June 2026 · ±4.9% at 95% confidence · Designed and conducted by BrandCertain

“Organizations do not have a trust-philosophy challenge. They have a trust-delivery challenge.”
7 of 7trust layers where importance outran performance
48% vs 27%leaders vs. managers who say empathy is delivered well
4 in 5have a strategic plan; only 2 in 5 say it changes what they do

Get the executive brief

You'll get instant access to the Workplace Culture & Organizational Trust executive brief (PDF). TrustCentric may follow up with occasional updates. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy

2The original 2022 study

The National Survey on Brand & Trust

Featured in the book Closing the Trust Gap

1,600+ U.S. adults · Published September 2022 · ±3.2% at 99% confidence · In partnership with BrandCertain

“Trust is the priority organizations say they hold. Fewer than half of employees actually feel it.”
49%trust their leaders a great deal or a lot
57% vs 20%leaders vs. front-line staff who rate problem-solving excellent
56%won't work as hard if they don't trust their leaders

Get the executive brief

You'll get instant access to the Brand & Trust executive brief (PDF). TrustCentric may follow up with occasional updates. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy

Beyond the stage

Work with Cory's team at TrustCentric®

Cory is the founder and CEO of TrustCentric®. When your organization is ready to go deeper than a keynote, his team helps leaders build trust into their people, practices, policies, and strategic plans.

Visit TrustCentricConsulting.com →

Consulting

Engagements that strengthen trust across your culture, systems, and strategy.

Advising

Ongoing counsel for leaders working through change, conflict, and growth.

Executive coaching

One-on-one coaching for leaders who want to earn deeper trust.

Trust assessments

See where trust is strong and where it's wearing thin across your organization.

Follow along

Stay connected with Cory

Trust insights in your inbox, behind-the-scenes from events, and where Cory is speaking next.

Connect on LinkedIn Follow @TrustCentric Subscribe on Substack Watch on YouTube