National Speakers Association honors Pettitt with its highest lifetime achievement award, an honor received by fewer than 270 speakers since 1977.
EUREKA, Calif., Aug. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Jess Pettitt, MEd, MBA, CSP, founder of Good Enough Now LLC, has been inducted into the CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame®, the National Speakers Association’s highest and most selective honor. She joins Allison Shapira, Peter Katz, Manley Feinberg, and Anton Gunn in the class of 2026.
The Council of Peers Award for Excellence (CPAE) recognizes professional speakers for excellence in message, presentation, experience, professionalism, and collateral material. Speakers do not apply or campaign for the award; recipients are selected by their peers.
Fewer than 270 people have received the honor since the National Speakers Association established it in 1977. Past inductees include Ronald Reagan, Colin Powell, Zig Ziglar, Norman Vincent Peale, and Les Brown.
Pettitt was formally inducted on July 27, 2026. During her acceptance speech, she spoke about the role productive disruption can play in bringing people together:
“Disruption shakes things up so the pieces can settle down together. I believe we are all pieces of a whole. I believe we can come together to do good better.”
For more than two decades, Pettitt has helped businesses, nonprofits, first responders, healthcare organizations, associations, and federal offices address difficult workplace issues—from cultures that no longer match stated values to teams afraid to speak honestly and managers colleagues work around rather than with.
She has reached more than half a million people across North America under the banner Tough Subjects. Better Connections.
Before becoming a keynote speaker and advisor, Pettitt was a stand-up comic in New York City. That experience helped shape the direct, candid approach she now brings to stages and organizations, including a willingness to say what others in the room may already be thinking.
Pettitt is the author of Good Enough Now (2017) and Almost Doing Good (2025). Her third book, Doing Good Better, arrives in September 2026 and completes the trilogy.
The CPAE honor joins Pettitt’s Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation. Fewer than one percent of professional speakers hold both distinctions.
About Jess Pettitt
Jess Pettitt, MEd, MBA, CSP, CPAE, is a keynote speaker, advisor, crisis mediator, emcee, and author who facilitates conversations organizations have been avoiding. She helps leaders improve workplace culture, leadership alignment, and the practical business of keeping teams honest with themselves.
Media inquiries: Jess Pettitt | 917-543-0966 | 421520@email4pr.com
Website: jesspettitt.com
Hall of Fame: jesspettitt.com/hall-of-fame
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SOURCE Good Enough Now LLC
