In a world where leadership is often paired with titles, power, or spotlight moments, Dr. Philip A. Iannuzzi, Jr. is offering something different and lasting. The retired U.S. Air Force colonel, aerospace industry veteran, and longtime summer resident of Margate recently released a new book: “Leadership Excellence: Empower Your Leadership with The Model for Sustained Leadership Success.”
The book, independently published by Bunker Hollow Press, draws from Iannuzzi’s more than four decades of leadership across military, corporate, and academic sectors. But for Iannuzzi, the journey started much earlier and much closer to home.
Born and raised in South Philadelphia, Phil grew up in a close-knit, hardworking family. His mother helped her parents sell produce on 9th Street, and his grandfather’s small summer house in Margate became the family’s seasonal escape. It was there, along the South Jersey shoreline, where Phil’s leadership journey began.
In the summers between semesters at Penn State, he worked the casino floors of the Sands and Tropicana in Atlantic City. The environment was fast, unpredictable, and full of pressure. It was during this time that he was able to experience real leadership in person, and his passion for it slowly began to grow.
It was also during one of those formative summers that he met Maria Palmer, a Ventnor native. Their college romance evolved into a lifelong partnership, one that has seen them through more than 40 years of marriage, three sons, and 13 moves across the country and abroad during Phil’s active duty service.
Phil was commissioned into the U.S. Air Force through Penn State’s ROTC program and rose through the ranks to become a colonel and command pilot. He served four overseas tours following 9/11 and held high-level leadership posts, including Pentagon program manager and director of NATO’s Joint Task Force Operations Center in Naples, Italy.
After retiring from the Air Force, Phil continued his leadership journey in the private sector with Boeing. There, he oversaw aircrew training operations and led workforce development initiatives supporting thousands of employees globally. Throughout, his commitment to helping others grow into confident, values-driven leaders never wavered.
That commitment culminated in “Leadership Excellence,” which introduces the “Model for Sustained Leadership Success” — a framework built on three foundational values: character, service and excellence; and three attributes: trust, concern and the will to lead. These core values are all inspired by the Air Force, which Iannuzzi claims “absolutely helped influence my own leadership philosophy.”
Phil’s reflections are grounded not only in research but in personal experience — from the frontlines of military operations to the dynamics of corporate boardrooms and the lecture halls where he’s taught as an adjunct professor. He earned his doctorate in educational leadership from Delaware Valley University in 2020 and holds five master’s degrees in everything from systems management to strategic studies.
Today, Phil and Maria live in Doylestown, Pa., but remain deeply connected to the South Jersey community. They return to Ventnor and Margate frequently, where Maria’s mother and brother still live and where Phil’s family continues to gather and create new memories.
“This book is really my way of giving back,” he says. “I’ve had incredible opportunities throughout my career, and I hope this can help prepare the next generation of leaders,” Ianuzzi said.
Whether you’re leading a business, school, nonprofit, or military team, “Leadership Excellence” offers a practical, principle-based guide to long-term success — and a reminder that real leadership starts behind the scenes.
“Leadership Excellence” is available now on Amazon. A portion of the proceeds will support organizations that expand access to education and leadership development.
