Bill Owen is the Founder and Chair of the National Honor Guard Society and an internationally recognized Honor Guard and drill-and-ceremonies instructor. He has dedicated his career to advancing the precision, professionalism, leadership, and operational readiness of Honor Guards and ceremonial units throughout the United States and across the globe.

​

In 2010, he founded the training company Competitive Outcomes, LLC. Since then Bill has trained Honor Guards and ceremonial units in all 50 states and in 27 countries at the request of their military or government. He has trained thousands of military personnel, law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical professionals, corrections officers, and other public-safety practitioners.

​

His experience includes working with members of some of the nation’s most distinguished ceremonial units, including the United States Army’s 3rd Infantry Regiment—“The Old Guard,” the United States Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon, and the United States Navy Ceremonial Guard. His work has centered on ceremonial standards, instructional development, unit leadership, operational safety, team cohesion, and performance under demanding conditions.

​

Bill has performed in and organized high-level ceremonial events involving heads of state, large line-of-duty-death funerals, nationally televised productions, and other prominent public ceremonies. These experiences have given him a broad understanding of the technical, logistical, and human responsibilities carried by those entrusted with ceremonial service.

​

Through his work across military, public-safety, and international ceremonial communities, Bill recognized the need for a national organization dedicated to establishing consensus-based standards and best practices, improving access to credible resources, strengthening interoperability, and supporting Honor Guard personnel and units.

​

He founded the National Honor Guard Society with the belief that every person, family, agency, and community represented in ceremony deserves the same measure of dignity, precision, and respect—regardless of discipline, geography, or available resources.