MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. – Nineteen Civil Air Patrol commanders will hone their leadership skills during the 2012 Region & Wing Commanders Course to be held March 11-16 at CAP National Headquarters.
The intense, graduate-level course will posture participants to be better commanders at the state and region level as well as members of the CAP National Board, a key CAP governing body. Attendees are selected for the course by their region commander and must be approved by CAP National Commander Maj. Gen. Chuck Carr.
“Everything a Civil Air Patrol commander should know in order to be an effective leader will be discussed,” said Carr, who will address the new wing commanders and region vice commanders before their graduation luncheon on March 16. “As with all of our training, this course is thorough, and its effect will be long-lasting, preparing these commanders with the leadership skills they will need to be successful.”
The program will focus on three main blocks of study: leading the organization, tools for corporate officers and tools for commanders. The curriculum features seminars, lectures and hands-on exercises in more than 20 enriching sessions on such topics as ethics, legal matters, managing volunteers, finances and other resources.
By week’s end, participants will have a better understanding of CAP’s emergency services, aerospace education, cadet, information technology, public affairs, membership development and logistics programs.
Like many of the commanders participating in the course, Colorado Wing Commander Col. Earl B. Sherwin has served as a unit commander twice for a total of eight years and as a group commander for four years during his almost 20 years with CAP. Most recently, he was director of operations for the Colorado Wing.
“In my previous life I served in the Air Force for over 31 years, retiring as a chief master sergeant and in the Judicial System Criminal Division for 10 years,” he said. “Since being selected as the Colorado Wing commander, I found there are many areas I need reinforced, and I expect to get that in this course.”
“My expectation of the course is that we gain the practical knowledge of how to strategically run our wings from those who understand what running a wing is all about,” said Col. Jon Stokes, California Wing commander.
“My expectations are twofold,” said Pennsylvania Wing Commander Col. Sandra E. Brandon. “I am keenly aware that one’s network is most critical to success, so I am looking forward to meeting, collaborating and adding colleagues to my personal and professional network for our mutual and corporate success. In particular, I am looking to understand the detailed accountabilities of the ‘corporate officer’ specific to CAP.”
Besides Carr, other guest speakers for the course will include CAP National Vice Commander Brig. Gen. Joseph R. Vazquez, CAP-U.S. Air Force Commander Col. Paul Gloyd and CAP Executive Director Don Rowland, as well as subject-matter experts from the Air Force and National Headquarters staff.
Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with more than 61,000 members nationwide, operating a fleet of 550 aircraft. CAP, in its Air Force auxiliary role, performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and was credited by the AFRCC with saving 54 lives in fiscal year 2011. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to nearly 27,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet programs. CAP received the World Peace Prize in 2011 and has been performing missions for America for 70 years. CAP also participates in Wreaths Across America, an initiative to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of U.S. military veterans. Visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com or www.capvolunteernow.com for more information.
2012 Wing Commanders Course participants
Alabama
Col. J. Brad Lynn, Lanett
Alabama Wing commander
Arizona
Col. Brian N. Ready, Scottsdale
Arizona Wing commander
California
Col. Jon L. Stokes, Redondo Beach
California Wing commander
Colorado
Col. Earl B. Sherwin, Fountain
Colorado Wing commander
Col. Jesus Muniz, San Diego, Calif.
Rocky Mountain Region vice commander
Delaware
Col. William S. Bernfeld, Smyrna
Delaware Wing commander
Idaho
Col. Frederick H. Thompson, Mountain Home
Idaho Wing commander
Illinois
Col. Rickey L. Oeth, Mascoutah
Illinois Wing commander
Maine
Col. Merrie C. Knightly, Lagrange
Northeast Region vice commander
Minnesota
Col. Gerald P. Rosendahl, Hastings
Minnesota Wing commander
Nevada
Col. Timothy F. Hahn, Lovelock
Nevada Wing commander
New Mexico
Col. Mark E. Smith, Albuquerque
New Mexico Wing commander
North Dakota
Col. William E. Kay, Minot
North Dakota Wing commander
Ohio
Col. Gregory L. Mathews, Pickerington
Ohio Wing commander
Pennsylvania
Col. Sandra E. Brandon, Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania Wing commander
Puerto Rico
Col. Luis A. Cubano, Camuy
Puerto Rico Wing commander
Rhode Island
Col. Benjamin F. Emerick, Little Compton
Rhode Island Wing commander
Vermont
Col. Michael G. Davidson, Castleton
Vermont Wing commander
Virginia
Col. Richard Moseley, Fredericksburg
Middle East Region vice commander
