Vandenberg Composite Squadron 101 · 2025 – Present
Squadron Commander
I lead a 70+ member squadron of adult and cadet volunteers carrying out Civil Air Patrol's three congressionally chartered missions: Emergency Services, Aerospace Education and Cadet Programs.
I direct strategic operations, resource allocation and regulatory compliance, keeping the unit trained, equipped and mission-ready as a U.S. Air Force Total Force partner.
- Record growth: under my leadership, the squadron onboarded 12 senior members and 24 cadets in the past year, bringing membership to its highest level since records began in 2000.
- Helped shape the move to a cadet-led program, with organized flights and cadet staff as primary instructors. The squadron earned the Quality Cadet Unit Award in 2025, its first since 2018, and again in 2026.
- Collaborated to establish a formal cadet staff application process to select and onboard qualified cadets into squadron leadership roles.
- Mentored senior members through Levels 1 and 2 of the Professional Development Program, and pilots and mission observers through the Emergency Services qualification system.
Emergency Services
Search & Rescue Mission Pilot
As an active mission pilot, I fly high-stakes Emergency Services sorties with a crew of observers and scanners, managing operational risk in demanding flight environments. My missions have included search and rescue, homeland security and counterdrug operations.
I hold WALDO and Mountain Flying certifications and am a qualified Skills Evaluator Trainer (SET) for mission pilots, observers and scanners. I also lead the squadron's pilot corps, who flew 158 sorties and more than 190 hours across multiple mission areas in the past year.
Graduate & Instructor · 2025 – 2026
National Emergency Services Academy
In 2025 I attended NESA's Mission Aircrew School in Indiana and was the Distinguished Graduate of the Advanced Mission Pilot/Observer course.
In 2026 I returned as staff, teaching the Intermediate Mission Pilot/Observer course. Closer to home, I have mentored pilots through their Form 91 mission check ride and Form 5 evaluation.
Cadet Programs
Cadet Orientation Pilot
I've flown 62 cadets on orientation flights, often their first time at the controls, teaching everything from preflight and checklists to slow flight, stalls and steep turns.
Squadron & Group
Information Technology Officer
I rebuilt the squadron's slow, unreliable Wi-Fi into a secure, segmented network with a dedicated firewall, and cut its internet bill by 90% while making it eight times faster.
As Group ITO, I helped California Wing move from Microsoft to Google Workspace, writing documentation and onboarding the group's members.