Colonel Michael R. Moyer, CAP Commander, Delaware Wing, Civil Air Patrol

Colonel Michael R. Moyer began his CAP career as a cadet with the Crusader Composite Squadron in Dallas Texas in 1984, soon after he transferred as a cadet officer to California Wing where he participated as part of the Cal Wing Cadet Integrated Leadership Program. Col Moyer In 1993 he transferred to Florida Wing and served as the Squadron Commander for the New Smyrna Beach Composite Squadron. Col Moyer has worked as an employee at National Headquarters Civil Air Patrol as the NHQ Chief of Standardization and Evaluation. He is a rated CAP Command Pilot, and is a highly experienced Check Pilot Examiner, Mission Check Pilot Examiner, and Cadet Orientation Pilot. He has also previously been qualified as a Ground Team Member and Incident Commander. He holds Master ratings in both Cadet Programs and Standardization and Evaluation, as well as a Technician rating in Aerospace Education.

In his professional life, Lt Col Moyer holds FAA ratings as an Airline Transport Pilot, Flight and Ground Instructor, and is an active FAASafety Team representative. He has been a Part 121 Airline Captain, and is currently a professional Instructor/Examiner and Program Manager of the Gulfstream V corporate jet, with FlightSafety International in New Castle Delaware.

Colonel Moyer currently holds the position of Commander, Delaware Wing, Civil Air Patrol.

William E. Geesey, Colonel, US ArmyCommander, U.S. Army Medical Materiel Development Activity

Colonel William E. Geesey, a distinguished military graduate from the University of Southern California, where he completed ROTC. He was commissioned in the Infantry in 1989 and later transferred to the Medical Service Corps.

Colonel Geesey holds a Bachelor of Science degree, a Master of Public Administration. Master's degrees in Computer Resources & Information Management and Strategic Studies. Colonel Geesey is a graduate of the Army War College, and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.

Colonel Geesey had multiple assignments with the 82nd Airborne Division. He has served tours in the Office of The Surgeon General's Directorate of Logistics and as Chief, Medical Plans, Operations and Policy, Headquarters Department of the Army, G-4. He served two tours in Korea. He served as the commander of Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences (AFRIMS) in Bangkok, Thailand. His assignments have included numerous operational deployments to include Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom.

With more than 30 years of active, reserve and National Guard service, Colonel Geesey has held a wide variety of leadership positions in medical logistics, medical information technology and healthcare administration.

Lt. Col Jeff Pixley, USAF, Commander, 331st Training Squadron

Jeff Pixley began his leadership journey at age 14 when he joined the Civil Air Patrol in Corona Composite Squadron 29. He progressed through the cadet program, ultimately commanding the 66th Cadet Training Squadron of the CAWG Cadet Training Group. At 19, Jeff enlisted in the United States Air Force, spending the next 4 years as a Munitions Systems Expert. He then separated from the USAF, enrolled at the University of Oklahoma, and graduated with a Masters in Business Administration and a degree in Sociology as the ROTC detachment’s distinguished graduate. Jeff’s USAF pilot career took him to Sheppard AFB, TX in the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program (ENJJPT) flying the F-16 “Fighting Falcon”. He supported “Operation Southern Watch” and “Operation Iraqi Freedom”.

As a Major, Jeff taught Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals (IFF) in the T-38 “Talon” at Randolph Air Force Base. Lt Col Pixley now commands the 331st Training Squadron at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. The squadron is a Basic Military Training (BMT) unit, training new Airmen in military discipline, physical fitness, drill and ceremonies, Air Force core values, and a comprehensive range of subjects relating to Air Force life. Jeff learned many of these basics while participating in the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program.

Kevin Johnston, LCDR, US Navy

Kevin Johnston has served 15 years in the United States Navy after spending 8 years in the Civil Air Patrol cadet program. Kevin joined California Wing’s Corona Composite Squadron 29 at the age of 12 and progressed through the ranks to eventually achieving The General Carl A. Spaatz award, number 1413. During his time as a cadet, Kevin attended nearly every cadet leadership activity California Wing had to offer, serving on staff at numerous encampments - most notably as the commander of the 86th Cadet Training Squadron.

After college, Kevin earned his commission through Officer Candidate School and later his Wings of Gold as a Naval Flight Officer. Over the course of his naval career he has served in the aviation and information technology fields both at sea and ashore. He has also earned two master’s degrees and has recently been selected to serve as a commanding officer.

Kevin gives credit for his success as both an officer and leader to the skills and mentorship he received in the Civil Air Patrol cadet program.

Casey Sankey, Director of Communications and Community Engagement, Calimmune

Casey joined the Civil Air Patrol, California Wing's Cable Composite Squadron 25 at age 14 and earned the Mitchell award. She held several leadership positions within the squadron, including the position of Squadron Cadet Commander. Casey served as encampment flight sergeant, encampment flight commander, and was selected as NCOA Honor Cadet.

In 1994, Casey left California to attend Wellesley College in Massachusetts. At Wellesley, she served as House President on the Student Council to the Board of Trustees. Casey spent a summer as an intern in Washington, DC in The White House Office of Cabinet Affairs. Casey graduated cum laude from Wellesley with a major in Political Science and minor in Religion. She began her professional career working in non-profit youth development in California and Washington. Next she served as a congressional aide with the United States House of Representatives. Casey relocated to Arizona in 2004 where she worked as a hospice program coordinator and home health care manager.

She now is the Director of Communications and Community Engagement for Calimmune, a biotechnology company with a focus in gene therapy. She has also served on the Board of Directors for TIHAN, the Tucson Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network. Casey says that Civil Air Patrol Cadet Programs taught her how to be an effective communicator. It provided her with innumerable opportunities to challenge herself to develop as a person and a leader. Casey has a lifelong appreciation for the virtue of paying close attention to detail which she gleaned as a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol.

Jeanne Jones,Director of Customer Communication, Alaksa Airlines

Jeanne Jones was an active cadet in California Wing from 1988-1996 as a member of Brackett Composite squadron 64, Covina squadron 32, and finally, Upland squadron 25. Participating in cadet programs activities such as encampment, airshows, and ILP schools, Jeanne not only learned about leadership, public speaking, and professionalism, she also created life-long relationships and learned life-long lessons.

As the current Director of Communications for Seattle-based Alaska Airlines, Jeanne continues to draw on her experiences in Civil Air Patrol. Alaska Airlines airplanes move over 28 million passengers a year, and Jeanne’s team is responsible for all marketing, transactional, and operational messages sent to those customers. As a seventeen-year veteran of Alaska Airlines Jeanne has moved throughout the company’s ranks serving in customer service, operations, e-commerce, and marketing. Jeanne gives credit for her ability to grow and move up the corporate ladder to some of her training and real-life application she received in Civil Air Patrol.

Kevin Sampson, Pilot, United Airlines

Kevin joined Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program in 1979 and served in the CAP until 1985. Throughout his cadet career, he participated in numerous California Wing Programs, in particular the Integrated Leadership Programs and Encampment. He distinguished himself as the Commander of the 31st Cadet Training Squadron and ultimately commanded the California Wing Cadet Training Group. He also represented the United States Air Force and it’s Auxiliary as a young ambassador, traveling to a then-divided Germany in 1985, on the International Air Cadet Exchange. Upon graduation from San Francisco State University, Kevin was commissioned as an officer in the United States Air Force where he earned his pilot wings. His career spanned 28 year in both the active duty Air Force and the USAF Reserves. He was rated in both the C-141 and C-17. He piloted missions in Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm and in Operation Enduring and Iraqi Freedom. Kevin’s USAF career has taken him on missions to all of the world’s continents, including Antarctica. Presently Kevin is a pilot with United Airlines. The list of planes that he has flown includes the Boeing 727, 737, 757, 767, 777. Currently he is learning to fly the new Boeing 787 – “Dreamliner”.

Kevin volunteers and is an active member the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA). His focus is assisting fellow pilots with scheduling and manpower issues. Kevin believes that the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program was the singularly most important activity of his youth. He contends that the leadership, communication, and life skills that he learned as a cadet have carried with him -- in both peacetime and wartime conditions.

Mario Calvo,Business Unit Manager, Parker Hannifin

Mario Calvo joined Civil Air Patrol in 1985 at age 12 and was a member of Brackett Composite Squadron 64 for over 10 years, progressing through the ranks reaching the grade of C/Lt Col. He attended and led many of the leadership programs in the Cadet Program- most notably Cadet Commander of Sq 64, the CTG Commander in 1993, Pacific Region CAC Chair, and IACE (France) in 1992.

After college, Mario lived in France for a brief period before he started to work for Parker Hannifin, a Fortune 250 company specializing in engineering solutions. He obtained his masters degree in 2001, holds several patents and now lives in Minneapolis, MN with his wife and two children. He is the manager of a R&D business unit at Parker that specializes in developing and commercializing emerging technologies.

Mario attributes the achievements in his life and career in large part to the values, character and skills he obtained through the experience and mentors of the Cadet Program.

Christopher Mulder, Managing General Agent / Owner, Green Leaf Insurance

Christopher Mulder joined Civil Air Patrol when he was 14. He attended many cadet leadership activities and held multiple staff roles at California Wing Encampments. He is a proud recipient of the Amelia Earhart award and had the privilege and honor to serve as his squadrons Cadet Commander at the peak of his cadet career.

After Civil Air Patrol, Christopher attended St. Louis University where he earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Economics from the John Cook School of Business.

Fast-forward to today, Christopher is the founder and Managing General Agent of a successful Insurance Agency that primarily supports Independent Agents and Agencies in the growing and managing of their insurance practices. He considers the communication, leadership and extensive interpersonal skills he was taught as a cadet to have been instrumental in making him who he is today.

Rhett Spongberg,Spaatz Award Recipient(2017)

Rhett Spongberg joined the Civil Air Patrol as a cadet at the age of 13. He remains active at his home unit in Santa Rosa, CA, Squadron 157. He has served as a cadet staff member at more than 25 activities impacting over 1500 cadets. He also has attended National Cadet Officer School and National Character and Leadership Symposium. He has served as the Chairperson of the Pacific Region Cadet Advisory council and sat as a member of the National Cadet Advisory Council. Additional notable achievements are having served as Cadet Commander of the Pacific Region Cadet Leadership School, California Wing and Nevada Wing encampments. C/Col Spongberg graduated from Montgomery High school in Santa Rosa as a Valedictorian. During his early years of high school, while getting oriented in CAP, he earned his Eagle Scout and was inducted as a member of Order of the Arrow honor society.

C/Col Spongberg has also distinguished himself as a CAP and ROTC cadet. He is a student at Loyola Marymount University, Class of 2017, where he is on an ROTC scholarship and looking forward to a career in the Air Force. Among many of his ROTC achievements he is a Distinguished Graduate from Air Force ROTC Field Training, and recipient of the AFA Association, American Legion Scholastic Excellence and AFROTC Academic Honors Awards.