The Association is fortunate to have a group of talented, dedicated individuals serving as your officers and directors. Contact any of the officers via the Contact Us page.

Officers

Matt Chirik, President

Matthew J. Chirik, Spaatz #2135. Major Matt Chirik currently serves as the Director of Emergency Services for North Carolina Wing, Emergency Services Training Officer for the Mid-Atlantic Region, and as a Liaison to the FEMA National Response Coordination Center for Civil Air Patrol National Headquarters. Having joined CAP in 2011, he has served in various command and staff roles at the Squadron, Group, Wing, Region and National levels. He earned Spaatz Award #2135 as a member of Pennsylvania Wing and has completed Level IV of the senior member professional development program. He is currently a master rated Incident Commander and active in the CAP emergency services program. Chirik’s service in the emergency services field extends beyond CAP into his professional life where he works as a full-time career Firefighter/EMT for the City of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Joe Abegg, Vice President

Joe Abegg, Spaatz #399 (TSA Charter member and Life member). After earning his Spaatz Award, he became an Aerospace Engineer, an Air Force Pilot, and he was selected as an Astronaut (select) for an Ansari X Prize Competition team. He is an Air Force Command Pilot, a CAP Command Pilot, and a retired senior United Airlines Captain with almost 31,000 flying hours logged over six continents and traveling to 91 countries. He was the first-ever and longest serving CAP National Director of Emergency Services where he led twenty-six National Programs and innovative National Projects to include planning a comprehensive CAP National Search and Rescue Competition and drafting the first-ever CAP National Emergency Operations Plan. He is currently the CAP Northeast Region (NER) Chief of Staff (effective 26 Oct 2024) and the Air & Space Forces National Vice Chairman of the Board for Education (effective 1 Oct 2024). Among his many other prior assignments, he was the NER Plans & Programs Officer, the New Jersey Wing Commander, two tours as a CAP NER Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, and two tours as the New Jersey Wing Director of Cadet Programs. Additionally, he commanded a CAP Group for over four years, and he commanded three CAP Squadrons. He also served at 25 CAP Basic Cadet Encampments and at 25 CAP Region Staff Colleges. Col Abegg is the father of six children and four grandchildren.

Jay Sliwinski, Secretary

Jay Sliwinski, Spaatz #851.  Lt Col Jay Sliwinski grew up in a CAP family that now spans three generations and over 200 years of membership.  He joined at age 11 and earned his Spaatz in 1987. He has been the Minnesota Wing Spaatz Ceremony Mentor. Among his activities include 29 encampments, flight academy and the EAA Air Academy.  He is one of three Spaatzen in his family.

David Pattillo, Treasurer

David A. Pattillo, Spaatz #395, retired from the US Army after 20 years of service. He holds the Master Parachutist Badge with 100 military tactical jumps. He participated in Operations Urgent Fury (Grenada 1983) and Uphold Democracy (Haiti 1994). His second career was with the Department of Veterans Affairs where he retired as a senior healthcare administrator. He is a Fellow in the American Academy of Healthcare Executives and is active as a Board Member in several veteran and local organizations. He holds an undergraduate degree from The Citadel and graduate degrees in Healthcare Administration from Baylor University and strategic studies from the US Army Command and General Staff College.(Current as of Nov 2019.  Appointed in 2019.  Term expires in 2023).

Board of Directors

The Association’s Board of Directors consists of the four elected officers plus 9 members-at-large and one alternate. The at-large seats on the board are filled via the Association’s annual elections; one-half of these at-large seats are up for election each year. At-large directors serve a two-year term. For more information, see the Association’s by-laws.

*Lawrence L. Trick, Director #1

Larry Trick, Spaatz #452, is charter member of the Association. He served as the vice president of the Association from 1997 to 1998 and president from 1998 to 2000. He currently leads the effort to locate all missing Spaatz Award recipients. Larry recently retired after 35 years as U.S. Navy Civil Service employee. During his career, he was the program manager for the the X-49A Vectored Thrust Ducted Propeller Advanced Technology Demonstrator and later the Chief Engineer for the Naval Aviation Center for Rotorcraft Advancement. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in aerospace engineering from Penn State University and previously commanded CAP’s Maryland Wing. (Term expires in 2022.)

Antonio Barrosso, Director #2

Antonio J. Barroso, Spaatz #1437, joined CAP as a cadet in the Florida Wing in 1996, he earned the Carl A. Spaatz award in 2001, the Gil Rob Wilson in 2008, and later served as the Group 6 Commander from 2010-2012. He currently serves as CAP’s National Liaison Officer to the Pentagon and is a member of the National Capital Wing. Outside of CAP, he is a Lieutenant Colonel with the US Army on a joint assignment within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He is an Army Acquisition officer and has previously served as both an Infantry and Air Defense officer. He is a graduate of Air War College and holds a Masters Degree in Management and Leadership from Webster University, he is married and has 3 children.

*Logan Gallo, Director #7

Brad Lynn, Director #8

Committee Chairs/Project Coordinators

Thomas P. Hurley, Bylaws Committee Chair

Thomas P. Hurley, Spaatz #305, chairs the Association’s Bylaws Committee, which is charged with providing guidance to the Board of Directors when requested on procedural or other matters relating to the By Laws and reviewing and proposing changes to the By Laws requested by members and the Board, and reviewing Bylaw complaints of members. The committee also monitors the Association’s election process. The Association’s founding Vice President and a former board member, Tom is president of Thomas Hurley Consulting LLC. He holds certifications as a Project Management Professional and Certified Business Manager and holds securities, mortgage and life/health licenses in the State of Connecticut. Mr. Hurley is also. Tom is a lieutenant colonel in Civil Air Patrol and is a member of the CT Minuteman Composite Squadron in New Haven, CT. Mr. Hurley is married, is a church lector, member of the American Legion and an elected member of his local school board. He holds BS, MS and MBA degrees. (Term at discretion of TSA Board of Directors.)

Wayne “Astro” Mowery, Grant and Scholarship Committee Chair

Members:
Stephen Austen
Richard Griffith
Elmer Roman
Steve Schultz
Tim Morton
Patricia Petruff

Larry Trick, Membership Search Coordinator

See above.  (Term at discretion of the Board of Directors.)

Brad Lynn, Mentorship Committee Chair

Members:
Juan Rodriguez