Candidates for National Officers and Directors.
VICE CHAIR OF THE BOARD,
FIELD OPERATIONS
Chris Canada, Bellevue, Neb., is the current AFA Nebraska State President and previous Midwest Region President. He has held Board positions with Project Management Institute (PMI), Heartland Chapter (a non-profit 501(c) (3)), for the past six years, in roles including VP Communications and Marketing; VP Operations; President; and Chair of the Board. He has also sat on the Board of Trustees for Sanitation and Improvement District 243 for the past nine years, in roles including Board Clerk and Compliance Officer. Canada has experience in project and program management through many years in military and post-military. He has been a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) for 10 years and a Certified Scrum Master (CSM) for agile processes for seven years. He also has professional experience in budget management, including two years as the Director of Staff for the U.S. Air Force’s second largest combat wing.
A message from Chris Canada: Under our recently approved bylaws, there are four positions on the Board of Directors that ensure Field representation for our great Association: the three Area Directors and the VCoB-FO. I have been a member of our Association since 1980, a life member since 1985, and active for decades—I understand our history, strengths, and challenges. It would be great to say that I have all the answers too, but that just isn’t so. I have and will continue to “roll up my sleeves” to work on solutions to our challenges, believe in and live our Association’s mission, and embrace optimism about its’ future so our Association can continue successfully as “the force behind the forces.” I have and shall continue to support our Association through time, talent, and treasure at the Chapter, State, Regional, and National levels. When you are committed to a cause or organization, then it’s just that simple.
Ross Lampert, Hereford, Ariz., is currently AFA’s Field Council Field Leadership Development Chair and has previously served as an AFA Chapter, State, and Region President. Having already served on the AFA Executive Committee as the National Secretary, he has experience in Board operations. He has a deep knowledge of Field Operations having served and led at the Chapter, State, Region, and National levels since 2001.
A message from Ross Lampert: I have had a long-standing interest in Field leadership, especially in improving and strengthening it. It’s the reason I founded both the Field Council’s Training Subcommittee and the Field Leadership Development Team. I have studied volunteer leadership since the start of the previous decade. Having served on the Field Council since 2012, however, I’ve seen that leadership in volunteer organizations is fundamentally different from that in the military or in industry. While previous Field Operations Vice Chairmen have been concerned about Field leadership, they have not put the focused attention on it that’s needed to make the kinds of improvements AFA needs. While I know the Field Ops Vice Chair has many other duties, I believe this must be the No. 1 focus: without effective Field leaders, AFA cannot be an effective organization.
I have established a legacy endowment to AFA that will provide additional annual funding to support Field Operations or AFA’s STEM education activities. The Field Operations and Education Vice Chairs (or their successors) will determine each year how the money will be used. As the Southwest Region President and National Secretary, I routinely requested reimbursement for only half of my travel expenses.
NATIONAL DIRECTOR AT LARGE
The Nominating and Governance Committee submits four names for National Director at Large. Two will be elected for a three-year term.
Col. Joseph H. Abegg, Eastampton, N.J., is AFA’s New Jersey State President. He served 29 years in the Air Force and has been an active member of the Civil Air Patrol for 50 years as a CAP Command Pilot and former National Director of Emergency Services. He sits on the Board of Directors for the Spaatz Association; is the Chair of the Eagles Advisory Committee CAP Northeast Region; and has nine years of experience lobbying State and Federal Legislators for CAP. He received AFA’s Meritorious Service Award in 2022.
A message from Col. Abegg: My decades of executive and strategic leadership, knowledge, and experience with the military, corporate, civilian, and aerospace industries provide me with the necessary tools to be a valued asset to the Leadership of AFA. I bring unique skill sets to the table having operated classified missions on five continents, having been the on-scene commander at a BENT SPEAR in a foreign country, having witnessed six UAP events, and having nine years of consecutive experience lobbying the Senate and the House on Capitol Hill on behalf of CAP.
As a member of the Board of Directors of the Spaatz Association, I have experience in lobbying 12 Aerospace and Defense Corporations for donations. I am an annual Commander’s Circle donor to both the Civil Air Patrol and the Spaatz Association.
With the challenges ahead with our pacing threat(s) and with the pending disclosure of the known non-human presences and technologies, the need for AFA to take the lead to educate, advocate, and support Air & Space activities has never been greater, and philanthropy needs a higher priority.
Bill Harding, the past president of AFA’s Schriever Chapter, has been closely involved with AFA’s evolution to support the Space Force, as well as the Air Force. He helped lead the Schriever Chapter to be named AFA’s Outstanding Large Chapter in 2022, and co-chaired AFA’s Space Working Group (SWG) for more than two years, where he helped survey Guardians to get a pulse on what Guardians want from AFA. The SWG was instrumental in providing AFA leadership with insight into space issues and influencing the ultimate rebranding of AFA to the Air & Space Forces Association. Bill served in the Air Force for 28 years.
A message from Bill Harding: I served 28 years Active duty in the Air Force. But looking at my career assignments and accomplishments, I recognize that I would be in the Space Force if I served today. I want to ensure AFA continues to support both Guardians and Airmen. I believe AFA is the right organization to ensure support of both services within the Department of the Air Force and want to ensure that we continue supporting Airmen that, even today, still support the Space mission, as well as Airmen and Guardians supporting air missions. In addition to bringing more Space experience to the Board, I want to bring a Field perspective to the National level. After over a decade of serving in AFA Field positions, I feel like the logical move for me is to run for National Director at Large.
As an independent consultant, my Non-Federal Entity (NFE) activities, primarily AFA, are non-invoiced volunteer hours. I continue to raise my hand to help because I believe in the mission. That has included a number of instances where I’ve prioritized AFA activities over paid consulting activities. On the positive side, AFA participation provides exposure to senior Air Force and Space Force leaders, and an understanding of strategic issues which make me a better independent consultant.
Gen. Robin Rand, USAF (Ret.), Universal City, Texas, currently sits on AFA’s Board of Directors as an appointed National Director. Rand served on Active duty in the United States Air Force for over 40 years. He entered the service in 1974 and graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aviation Science. He also has a Master of Science degree in aeronautical science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; and Master of Arts Degree in National Security Policy from the Naval War College.
During his military career, that included six overseas assignments, he had multiple flying assignments; served as an air liaison officer with the U.S. Army; and completed staff tours on the Joint Staff, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, and Headquarters Air Force. He was a military command pilot with over 5,100 flying hours, mostly in the F-16, including more than 480 combat hours.
His command duties included the 36th Fighter Squadron at Osan Air Base, Korea; USAF Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.; 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan Air Base, Korea; 56th Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.; 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing at Balad Air Base, Iraq; 12th Air Force and Air Forces Southern at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz.; Air Education and Training Command at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas; and his last assignment prior to retiring was Commander, Air Force Global Strike Command and Commander, Air Forces Strategic-Air, U.S. Strategic Command, at Barksdale Air Force Base, La.
After retiring from the Air Force in September 2018, he served as Chief Executive Officer, Gary Sinise Foundation, a veterans and first responders nonprofit support organization, until July 2021. Currently, he is the Arnold Air Society and Silver Wings Chair of the Board of Trustees; Top Aces Corporation proxy board member; Air and Spaces Forces Association board member; United Stated Air Force Academy Falcon Foundation trustee; policy adviser for the Vice President of Research and Partnerships at the University of Oklahoma; Victory Strategies managing director; senior consultant for several for-profit companies; and United States Air Force adjunct contract professor and senior mentor.
NATIONAL DIRECTOR, EAST AREA
The Nominating and Governance Committee submitted one name for National Director, East Area, who will be elected for a three-year term.
Todd Freece, Oviedo, Fla., is currently the AFA Florida State and Region President, and a previous Chapter President. He spent more than 26 years as a USAF officer with positions at all levels across a diverse set of organizations and assignments including Astronautical Engineer, Space Operations Officer and Commander.
A message from Todd Freece: I want to serve in this role because AFA continues to face a great deal of change. I believe the nature of how AFA is organized needs to adapt to the changing social environment and input from the field is essential to the AFA Board of Directors. I believe I can bring credibility of my field experience and face these changes professionally.