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2008 CAP PAO Academy Presenters
 Maj. Paul S. Cianciolo, director of Public Affairs for National Capital Wing and commander of Andrews Composite Squadron. He holds a master rating in public affairs, senior rating in cadet programs and is qualified as an information officer, ground branch director, ground team leader and mission observer. Cianciolo joined CAP in 1996 as a cadet in Wisconsin and earned the Amelia Earhart Award before enlisting in the Air Force in 1999. In 2007, Cianciolo coordinated several media events to showcase CAP. Highlights included a front page article in The Washington Post, a feature aired on NBC 4 News, a documentary aired on Retirement Living TV, an interview on local cable following CNN Headline News and an interview with a pilot on Federal News Radio. In his professional career, Cianciolo works for L-3 Global Security & Engineering Solutions at the Pentagon for the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Office for Congressional and Public Affairs.
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 Brig. Gen. Amy Courter, CAP interim national commander. In addition to Courter’s extensive leadership duties as interim national commander, Courter has worked for 20 years – most recently as vice president of Information Technology -- with Valassis, a global billion-dollar marketing services company based in Livonia, Mich. While at Valassis, she expanded the IT department into a business, rather than just a support group, by developing business-to-business applications that generated revenue. Courter has been honored as one of “Crain’s Detroit Business” top “40 under 40” and was named as an “Outstanding Young Michigander” by the Jaycees. She also received the “Premier 100 IT Leader” award from “Computerworld” in 2001 and the “Top Michigan Woman in Computing” award from the Association for Women in Computing in 2003. Brig. Gen. Courter joined CAP’s Michigan Wing in 1979 and most recently served as chair of the CAP Professional Development Committee. She served as commander of the Michigan Wing from 1999 to 2002 and as the female senior adviser to the CAP National Cadet Advisory Council.
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 Steve Cox, public affairs manager, CAP National Headquarters. A native of West Virginia, Cox graduated from Auburn University with a degree in journalism and has spent most of his life in the South, editing newspapers in Alabama and Mississippi for more than 25 years before joining CAP in 2007. Prior to his work at CAP, Cox was editor of The Mississippi Press, a 20,000-circulation daily newspaper in Pascagoula, Miss. While on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, he received the National Press Foundation Chairman’s Citation, presented to The Journalists of the Gulf Coast for extraordinary personal courage and public service in the coverage of Hurricane Katrina. Before moving to Mississippi in 2003, he was an editor with the Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser, the Prattville (Ala.) Progress and the Daily Mountain Eagle in Jasper, Ala.
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 Julie Debardelaben, deputy director of Public Affairs, CAP National Headquarters. Public Affairs plans, directs and coordinates CAP’s national public relations, media relations, communications and public awareness programs. Public Affairs is the office of primary responsibility for the organization’s national magazine, online news and annual report to Congress. PA plans and coordinates initiatives designed to brand CAP’s name and image and provides training, mentoring and resources for the organization’s 900-plus public affairs officers, including a two-day Public Affairs Officer Academy, a comprehensive hometown news release program and an online toolkit. DeBardelaben is a senior public relations practitioner who holds nearly 30 years experience in the field. Her work has been recognized with more than 60 professional awards in a variety of categories, including being named Public Relations Practitioner of the Year by the Public Relations Council of Alabama in 2001.
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 Ryan Easterling, multimedia production specialist, CAP National Headquarters. As part of the creative services department, multimedia production oversees and facilitates all media and video productions, including multimedia web content and live web streaming, helping make CAP visible to the public with a unique and creative presentation of materials. Easterling is a 2004 graduate of Huntingdon College, and brought with him a television news background to Civil Air Patrol after spending six years working for the CBS News affiliate in Montgomery, Alabama. His work has been recognized by the Associated Press in 2006 with a Best Series Award, as well as three awards from the Montgomery Advertising Federation in 2008 for videos that he produced for Civil Air Patrol National Headquarters.
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 Col. Richard A. Greenhut, marketing advisor for the Civil Air Patrol. Greenhut supports the 58,000 volunteer members by ensuring their efforts are recognized nationwide. Greenhut's CAP career started when he joined New York City Group in 1990. He has held several CAP senior staff positions, including Northeast Region director of safety, New York Wing commander and Northeast Region commander. Concurrent with these assignments, he has also served on the staff of five national commanders, filling such positions as director of homeland security chair of the corporate aircraft distribution committee and director of aircraft selection, avionics and configuration. A self-employed marketing consultant, Greenhut is also a volunteer FAA aviation safety counselor, holds an Airline Transport Pilot license, with ratings in single and multi-engine land and sea aircraft, and has been a pilot for almost 40 years.
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 Marc Huchette, director of Public Awareness and Membership Development, Civil Air Patrol National Headquarters. He is currently responsible for directing and overseeing the organization’s public affairs, marketing, recruiting and retention, government relations, creative services, meetings, special events, member benefits and corporate partnerships. A Pennsylvania native, Huchette graduated from West Virginia University in broadcast journalism and later from Syracuse University in marketing and communications through the Military Motion Media Studies Program. He also served honorably in the U.S. Air Force for 12 years, first as a combat controller, then as a combat cameraman, and finally as a producer, director and editor for the Department of Defense. Huchette’s extensive background has been instrumental in bringing innovation to the organization through the use of multimedia and technology.
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 Maj. (Dr.) David A. Miller, Missouri Wing Group II commander, medical officer, and assistant public affairs officer. A CAP member since 2005, he previously served as the wing’s recruiting and retention officer and legislative committee chair. Miller has published more than 145 articles as well as almost 100 photographs in CAP publications from squadron to national level. A rated mission information officer, Miller’s awards include four inaugural Balsam Awards, two Meritorious Service Awards, and three Commander’s Commendations. He is the 2006 Missouri Wing PAO of the Year and 2008 North Central Region PAO of the Year. In his spare time, Miller is a family physician. He is the former president of both the St. Louis Academy of Family Physicians and the Family Health Foundation of Missouri, and served six years on the Missouri Academy of Family Physicians Board of Directors.
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 CNN’s Miles O’Brien. Based in New York City, he currently serves as CNN's chief technology and environment correspondent, and also as the space and aviation correspondent. In addition to CAP’s search for Steve Fossett, other notable crash investigations O'Brien has covered during his 16-year career include the accident that took the life of John F. Kennedy Jr. O’Brien may be best known for his coverage of the U.S. space program. In February 2003, he led the network’s acclaimed coverage of the loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia, spending 16 solid hours live on the air. He contributed to CNN's Peabody- and Dupont-award winning coverage of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath with live reports from the U.S. Gulf Coast. He also has anchored various newscasts for CNN and Headline News, including Live From and, most recently, American Morning. O’Brien is a third-generation general aviation pilot.
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 Gordon W. Odell, Jr., CAP general counsel. He joined CAP as a cadet in 1970, and was very active in search and rescue before serving CAP as a lawyer at the wing, region and national levels. Odell spearheaded the creation of professional development opportunities for lawyers, including the Pacific Region Legal Officers College, the National Legal Officers College and the Legal Officers Continuing Legal Education – Audio Seminar Program. His CAP awards include the Exceptional Service Award and the Distinguished Service Medal. Odell was admitted to practice in California in 1985 and Alabama in 2004, with a focus on insurance defense litigation in private practice and as staff counsel for a major insurance company. He also served as an arbitrator, and as a judge pro tem in the California Superior Court. Odell has also been admitted to U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
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 Maj. Al Pabon, director of Public Affairs for the North Central Region. Pabon is known for his enthusiastic training programs and innovative delivery of products through technology. In 2006, National Headquarters adopted his public access show “CAP Journal” as a national video magazine. He served for six years as the Minnesota Wing PAO. His honors include 2001 Minnesota Wing Staff Member of the Year, 2006 North Central Region PAO of the Year and 2006 Col. Robert Peyton National PAO of the Year. Pabon was a member of the task force that helped to re-write the CAP’s Public Affairs regulation in 2005-2006. In 2007 he earned two Maj. Howell Balsem Awards for the Minnesota Wing Web site and the Minnesota WingTips newsletter. His CAP decorations include the Exceptional Service Award, Commander’s Commendation Award (3 Awards), National Commander’s Commendation Award, the Grover Loening Award, and the Disaster Relief Ribbon with V device.
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 Capt. Jerry Porter, public affairs officer, Deer Valley Composite Squadron 302, Phoenix, Ariz. He founded the squadron's "Full Throttle" monthly e-newsletter, an effort that earned him a Maj. Howell Balsem CAP Public Affairs Exceptional Achievement Award for newsletters in 2007. He is aircrew qualified as a mission scanner and observer. Recently named Arizona Wing's 2008 Public Affairs Officer of the Year, Porter also has received a commander's commendation, unit-citation ribbon, find ribbon, membership ribbon, Red Service ribbon and the Brig. Gen. Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager Aerospace Education Award. Porter is director of communication services for Sun Health, a nonprofit healthcare organization, and has served for 25 years as editor of its quarterly magazine titled "HealthMatters." He has earned more than 30 communication awards for his work there. Porter also is a master professor and undergraduate department chair at Western International University in Phoenix where he teaches marketing and business-communication courses.
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 Neil Probst, staff writer, CAP National Headquarters Public Affairs. Probst has worked at NHQ for three years and has nearly 14 years of experience in editing and writing, including nine years with the Montgomery Advertiser newspaper as a copy editor and a reporter. Currently he writes feature articles for Civil Air Patrol Volunteer and assists with other National Headquarters publications, such as the Annual Report to Congress. Probst has received numerous writing awards for his feature stories from both the Southern Public Relations Federation and the Public Relations Council of Alabama.
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 Capt. James A. Ridley, Sr., the New York Wing, Northeast Region and Long Island Group PAO. In addition to his PAO duties, Ridley also serves as the deputy commander of cadets of the Col. Francis S. Gabreski Squadron in Patchogue, N.Y., and the Long Island Group's cadet programs officer. Ridley has been interviewed on local news programs and has had stories published in several state newspapers, magazines and trade journals. His awards include the 2005 New York Wing PAO of the Year, the 2006 New York Wing Cadet Programs Officer of the Year, CAP Meritorious Service, Yeager Aerospace Education and Grover Loening awards, as well as several service ribbons. He has taught at Squadron Leadership School, Corporate Learning Course, Unit Commanders Course and directed a Training Leaders of Cadets seminar and a PAO Workshop. A systems engineer by trade, Ridley resides in Holtsville, NY.
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 Susan Robertson, photographer, CAP National Headquarters. As photographer, she collects or creates images for possible use in the “Civil Air Patrol Volunteer” magazine as well as the Annual Report to Congress. Some images may also be used in displays and vehicle wraps. Robertson is also responsible for the image archival system online. She has more than 21 years of experience in professional photography. She also has an image hanging at Disney’s Epcot Center in a Loan Exhibit for Photography and has received numerous awards for photography, including the prestigious Kodak Gallery Award. Robertson is past president of the Montgomery Professional Photographers Association, currently serves as Director on the board of Mississippi/Alabama Professional Photographers Association and volunteers her photography for the Heart Gallery of Alabama.
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Sr. Mbr. Dennis Steinbock, public affairs officer, Klamath Falls Composite Squadron, Oregon Wing. A CAP member since March 2008, Steinbock recently met and thanked a number of people, including CAP volunteers, involved in his search and rescue following the crash of his Zodiac 601XL on June 18, 2007, south of Oxford, Miss. He earned his private pilot license in 1989 and is rated in six general aviation aircraft. In addition to the public affairs career track, he is looking forward to serving CAP in the air once he becomes a mission-qualified pilot. He has been a career educator in a local school district and a part-time instructor at Klamath Community College. In addition to being a coach, he has also been involved in volunteer activities in the community and has an interest in working with youth outside of the school environment.
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 Capt. Steven Solomon, director of Public Affairs for CAP's Southeast Region and a member of the National PA Advisory Committee. Solomon is a master-level PAO and a qualified MIO. He received a Commander's Commendation for posting real-time Web site updates during the longest and largest search in Maryland history for a missing Cessna airplane. He has completed FEMA's Advanced Public Information Officer Course, is a member of the National Press Club and was profiled earlier this year in newsletters published by the Public Relations Society of America and the National Information Officers Association. He received the Maj. Howell Balsem 2007 Best of Show award in 2007. A former newspaper editor and reporter, Solomon chaired the inaugural PAO Academy planning committee last year.
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 1st Lt. Mark Swanson, director of public affairs, New Jersey Wing. Swanson accepted the reins of the public affairs operation in New Jersey Wing last summer and did what came naturally, changing the workflow to be more like the newspaper where he is the editor. In New Jersey, squadron and group PAOs send their releases and photos to him for editing and guidance before going out to the media. Their work is also uploaded to a wing news website, NJ Wing News Online (NJWGCAP.ORG), which Swanson calls an “info recycling program,” sharing unit public affairs products with thousands of people each month, inside and outside of CAP. The site has become the focus of the New Jersey Wing public affairs effort. Swanson holds a master’s degree in English from Long Island University/C.W. Post and is the editor of a fast-growing weekly newspaper, The Retrospect, based in Collingswood, N.J.
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 James F. Tynan, deputy director of creative services, Public Awareness and Membership Development directorate, CAP National Headquarters. He manages the graphics, photography, multimedia and Web site functions, and the CAP Print Plant. Previously, he served as the manager of Public Affairs, spearheading CAP’s media relations initiatives, and guiding CAP’s more than 900 public affairs officers. Tynan also served as the managing editor of the Civil Air Patrol News for 10 years. Before that, he served as a public affairs officer in the Air Force for 14 years, serving in a variety of positions including director of Public Affairs for Headquarters Air Force ROTC, chief of public affairs at the fighter wing and air division level, and as an instructor of journalism and public affairs at the Department of Defense's Defense Information School. During Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm, he served as the chief of the 35th Tactical Fighter Wing (Deployed) Public Affairs Office at Shaikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain.
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 Capt. Arthur E. Woodgate, director of Public Affairs for Southwest Region, remains the webmaster and editor of the Group III, Texas Wing online newsletter, where he gets the chance to work "in the trenches" and especially with cadet authors. Woodgate is a master-level PAO and a qualified MIO. He received two Meritorious Service Awards, one for his work in establishing a model Public Affairs program in Group III, Texas Wing, and another for his in-depth coverage of the Tuskegee Airmen Youth Day in 2007, a Southwest Region event. He received two Maj. Howell Balsem 2007 awards. A former magazine editor and photojournalist, he has been widely published in CAP publications, the Texas press, and aviation and emergency services magazine. He retired from the U.S. Army with the commissioned grade of Chief Warrant Officer Two, specializing in psychological operations, intelligence collection, intelligence analysis and strategic debriefing.
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