On December 11 nearly 1,000 American Airlines employee volunteers will bring more than 1,700 children and spouses of fallen service men and women to Dallas/Fort Worth for five days of fun and fellowship at the 11th annual Snowball Express celebration. Upon arrival at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), families will be greeted by employee volunteers with a Texas-sized celebration and welcome. During their visit to the Lone Star State, they’ll experience a Walk of Gratitude honoring their sacrifice, a “knight” of jousting fun at Medieval Times, a private concert by Academy Award-nominated actor Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band, and so much more.

“I am privileged to work with so many generous individuals at American Airlines, not only those who have donated their time to fly and serve the families in the air, but those who have spent countless hours coordinating gate-side sendoffs in scores of airports around our system and arranging a first class arrival into DFW Sunday morning for the 11th consecutive year,” said David Seymour, senior vice president – Integrated Operations at American.

As the official airline of Snowball Express, American Airlines transported families traveling from 87 cities worldwide via nearly 100 chartered and commercial flights. American Airlines employees volunteer their time in a variety of ways, including hosting special sendoff celebrations at each of the departure airports, staffing the flights and assisting with activities, “decking the gates” with holiday decorations, and providing refreshments and entertainment, all to make sure the Snowball Express families have an unforgettable experience each year. To learn more about Snowball Express, visit SnowballExpress.org. Read More

STMM Family Office, LLC  announced that Stan Shipley, CFA, has joined the multi-family office organization as President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Shipley brings over 30 years of experience in corporate finance, wealth management, and financial team management with Bank of America beginning with the predecessor organization Republic Bank of Dallas. He has served in leadership positions in international banking, wealth management, capital markets and corporate investment banking. While in the international banking group he lived in Singapore for three years.

Mr. Shipley is an MBA graduate of the Wharton School of Business. He served in the United States Army as a Field Artillery officer for five years obtaining the rank of Captain. Mr. Shipley is also a Chartered Financial Analyst and holds series 7 and 64 licenses. As President and CEO of STMM Family Offices, Mr. Shipley will grow and develop the family office offering and will continue to service our existing family client relationships. Jeanie Wyatt, CEO and Chief Investment Officer of South Texas Money Management, Ltd., said, "I have known Stan for many years and it is an honor and pleasure to have someone of his caliber leading our family office subsidiary. His reputation for excellence and integrity and his impressive over 30-year career in finance and banking made him a natural fit for the family office. As a partner, he will be serving the multi-generation family clients." Read More

Matt Damborsky ’98 will take over as the new EVP for the Skanska USA Houston market, and will oversee all development operations from land acquisition to divestment. Since joining Skanska a year ago, he has led the development of Capitol Tower and worked with the West Memorial teams to bring both phases of that development to completion. With nearly 10 years of experience in the real estate business, Damborsky has contributed to the development of more than 2 million square feet of commercial office space representing approximately $1.5 billion, including the Shell Woodcreek Campus Expansion and the redevelopment of Shell Oil Company’s Westhollow Technology Center, both in Houston. Damborsky has a Master of Business Administration from Rice University. Read More

On 12 December, General (Retired) Martin E. Dempsey ’74 was invested as an Honorary Knight of the British Empire. General Dempsey accepted the award on behalf of all those in the uniforms of the United States and the United Kingdom who have served together in peace and in war throughout his 41 year career in the military. In describing the relationship between these two closest allies, General Dempsey said “In military operations as in life, you must find someone to trust, and then trust them. We trust our British comrades, and because we trust them we protect our mutual interests, promote our common values, and make the world a safer place.”

Former Army West Point men's basketball star Mark Lueking '96 was named to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame's 2017 Silver Anniversary Team. Lueking was one of 18 men acknowledged who showcased outstanding accomplishments as a senior basketball player 25 years ago. Lueking then brought his talents to West Point, where he still stands fifth in Patriot League history and third in the Army records book with 2,032 career points. For those efforts he earned first-team All-Patriot League honors in his final three seasons and scored 30 points or more 19 times in his career. Lueking is also third in league history with 300 career three-pointers. 123950 The Men's Silver Anniversary Team includes 13 members of the 1992 Indiana All-Star squad. Five other all-state players are included to recognize the top of Indiana's high school class of 1992. Read More

In an effort to increase the African American population among cadets, staff and faculty at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, three graduates, Mary Tobin ’03, Bridgette Bell ’04 and Jamal Robinson ’10 founded Do More Together. Do More Together is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to form a global network of U.S. Military Academy graduate supporters from all backgrounds that engages, mobilizes and empowers Black and African American graduates and cadets. “As West Point graduates, we wanted to fully embrace the tradition and camaraderie that comes with graduating from this storied institution while acknowledging the uniqueness of the Black and African American West Point experience,” Jamal Robinson, Do More Together co-founder and U.S. Military Academy’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company commander, said. The organization’s intent aligns with the Academy’s strategic goal of leveraging diversity and fostering inclusiveness by using four pillars: Recruiting, networking, mentorship and fundraising. Read More

This past Friday afternoon, 24 cadets became the newest members of the Long Gray Line. As the December Class of 2016 received their diplomas, they were met by Mr. Robert Cresci ’66, who presented each graduate with their 2LT bars. "Hats off" to the most recent West Point graduates!

The Class of 2016 December Graduates: Clayton G. Barone, Heather J. Berzenye, Darrell Q. Bishop, Liana M. Blatnik, Keith E. Brittan, Austin J. Canara, Christopher H. Carnegie, Brady J. Carroll, Israel S. Castro, Dale R. Cavender, Jr., Christopher J. Drew, Anastasia M. Efaw, Andrew T. Ellerson, Rebekah R. Estime, Jonathan S. Hendler, Philip R. Jaedicke, Kunal Jha, Hannah M. Jones, Steven T. Liu, Matthew R. McCormack, James D. McNulty, Dalton G. Mendenhall, Eric N. Peng and Salman K. Sultan.

The National Academy of Public Administration (the Academy) announced that LTC(R) Teresa  W. Gerton, who has served at the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Labor, will join the Academy as its new President and Chief Executive Officer, effective January 9, 2017. “After a comprehensive national search for an effective and strategic leader who can build on the Academy's accomplishments, we are pleased to announce Terry Gerton will lead our efforts to improve governance, not only in Washington, D.C., but across the national landscape,” said Reginald L. Robinson, Chairman of the Academy’s Board of Directors. “Terry brings a depth of expertise in strategic organizational management, along with a proven track record as an effective leader in a variety of organizational contexts. We welcome her vision, energy, and leadership as the Academy prepares to write its next chapter.”

“I am pleased and excited to accept this opportunity to further the Academy’s important mission of good governance that benefits all citizens,” said Ms. Gerton. “This is a time of great opportunity for the Academy as the government undergoes the transition to a new Presidential Administration and faces growing challenges that require innovative solutions. I look forward to working with the Academy’s Board of Directors, Fellows and staff to achieve meaningful results.” Ms. Gerton served as an officer in the U.S. Army for 20 years before retiring in 2003, and then served for eight years as a career member of the Senior Executive Service in the U.S. Department of Defense, earning both the Meritorious and Distinguished Presidential Rank Awards. She was a Vice President at the Cohen Group from 2011-2013 and later returned to public service at the U.S. Department of Labor, where she served as a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy at the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) from 2013 until the present.

Over the past two months, Forbes scoured the country for the best veteran-owned startups in the nation. They asked venture capitalists, angel investors, veteran founders and industry experts. 85 nominations were culled based on five factors - prior 12-month revenues, previous 12-24 month revenues, revenue growth rate, employee headcount and external capital raised. To qualify, startups must be for-profit companies, no more than five years old, and at least 50% owned by or operationally controlled by a military veteran founder. Upon hearing the news, Ron Steptoe ’87 wrote to his team, "I am so proud of the WCH Executive Team, Advisors, Technology Partners, and Technical Contractors. Now, let's get back to business of improving the health and healthcare of the nation's veteran and military communities."

Warrior Centric Health is the first accredited eLearning program to address the socio-cultural determinants of health in veterans and their families. Its design equips commercial and non-profit hospitals, medical personnel and staff with the skills necessary for the standard and consistent application of culturally competent methodologies when treating veterans and their families. They provide quality education, data science, credentialing, community outreach and market relationship support to improve long-term health outcomes for vulnerable populations.

On 21 December 2016, Kabul, Afghanistan- Lieutenant Colonel Thérèse Obidinski ’98 and a US Army Information Operations officer, was awarded one of the highest Romanian military honors that can be awarded to member of a foreign military, the Emblem of Honor, signed by the Romanian Army Chief of General Staff from the Ministry of National Defense. The Combined Joint Psychological Operations Task Force (CJPOTF) Commander, Colonel Sorin Cirstea presented the award to her as a sign of appreciation for the commitment and dedication LTC Obidinski demonstrated while performing her duties as the CJPOTF deputy commander in support of the NATO Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan and also to honor the continued partnership between the U.S. and Romania.

Major General (Retired) Ronald Johnson ’76 has been appointed as Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army (CASA) for Georgia (North). Appointment to the position of CASA is an indication of both the high standings that the recipient is held in by fellow citizens and the demonstrated commitment to serve our men and women in uniform. As a CASA, General Johnson will help generate community support for Soldiers, their Families, and Army Civilians, explain Army policies and programs as they affect the state, and help tell the Army story to the American public.

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated as his Army secretary Vincent Viola ’77, who became a billionaire after founding an electronic trading firm and went on to buy the Florida Panthers hockey team. Viola funded the creation of highly regarded Combating Terrorism Center at West Point after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. A former infantry officer and Ranger School graduate, he has pressed for innovation in cyber warfare, saying at a conference five years ago that the Army of the future will be built on a “gestalt of geekdom.” “We’ve got to find geeks who love their country,” Viola said, according to the military technology website Defense Systems. “At my company, I’ll gladly trade 10 pull-ups and five minutes on a run for 20 IQ points and heart.” In that same speech, Viola encouraged the Army to stay several steps ahead of potential adversaries by using innovation in technology, and encouraged buying off-the-shelf products and equipment rather than designing everything from scratch. Read More

WPAOG has now achieved the Platinum GuideStar Nonprofit level, the highest level awarded. GuideStar is the world’s largest source of information about nonprofit organizations and a leader in advancing transparency in the nonprofit sector. Reaching this level demonstrates WPAOG’s commitment to nonprofit transparency and accountability.

WPAOG has worked hard to showcase progress on our mission of serving West Point and the Long Gray Line, and our profiles on leading nonprofit sites like Guidestar support our commitment to transparency to our constituents. As a GuideStar Platinum participant, WPAOG uses the platform to share up-to-date information with our supporters, as well as with GuideStar's online audience of nonprofits, grantmakers, individual donors, and the media.

Please view our profile page at https://www.guidestar.org/profile/14-1260763.

The GuideStar database contains profiles for every tax-exempt nonprofit registered with the IRS. GuideStar invites nonprofits to update their profiles at no cost to the organizations. Updating allows nonprofits to share information with millions of people who visit GuideStar to learn more about nonprofit organizations and the more than 120 sites and applications that use GuideStar data

Archie Elam ’76 was inducted into the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame as the Class of 2016 on December 7. Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut Nancy Wyman, Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Sean M. Connolly, Major General Thaddeau Martin, and Adjutant General of the Connecticut National Guard inducted Mr. Elam and the nine other veterans. Established in 2005, the Veterans Hall of Fame recognizes the continued service of Connecticut veterans who have made significant contributions to their communities after leaving military service.

“Connecticut is deeply grateful for these heroes whose service to our nation didn’t end when their tour of duty did,” said Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman. “They are community volunteers, youth mentors, and civic leaders who embody the true spirit of service, and we thank them for all they have done to strengthen our cities and towns. Today’s induction speaks in small measure to just how appreciative we are of their military service and their continued good works.”

“These men and women have demonstrated the highest level of patriotism in defense of our country and the freedoms we enjoy. We are grateful for their service to our nation - both in uniform and in their civilian lives. This honor is one small way in which we recognize the service of our veterans and the steadfastness with which they have performed their duties,” said Governor Dannel P. Malloy. Read More.

On behalf of Knight Point Systems, LLC, CEO Bob Eisiminger ’88 presented a $50,000 check to the Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund on Monday, December 19, 2016. A Washington “Redskins Salute” partner, Knight Point Systems and Eisiminger presented the check during the Monday night NFL game between the Redskins and the Carolina Panthers at FedEx Field in Washington, DC. Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund was founded in 2014 by a group of graduates from West Point’s Class of 1986 and is inspired by classmate Colonel John McHugh, KIA while serving in Afghanistan in 2010. The Fund’s mission is to give back through education to military family members, especially military children of the fallen. To date, the Fund has awarded $3.4 million in college scholarships.

MaryEllen Picciuto ’86, President of Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund, accepted the $50,000 donation at the Redskins game. “We are grateful for the continued commitment and support of Bob and the entire Knight Point Systems team. They’ve been there for us since we started up this organization to honor service and sacrifice by helping military family members earn a college degree,” said Picciuto. Knight Point Systems (KPS), a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned business, provides IT services and solutions to Federal and commercial clients that include program management, cyber security, cloud computing, application development, infrastructure services, and service desk management. KPS’ primary offering is a solution set called Horizon that accommodates our customers’ needs for cloud computing by expanding their current technology into the cloud, so that they get more processing power, software, security, storage, or communications when they need it – without spending extra money when they don’t.

Photo: Eisiminger ’88, Picciuto ’86, and Dan Duenkel of Knight Point Systems

Dr. Brian W. Caputo has been selected as the new Vice President of Administration and Treasurer (CFO) at the College of DuPage. Caputo is currently the Chief Financial Officer/City Treasurer for the City of Aurora, a position he has held since 1998. Previously, he was the Director of Finance/Treasurer for the Village of Mount Prospect and Assistant Director of Finance for the Villages of LaGrange and Hoffman Estates. He also worked as an auditor with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Chicago. "I am pleased that Dr. Brian Caputo will bring his vast wealth of experience and knowledge to College of DuPage," said Dr. Ann Rondeau, President of College of DuPage. "I am confident that he will brilliantly lead our fiscal and financial responsibilities and bring forward-leaning management approaches to our mission and community. Brian will ensure the students, faculty, staff, residents and taxpayers of District 502 are very capably served."

Caputo, who will begin at the College on March 13, 2017, holds a Master of Science in Accountancy from DePaul University, and a Master of Public Administration from Northern Illinois University. He also earned a Ph.D. from NIU with public administration, public policy, and government finance as fields of study. He is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Public Finance Officer, and he currently is an adjunct professor of public finance at NIU. Caputo is a past president of the Illinois Government Finance Officers Association and a past chair of the IGFOA's Technical Accounting Review Committee. In 2015, he became a member of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). In 2004, Caputo retired from the United States Army Reserve as a lieutenant colonel after more than 22 years of active and reserve military service, during which he specialized in financial and human resources management. Read More

Jason Dempsey ’93 and Ken Robbins ’94 Co-Founders of MILLIE have been named to the Forbes Top 25. Over the past two months, Forbes scoured the country for the best veteran-owned startups in the nation. They asked venture capitalists, angel investors, veteran founders and industry experts. 85 nominations were culled based on five factors - prior 12-month revenues, previous 12-24 month revenues, revenue growth rate, employee headcount and external capital raised. To qualify, startups must be for-profit companies, no more than five years old, and at least 50% owned by or operationally controlled by a military veteran founder.

MILLIE has moved wives, husbands, pets, Airstreams, vinyl record collections, furniture, children, destination signs and an aircraft carrier filled with wonderful memories over 50 times. They are bound by their “bring it on” spirit and desire to provide services and opportunities for military people to help each other eradicate stress from the military move. They personally understand the PCS process.

Also, they recently were recognized with the Capital One Award for Small Business Veteran and Military Spouse Employment, for demonstrated leadership by a small business or organization (less than 500 employees) in hiring veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses.

Both the men's and women's lacrosse programs have officially moved into the new top-notch Foley, Enners, Nathe Lacrosse Center. The FEN Lacrosse Center is named after former classmates William Foley '67, Lt. Ray Enners '67 and Michael Nathe '67. "We are so fortunate to call the new FEN Center the home of Army men's and women's lacrosse," said the Noto Family Head Women's Lacrosse Coach Kristen Skiera. "The attention to detail within the building and the location in the corner of Michie Stadium shows immense dedication to Army Lacrosse. Video Link: https://youtu.be/opYwG6wv3JM.

This top-notch facility will serve our cadet-athletes in so many ways and undoubtedly contribute to the tradition of excellence of Army athletics." The 15,000-square-foot-facility will feature two floors nestled in the northeast corner of historic Michie Stadium. The first floor contains locker rooms for Army West Point's men's and women's lacrosse teams in addition to equipment and athletic training rooms, and coaches' locker rooms. While the equipment room features a rolling rack storage system and laundry room, the training room includes six treatment tables, a physician's office, ice machine and Grimm dual therapy pool. Read More

In the January 2017 edition of AUSA’s ARMY magazine, COL(R) Kenneth Carlson ’66 shares a personal story about the impact of the Berlin Wall.

Several months ago, I was playing golf with some young people when I mentioned that the eighth hole at the Brambleton Golf Course in Ashburn, Va., should be called Berlin. They asked why. I responded, "Because it has a wall right across the fairway." They had no idea what I meant, so I asked them if they had learned about the Berlin Wall in a history class. None had ever read  or heard anything about it. So I explained.

In 1964, as a U.S. Military Academy cadet on Army Orientation Training, I had visited Berlin with several classmates. Two of us were sitting at a restaurant quite close to the wall when we noticed an elderly woman standing at a street crossing. She never moved, even when the light changed. Instead, she kept checking her watch. When the minute hand reached 12, she reached into her purse and with drew a set of binoculars, looking across the wall. We stood and looked as well. Across the wall, about four blocks in, an elderly man leaned out of a window at least five or more stories high on an East Berlin building. He also had binoculars. The two waved at each other for a minute or two and then blew a kiss to each other. Then the elderly man pulled back into the building. The woman put her binoculars into her purse and began to walk away.

I got up and ran to her side, asking in English, "What did we just see?" She replied that the man was her husband. He had been in East Berlin on business on Aug. 13, 1961, when the wall was erected. The East Germans would not let him return to his home in West Berlin, nor did they permit telephone calls between the East and West sectors. They did permit mail to be sent and received, but she and her husband wanted to see each other. So they picked a day and time each week when they would wave across the wall. They had done so for three years.

Article re-published with permission of AUSA. Full Article»

Leadership in Balance is a groundbreaking perspective on leadership written primarily for emerging and high potential leaders. Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Mike Lerario, a successful commander in combat and in peacetime, introduces his Fulcrum-centric Leadership model and outlines simple but powerful strategies for success in any leadership situation, empowering leaders to find balance and achieve results. See attached summary for more details.

This book is written for the new manager or anyone who aspires to become a leader. Whether you have just finished school or have been working for some time, you are in (or about to assume) your first real leadership position. Leadership in Balance will help you to see and understand your natural tendency in each of four essential leadership domains. Once you’ve identified your true and natural tendencies, you become self- aware of your default position as a leader. Armed with that knowledge, and as you become situationally aware of your team and the environment, you will learn to see when the situation demands a shift in order to find balance between you and the environment where you lead.

Understanding the concepts of Leadership in Balance will allow leaders at all levels to become immediately more effective and infinitely more productive.