CAP's annual National Conference PAO Academy

I'm just back from a week in Denver, Colo. for Civil Air Patrol's annual National Conference. We started with the fourth annual National PAO Academy, which I m/c'd and I also co-presented two seminars. We had more than 40 participants, and held two days of classes at Buckley Air Force Base and at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

One of the presenters was the deputy chief of strategic outreach for NORAD and USNORTHCOM public affairs, who I posed with after her presentation.

The high point for me was presenting awards to recipients in our annual Balsem Awards, named for Major Howell Balsem, who served as an Army Air Force officer during World War II and according to CAP's historian, served as CAP's public affairs officer from 1949 to 1956. He's credited with getting international exposure for CAP by getting a story in National Geographic Magazine and retired as a lieutenant colonel.

I co-presented the Balsem's best-in-show award with Sr. Director John Salvador to Lt Col Sanker (center) of the Missouri Wing.

Later in the week I co-presented a Learning Lab, "The Role of Today's PAO," a seminar about critical needs and how to achieve them in communicating and promoting CAP’s defense-related missions and accomplishments.

The photo is me at the annual banquet with aviation legend Mary Feik, who I sadly only get to see once a year now. Her Wikipedia biography is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Feik.