FROM THE COCKPIT…..
Is it hot enough for you yet?!? And where are the monsoons?? Maybe by the time you read this we’ll have a little relief. Despite the weather, your Tucson AFA Chapter continues to press on with activities. As always, I am ever grateful to our members that CONTINUE to execute all our Chapter activities. I encour- age ALL our members to pick an activity to help out. (see Calendar on last page for oppor- tunities)
Our big event in April was our 32nd Annual Golf Tournament, held at the Blanchard Golf Course on Davis-Monthan. A VERY BIG THANK YOU to all those who helped out, volunteered, donated, and participated in the tourney, making it a great success. As much as Dick Roberts tried to give away a free car on hole #9, only one person even hit the green, let alone got a hole-in-one…probably both due to the very strong headwind, plus a lack of skill! We’re already planning the tour- nament for next year, which will probably be held at a different course. Keep an eye out for information and plan onparticipating!!
In May we were very fortunate to have BG (ret) Linda Medler as our guest speaker at our monthly luncheon. Serving as the Director of Capability and Resource Integration for USCYBER Command before her retirement, and now as the Chief Information Security Officer for Raytheon Missile Systems, she gave us a fantastic (and scary) insight into what our nation’s military and government are doing to combat the cyber threat and develop our own cyber capability. We also honored our Chapter Teacher of the year, Mr David Herring, a University High School English teacher who single handedly brought an Infor- mation Technology curriculum back to UHS. The CyberPatriot Team he coached last school year also placed very highly in the regional competition. We have high hopes that his team this year will be selected to go to the CyberPatriot Finals in Washington DC next March. GoodLuck!!
Although we are taking a break in June and July from our luncheons, there are still many activities we are supporting. We just
concluded the AFA Southwest Region Confer- ence in Las Vegas. Many thanks to Bobi Oates and the Thunderbird Chapter from Nellis for hosting! Mark & Carol Koechle, Wally & Joan Saeger, and Len Summers attended from our chapter. We were treated to a tour of the Thun- derbird Museum and Threat Training Facility at Nellis AFB on Friday, along with a very in- formative all-day session on Saturday. The oper- ational brief from the 432d Wing at Creech (UAVs) was fascinating, and the information on future AFA field challenges and opportunities from AFA Director of Field Operations, Gavin “Mac” MacAloon was very insightful. See more details in the article in this edition.
Among other things, some other activities we supported last quarter were the Community Col- lege of the Air Force graduation, two Airmen Leadership School graduations, and helped spon- sor the Phoenix Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) Organizational Day. Additional- ly, our AZ State convention will be on Saturday, 19 August, at the Prescott Resort and Conference Center, and don’t forget about the AFA National Convention just outside Washington DC from 16
-20 September. Look for more information on both of these events in the following pages, and I hope to see you there!
Our next luncheon is planned for August, where we will begin the Chapter Annual Election pro- cess (election held at September meeting). There is a very good chance Congresswoman McSally will be our speaker at one of these luncheons; we are still working out details and will get the ad- vertisement out in plenty of time for you to make plans. If you recall, each year we elect our chap- ter President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. All of our members are eligible to run, so if you have any interest in participating in the chapter, either through an elected or appoint- ed position, or even as one of our all-important volunteers, please let me know! Remember, ED- UCATE, ADVOCATE,SUPPORT!!
Mark Koechle, President
Tucson Chapter’s May Meeting Presentation Brig. Gen. (Ret) Linda Medler
Linda R. Medler is the chief information security officer at Raytheon Missile Systems. In her current role, Medler is responsible for fostering business relationships and integrat-
ing information security tech- nologies and best practices to achieve strategic business goals.
Before joining Raytheon, Med- ler was president and CEO of LA Medler and Associates providing cyber strategy con-
Tucson Chapter 105’s Teacher of the Year University High School’s David Herring
David Herring is fortunate to teach at University High School in Tucson which is rated one of the best public high schools in the country. Every year, UHS students win nu-
merous academic awards. Three years ago students could not take a single com- puter science class because of budgets cuts and low enroll- ment led to the collapse of the CSprogram.
David’s career started as an
sulting services to commercial clients and numerous Depart- ment of Defense customers and academic institutions. In2014
L-R: Amy Cislak, UHS Princi- pal, David Herring, Mark Koechle, AFA President
English teacher and some-
times he would use Google Earth to help students under- stand the geography of a work
she retired from the U.S. Air Force as a Brigadier General and as Director of Capability and Resource Integration for the United States Cyber Command. In this role, she orches- trated the development of the current DoD Cyber Mission Force strategy and resourcing plan.
Gen. Medler’s previous assignments included Assistant Deputy Director of Communications and Networks for the Joint Staff, and Deputy CIO, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Chief of Staff for Air Force Material Command, Secretary of De- fense Corporate Fellow, and presidential communications officer at the White House Communications Agency. She commanded at the squadron, group and wing level and de- ployed to Afghanistan to lead more than 100 coalition per- sonnel responsible for fielding the Afghan National Army. In 2005, she commanded the 97th Air Expeditionary Group to provide humanitarian relief operations in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
The topic of Gen. Medler’s presentation was: Cybersecuri- ty: You Can Take Action. She spoke on the Cyber Security Landscape and recent Presidential orders, Who’s Who in the Cyber Zoo and Why do we care, Cyber Mission Forces and US Cyber Command and Service approaches, and Arizona leads the way and some things you can do.
Medler spoke about the financial impact of Cybersecurity and that the average breach now costs over $4M and that 60% of victim companies are out of business within 6 months. She said that government regulations and oversight is lacking in policy and an increasing congressional concern but a lack of consensus on what to do.
The General noted that cyber attacks are increasing and that US firms are the most targeted in the world. One third of attacks are successful and 30% of spear-phising attacks tar- get small business.
Arizona is the first state to participate in US Cyber Com- mand’s “Cyber Guard” and there are private/public partner- ships for “not-for-profit” organizations. This grew out of relationships with the FBI InfraGard and AZ Counter Ter- rorism Intelligence Center. Arizona is now advising Federal Authorities on ISAO Standards.
Robert Muellier, FBI Director, 2012 noted: “There are only two types of companies: those who have been hacked and those that will be”.
that they were reading. As a result of this, he began creating
a platform to map and share this type of information about books.
This project opened up several new opportunities for him and introduced him to programming and volunteer to teach computer science classes. He was able to transition from an English classroom where he had taught for over a decade to a computer science lab and began teaching two new clas- ses—one that focused on web development including an introduction to HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and an AP Computer Science A class, which focused on teachingJava.
David’s enthusiasm for this new subject matter was passed on to his students also, many of whom regularly describe their interest in pursuing computer science after high school and many encourage their friends to sign up for these clas- ses.
This previous year he had 50 students in two sections and this year he was able to recruit close to 120 students spread over five sections., including 40% female students.
David is able to connect his students with opportunities that go beyond the basic curriculum. This has included sponsor- ing a state champion CyberPatriot team this year as well as a student run Programming Club. He has also provided stu- dents with opportunities to meet computer science profes- sionals from Google, MyFitnessPal, Wikipedia, IBM, Expe- dia, and Intuit over the past two years and has worked with the University of Arizona CS Department to bring visitors to UHS.
David is proud of these early accomplishments in rebuilding the computer science program at UHS, but he also has big- ger plans. Over the next couple years, he will realign the scope and sequence of UHS classes to increase student learning and work with local tech professionals to ensure students are prepared for educational opportunities and ca- reers after they graduate. He also hopes to work within this district and with CS teachers across the state to remove some of the institutional roadblocks to providing CS educa- tion.
David states, “While these challenges will go far beyond what I can control in my classroom, they are the types of problems I believe I can help solve as I enter the second half of my career as an educator.”
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Tucson Chapter’s Annual Golf Tournament
April 28, 2017 at D-M AFB’s Blanchard Golf Course
It was a windy (really windy!!) day at the D-M AFB’s Blanchard Golf Course for the Chapter’s Annual Golf Tournament. The “hole
-in-one” for the new GMC 2017 Terrain on the No. 9 par-3 hole was not conquered and only 1 of the 36 players was even able to hit the green on the tee shot as the wind was directly in the golfer’s face! It was a fun day though and all the players braved the wind and finished the 18holes.
The team of Robb Blythe, Mark Koechle, Mike Watson, and Scott VanValkenburg placed first with a score of 62, finishing 6 strokes better than the 2nd place team.
Following the game, drawings were held for numerous items donated by many businesses. The Chapter wishes to thank all those business that donated prizes and were tournament sponsors.
Winning Team, L-R: Robb Blythe, Mark Koechle, Mike Watson, ScottVanValkenburg
Lining up shots on No. 9 hole
PresidentMarkKoechleTournament ChairScott
VanValkenburg
Tournament Sponsors
Haven Golf Course Blanchard Golf Course 49er Golf Course
Frost Gelato Van’s Golf Shop
Café Torino Royal Buick
The Coffee Exchange Hilton Garden Inn— Airport
Marriott Starr Pass
Chick-Fil-A Scordatos
Helping at check-in: Jack Carter &
Wendy VanValkenburg
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Know Your Tucson Chapter 105 Officers VP Public Affairs/Newsletter: Dick Roberts
Dick Roberts spent 37 years in the Aerospace Industry as an engineer in Aeronautical and Electronics Engineering posi- tions with Northrop Aircraft, General Dynamics/Astronautics,
North American Aviation, and McDonnell –Douglas. The last 29 of these years were spent with McDonnell- Douglas Corporation in Long Beach, CA in supervisory positions in Flight Test of Commercial and Military Air- craft, Engineering Cost Esti- mating, and Customer Engi-
neering. Dick retired from
Chapter 105 Elementary Teacher of the Year
Despite National AFA deciding to recognize only one Chap- ter Teacher of the Year (ToY) as a cost cutting measure, last year they were willing to recognize both a high school and anelementaryschoolToY,Chapter105wantedtocontinue
recognizing both levels. Tonya Connelly from Cop- per Ridge Elementary was selected as our Elementary School ToY for her out- standing work in promot- ing STEM and Advanced Math education for her students. In her letter ofrecommendation, Principal Erica Irby wrote “Shehas
McDonnell-Douglas in July 1994 and moved to Green
Valley, AZ in September of that year.
Tonya Connelly helps First Grad- ers use their senses to investigate pumpkins.
the ability to build mean- ingful relationships which motivates students in the area of math and science.
Since moving to Green Valley, Dick has been heavily in- volved in community activities that included 8 years on the Green Valley Community Coordinating Council, the last 4 as President. In this position he dealt with community concerns and worked with many Pima County Departments, including Development Services and Transportation. Dick chaired the Community Transit Committee and was instrumental in bring- ing Transit Service to the Green Valley area. He has been a Rotarian for 23 years and with the Air Force Association Tuc- son Chapter for the past 6 years, though a member of AFA for close to 40 years.
CyberPatriot Announces National Champions The Air Force Association announced the winners of the Cy- berPatriot IX National Finals Competition, held earlier this month in Baltimore. North Hollywood, Calif., High School’s “Team Tugo” won the national championship in the Open Division, as well as winning the Leidos Digital Forensics Event and the overall Cisco Challenge. Colorado Springs Cadet Squadron with the Colorado Springs Civil Air Patrol won the All-Service Division. Summit Lakes, Mo., Middle School’s “Team Error 37” won the Middle School Division. “Team Cyber Warriors 3” from Troy High School in Fuller- ton, Calif., won the AT&T Mobile Computing Challenge, and “Team Falcons” from Poolesville, Md., High School won the Facebook Challenge. “Team TX-781st” from O.W. Holmes High School Air Force JROTC in San Antonio won the all- service division of the Cisco Networking Challenge. Leon Gaulin of” Team Marine Raiders” from Montachusett Re-gional Vocational Technical School received the Cyber All- American Award, presented to competitors who competed in the national finals for four consecutive years of their high school tenure.
AFA News 4-13-17
Mrs. Connelly also goes above and beyond by serving as the Science Fair Coordinator at Copper Ridge.”
Since Ms. Connelly was not able to attend our May luncheon when we recognized our other ToY, David Herring, we will recognize her accomplishments at a future date.
Congratulations to Tonya and thank you for all that you do for our future generation.
2017 Election of Chapter Officers
Chapter 105 will conduct the election of chapter officers at the September 2017 meeting so they can take their positions effective October 1, 2017. Every year, we must elect the following officers to comply with AFA operating proce- dures: President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. An email will be sent in late July asking for nominations along with a description of the duties for each office. If you want to get an advance look you can look at the Field Opera- tions Guide on the AFA web site: You’ll have to look under the tab of information for Field Leaders and then the Field OperationsGuide.
The direct link to the FOG is:
higherlogicdownload.s3.amazonaws.com/AFA/f2bbba4e-
d4ed-418d-9d72-73a248e217ea/UploadedImages/May%
20Updated%20%20FOG%20Final_09_1_2016.pdf
Chapter 10 covers The Chapter including the duties of the elected officers. While there, please review the Recom- mended Officers (Appointed) to see if there are any posi- tions that interest you if you don’t want to be an elected of- ficer. We can always use help in running the chapter and our support of the Total AirForce.
Air Force Magazine Honored for Third Consecutive Year in Journalistic Excellence
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Air Force Association (AFA) announced today that its flagship publication, Air Force Magazine, has been recognized by the DC Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
News Editor Amy McCullough received first place in the non-breaking news category within the magazine’s division for her detailed account of the six-decades-plus struggle to maintain stability on the Korean peninsula, “Keeping Peace in Korea.”
Photo Editor Mike Tsukamoto and Digital Platforms Editor Gideon Grudo took first place as well in the infographic category for their explanation on technology readiness levels, depicting benchmarks by which the US Air Force and other defense agencies determine the maturation and readiness of developing technologies. “We’re thrilled that SPJ has again recognized our staff’s solid work, and are doubly gratified that the awards reflect the interest of not just the defense and aerospace community, but a general audience,” said John Tirpak, Editorial Director, Air Force Magazine.
This is the third consecutive year the Society of Professional Journalists has honored Air Force Magazine. In 2015 and 2016, the publication was awarded for works largely pertaining to affairs in the Middle East and Europe.
The Society of Professional Journalists is a national organization dedicated to improving and protecting journalism since its inception in 1909. In addition to its advo- cacy and educational efforts, it is the keeper of the internationally known journalism code of ethics.