P a ge 5 t opside V olume 114, I s s u e 1
Message from the Chief of Staff
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve as your District Chief of Staff! I am proud to be a part of your District 5 Northern Region( 5NR) Executive Committee( EXCOM), to support Commodore Kyper and to work with the district’ s very dedicated elected and appointed officers as well as with our Director and our active duty colleagues.
All of EXCOM’ s efforts will be in keeping with Commodore Kyper’ s focus on serving our members, which he has summed up in his statement:“ Our Members – Our Strength.” We are committed to providing the direction and support you need to accomplish your missions. We value your time, talents and efforts. We will do all we can to see that you can get the training you need to operate at the highest levels of proficiency possible. We also insist that each of you enjoy your service to the boating public and Coast Guard to the utmost! In return, we ask that you support your elected and appointed leaders, keep the core values of honor, respect and devotion to duty in mind at all times and always follow the Chain of Leadership and Management. If problems do arise, please recognize that it is the responsibility of your leadership to resolve them promptly and at the“ lowest organizational level” possible – hopefully at the flotilla or division level. We also ask that you look for opportunities to recognize your deserving fellow members with awards whenever appropriate.
Thomas J. Dever District Chief of Staff
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary 5th District-Northern Region
In a nearby article, Commodore Kyper discusses the initiatives that are already underway – leadership training, task forces for recruiting and retention, the Auxiliary University Program, and the investigative & intervention program. We will keep you informed about these efforts throughout the year. All of these efforts have at their heart the recognition that recruiting and retention of members is the foundation for everything else we accomplish.
Many of us in district leadership positions just returned from the week-long national training and board meeting in St. Louis( N-TRAIN). The training was intense, excellent and intended to enable us to do our jobs better. It was also fascinating to see that the Coast Guard is increasingly reaching out to the Auxiliary for help. Every indication is that we can anticipate becoming more and more integrated into“ Team Coast Guard.” You can expect to see new Auxiliary clergy, financial planning and museum docent programs( qualified Auxiliarists will serve with the active duty members in the first two and at the proposed new Coast Guard Museum for the third). A highlight of N-TRAIN was the keynote address by U. S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Paul Zukunft followed by the Commandant’ s signing of the recently completed US Coast Guard Auxiliary Strategic Plan( available here: http:// cgaux. org / leadership / index. php).
Thank you for your service to the Coast Guard and the Coast Guard Auxiliary!
Thomas J. Dever District Chief of Staff
Coast Guard Auxiliary Fifth District Northern Region