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Aviation Leader, Washington Wing Member, Joins CAP Foundation Board
Lt. Col. Carlos Zendejas, a Civil Air Patrol member since 2015 and a longtime leader in the aviation community, is the newest member of the CAP Foundation board of trustees.
Zendejas said he’s “truly humbled” to be selected as a board member. “CAP is a remarkable program for every facet of a person’s life, but I know firsthand the benefits and opportunities it offers our youth because all three of my children are members in this outstanding organization,” he said.
The Civil Air Patrol Foundation promotes and supports CAP by providing direct funding for the organization and its programs, missions, and operations, including strengthening squadrons and wings and providing scholarships for cadets and aerospace education. It also helps donors leave a legacy and a lasting impact.
“Over the last 3½ years, donors have invested more than $3 million in the foundation. These funds translate into direct support for cadet scholarships, aerospace education and strengthening squadrons,” said Kristina Jones, president and executive director of the foundation.
"The addition of Carlos to the foundation board brings a wealth of commercial aviation insight and connectivity to the board. We are incredibly excited to have him on the foundation team," said Col. Rajesh Kothari, the board’s chair.
A captain in the airline industry, Zendejas has been with Alaska Air Group nearly 20 years. He is vice president of flight operations for Horizon Air and previously was also Horizon’s system chief pilot. He was the Seattle base chief at Alaska Airlines, responsible for over 1,100 pilots, and has flown . the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 and Boeing 737 for Alaska Airlines.
In addition to serving as assistant aerospace education officer for the Washington Wing’s Evergreen Composite Squadron in Kent, Zendejas is a member of Auburn-based Green River College’s Aviation Board and the Angel Flight West Board of Directors.
In the Air Force, he was an instructor pilot/aircraft commander in the C-21A Learjet at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, and in the KC-10A at Travis AFB, California, before finishing his active-duty service as an evaluator/instructor pilot and chief of standardization/evaluation at the C-21A Schoolhouse at Keesler AFB, Mississippi. He was then a lead command evaluator in the Air Force Reserves as a commander mobility evaluator pilot
Zendejas resides in the Seattle area with his wife, Kathleen, and their three children, all Green River squadron members – Senior Member Michael R. Zendejas, Cadet Lt. Col. Corey P. Zendejas, and Cadet Tech. Sgt. Ava Marie Zendejas.