New Director of Government Relations, Fesler, Named

To advocate for Civil Air Patrol on Capitol Hill, you first have to tell its story — and the passion of the volunteers and enthusiasm of the cadets make that the best, and easiest, part of the job, says CAP’s new director of government relations, John “Ike” Fesler.

As only the second person to hold the position, Fesler succeeds John Swain, CAP’s government relations director of almost 20 years. Bringing over 27 years of military, public affairs, and legislative relationship experience, Fesler will serve as CAP’s primary liaison to Congress, advocating for, establishing, and continuing to grow those relationships.

“My predecessor made the effort to go to every congressional office annually,” Fesler said. “Doing these touchpoints with Congress … can only help CAP accomplish even more.”

Fesler said he’ll provide outside perspectives and strategies to what is already one of the strongest relationships on Capitol Hill. “We have a 99% successful contact rate with legislators — no one else can say that,” he said.

“Ike’s military, public affairs, and legislative experience has uniquely positioned him for success in this vital role,” said John W. Desmarais, Sr., CAP’s chief operating officer. “CAP’s relationship with Congress is paramount to our organization’s future and directly impacts how our members carry out our three-pronged mission of serving America’s communities, saving lives, and shaping futures.

"We are confident that Ike’s already-existing relationships will complement our efforts on the Hill, and we look forward to the chapters ahead.”

Legislator meeting

Although Fesler never served in CAP, he was familiar with and always inspired by Civil Air Patrol and its mission, first as a Boy Scout and then through the enthusiasm of longtime friend Col. Joe Winter, CAP’s inspector general.

“When he told me about the position and how CAP had honed his leadership skills and provided networking opportunities and support, I was intrigued enough to apply,” he said.

Fesler feels strongly the key to furthering the organization’s relationship with Capitol Hill is through its stories.

“We need to continue educating the public on what CAP does —the search and rescue operations and the leadership and emergency services training — in every congressional district in America,” he said.

Most people see or hear about CAP cadets only at air shows or in their neighborhoods during natural disaster recovery efforts, Fesler said.

FeslerQ

“Thousands of adult volunteers and cadets make CAP go. It’s inspiring to see these mentors spend countless hours making sure the cadets become great leaders in their lives, both in the civilian and military worlds,” he said.

Fesler’s priorities include finalizing appropriation requests and ramping up public awareness about cadet participation in community events and military air shows like the upcoming event at Joint Base Andrews.

“These cadets are saving lives, flying sorties, and having fun while doing so. The public needs to hear more about them.

“They tell the story for us — you can always reach a greater audience through storytelling,” he said.

“To advocate [on Capitol Hill] fully for Civil Air Patrol, to tell the accomplishments of our cadets and of the senior adult leaders who mentor and grow them, I need to fully understand everything CAP does,” Fesler said.

“And that means going out in the field with the cadets, taking part in search and rescue missions, participating in encampments … and by becoming further immersed in this great organization.”

It also means finding the physical space to tell that story, something he said can’t be done in government relations’ existing location.

FeslerQ2 “I’m tasked with finding a new Washington, D.C., office that’s welcoming and hopefully within walking distance of Capitol Hill. I want to do public and community outreach to showcase the organization and its mission — to let visitors [come here], see what we do when we’re not assisting with natural disasters or search and rescue operations.”

Fesler said the sense of history in politics has kept him involved in government relations all these years. Even his nickname, “Ike,” has historical connotations, receiving it after former co-workers at the White House Military Office thought he looked like a portrait of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

“Election night is my Super Bowl,” he said.

And he’s excited for the opportunity to make Civil Air Patrol the winning team.

Fesler received his master’s degree in public service administration from Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in marketing from Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.

With previous service in the U.S. Navy, and inspired by the events of 9/11, he later commissioned into the Air National Guard, where he held several key leadership positions. In 2023, he retired and became chief of staff of the National Guard Association of the United States.

Previously, he was a U.S. Senate liaison officer for the secretary of the Air Force, consulting on air, space. and cyberspace and worked in leadership positions for the White House Military Office during two presidential administrations.
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Julia L. Martin
Contributing Writer