A long-time attorney with aerospace engineering and program management and global strategic procurement experience as well as expertise in complex organizational management and growth through innovation is the newest member of the Civil Air Patrol Board of Governors.
Col. Ross E. Veta joins the board immediately as a CAP selectee, filling the vacancy left by Col. John Longley, who resigned in June.
Veta’s appointment was announced by Maj. Gen. Regena M. Aye, CAP’s national commander/CEO, after the CAP Senior Advisory Group selected him for the board, effective Aug. 4.
“I am excited to work with Col. Veta as a member of the Board of Governors,” Aye said. “His multifaceted career brings tremendous expertise that will be invaluable as the board charts the strategic direction for Civil Air Patrol.”
Veta, a seasoned CAP volunteer with more than 30 years as a cadet and adult member, has been active throughout the organization’s far-reaching programs, ranging from Cadet Programs and Emergency Services to Aerospace Education and Legal.
That doesn’t include his corporate work as the senior partner for Veta & Veta Attorneys at Law in San Diego since 2000 and his management of global strategic procurement and contracts operations for the Hewlett Packard Co. and Maxwell Technologies. Before that, he was an engineer and project manager for Rohr Inc., an aerospace manufacturing company.
“Col. Veta’s work in the aerospace industry, corporate procurement, and law provides a rare blend of strategic acumen, operational insight, and legal skills to the board as we navigate the challenges and opportunities,” Aye said.
CAP’s 11-member Board of Governors is the organization’s top governing body, consisting of:
Four U.S. Air Force appointees.
Three members selected jointly by the secretary of the Air Force and CAP’s national commander to represent industry, government, and education; and
Three members designated as CAP selectees, chosen by the Senior Advisory Group.
The Board of Governors is tasked with moving the organization forward through collective decision-making to generate strategic policies, plans, and programs. It’s assisted by the national commander and the CAP-USAF commander, who act as advisers. CAP’s chief operating officer is the executive secretary for the board.
Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Kirk Pierce serves as the chair and welcomed Veta to the Board of Governors, which meets Aug. 12-13 in Atlanta.
“The insights and experience that Col. Veta has from his work in corporate America and as an attorney, in addition to his decades of service in CAP, will add incredible insights and expertise for the board to leverage as we set the direction for the rest of the decade,” Pierce said.
“I am looking forward very much to working in this capacity in our pursuit of excellence in all we do,” Veta said.
“We are One CAP, and our combined resources situate us perfectly to plan for and execute new strategies while striving to perfect our core mission competencies. CAP is the leader in our service to our communities, while we save lives and shape futures in our ever increasingly dynamic world.
“It is an honor to be part of the CAP family in this new position as we move forward into a bright and promising future,” he said.
Veta has a history of service within the California and Ohio wings as well as at the national level.
During his command from 2019-2023, the California Wing was recognized with CAP’s National Commander’s Unit Citation — the highest honor a wing can receive — for “exceptionally outstanding performance and achievement” from March 1, 2020-July 31, 2021, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and massive wildfires in the Golden State.
During the period cited, the wing assisted with distribution of over 2.3 million meals at food, provided thousands of volunteer hours to communities in need, conducted more than 70 flights in response to wildfires, and generated nearly 100,000 images of fire-ravaged areas for damage assessment.
While wing commander, Veta also served as a member of CAP’s National Strategic Planning Team, which created the Corporate Strategic Plan and Vision Statement now in effect. During that time, he also directed the establishment of the wing’s Resilience Program, adopted nationally, and the Disaster Preparedness, Prevention and Relief Program in advance of a National Headquarters directive.
Previous commands include San Diego Group 8 from 2016-2019 and San Diego Cadet Squadron 144 from 2013-2016. In addition, he served as legal officer for the Washington Wing from 2018-2019 and assistant legal officer for the California Wing from 2010-2016.
Veta has been the wing’s government relations officer since 2016 and the assistant legal officer for the California Wing and CAP’s Pacific Region since 2019.
He also is an active mission pilot and orientation flight pilot for the wing while serving as an active emergency services ground team leader and instructor.
As a cadet in the Ohio Wing from 1970-1976, Veta achieved the grade of cadet lieutenant colonel as a recipient of the Gen. Ira C. Eaker Award. He served as cadet commander for both the wing and the Great Lakes Region.
In addition to the National Commander Unit Citation he received in 2021, his major awards and achievements include the Distinguished Service Award in 2023 and two Meritorious Service Awards in 2017 and 2019. He was also named Group 7 Senior Member of the Year in 2011 and wing Squadron Commander of the Year in 2014.
An active member of the California and American Bar associations, Veta is a graduate of the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego and the Harvard Law School’s Program for Professional Negotiators. He received bachelor’s degrees from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and the University of Redlands in Redlands, California.
