Maj. Gen. Edward D. Phelka, Civil Air Patrol’s national commander/CEO, has appointed Col. James A. Ridley, Sr., to be the next commander of CAP’s Northeast Region.
Ridley, Connecticut Wing commander from 2017-2021 and the Northeast Region chief of staff the past three years, will assume command Oct. 26 during the Joint Northeast Region/New York Wing Conference in Lake George, New York.
He will succeed Col. Everett C. Hume, region commander since August 2021.
“Col. Ridley has spent many years in senior-level command and leadership roles, and he has mentored countless others as they advanced their careers,” Phelka said. “He is well prepared to lead the Northeast Region forward with his collaborative, thoughtful approach.”
Following his service as Connecticut Wing commander, Ridley became the Northeast Region’s deputy chief of staff for emergency services in February 2021 and was appointed region chief of staff by Hume when he became commander.
As region commander, Ridley will lead the 8,050 CAP members in nine states — Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. He will also serve as a member of CAP’s Senior Advisory Group (CSAG).
Upon hearing of his appointment, Ridley said, “I am very humbled, and appreciate the faith placed in me by Maj. Gen. Phelka and Brig. Gen. [Regena] Aye [who succeeds Phelka as national commander next month], especially considering the talent, experience, and skills of the other fine candidates who applied.
“I look forward to the challenges ahead for myself and my command staff once selected and will work tirelessly for the members of the Northeast Region and in partnership with my peers on the CSAG.”
Ridley’s CAP career spans 20 years and includes various assignments in both the Connecticut and New York wings.
As Connecticut Wing commander, Ridley strengthened partnerships with the Connecticut Military Department, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the state Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security and built new partnerships with the Middletown Police Department, STARBASE Connecticut, and the Department of Defense, Transportation Security Administration, the U.S. Navy, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
He established the Connecticut Wellness Program and the Wing Chaplain Retreat Program while also creating both an online and on-site Aviation Ground School for cadets. He also opened a school-based squadron in a minority community of Bridgeport and worked with squadron commanders at two other squadrons that experienced a dramatic increase in minority cadet membership.
While serving in the Connecticut Wing and Northeast Region, Ridley also has been a proponent for training on the national level — proctoring the Preparing for Wing Commanders Seminar at the 2019 National Conference and most recently serving as the leadership development manager for Volunteer University’s Continuing Education Department, which has produced numerous leadership development seminars for wing and region commanders as well as the Board of Governors.
He has been a mobile training team instructor for the National Emergency Services Academy, teaching more than 25 incident command system courses both online and on-site the past five years. He has also aided the Chaplain Corps, working to strengthen the relationships between chaplains and commanders and authoring numerous articles for the chaplain newsletter, “The Transmitter.”
Before Ridley took command of the Connecticut Wing, he served as the wing’s vice commander (support) (2016-2017) and chief of staff (2013-2017), wing group commander (2015-2016), New York Wing squadron commander (2010-2014), wing public affairs officer (2007-2009), Northeast Region director of plans and programs (2011-2013), and region director of public affairs (2010-2011).
He has 27 emergency services qualifications, including incident commander, operations section chief, ground branch director, and planning section chief. He is also a mission scanner and ground team leader who has served in CAP search and rescue, counterdrug, and homeland security missions.
As a graduate of both CAP’s National Staff College and Region Staff College, he has completed Level V of what is now CAP’s Education and Training Program, earning the Gill Robb Wilson Award in June 2014. He has achieved Master ratings in Command and Cadet Programs; Senior ratings in Public Affairs, Plans and Programs, and Professional Development; and Technician ratings in Organizational Excellence, Administration and Personnel, and Information Technology.
Ridley’s awards and accolades include the Air Force Organizational Excellence Award, Distinguished Service Award, seven Exceptional Service Awards, five Meritorious Service Awards, and 10 Commanders Commendation Awards (two national and two region commendations). He has received four CAP Achievement Awards, as well as the Master Ground Team Member Badge, the Disaster Relief Ribbon with “V” Device, the Crisis Service Ribbon, the CAP Community Service Award, an Encampment Ribbon with two silver clasp devices, and the National Cadet Competition ribbon.
He is the recipient of the 2014 Connecticut Wing Commanders Award, 2009 New York Wing Staff Member of the Year Award, 2006 New York Wing Cadet Programs Officer of the Year, and the 2005 New York Wing Public Affairs Officer of the Year Award.
Outside CAP, Ridley has enjoyed a long professional career in computers and high technology. Since 2007, he has been employed at BMC Software Inc. For the past two years, he has been worldwide advisory technical account manager and technical account manager leader for BMC Software’s Software’s Global Outsourcers and Systems Integrators group. He is responsible for the technical management and relationship of BMC’s outsourcing companies and the mentorship/leadership of the technical account managers assigned to BMC worldwide.
He has a bachelor’s degree in computer science from State University of New York College at Old Westbury and a master’s degree in technological systems management from SUNY College at Stony Brook.
Ridley is a longtime resident of Holtville, New York. His son, Maj. James A. Ridley II, serves in the New York Wing.
