New officers of the Virginia National Guard Association are Capt. Jason Dodge, company-grade officer representative (left); Capt. Jonathan Patterson, vice president – Air National Guard (middle-left); Maj. Andrew Czaplicki, president (middle); Maj. Eric Johnson, vice president – Army National Guard (middle-right); and, Warrant Officer Blair Lionel, warrant officer representative (right). (Courtesy photo)
RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia National Guard Association held its annual meeting Feb. 29, 2020, in Richmond, Va. during the 60th Annual Virginia National Guard Association Conference. During the meeting the annual reports by the president, secretary, treasurer, arrangements and bylaws were presented and accepted by the quorum of members in attendance. A new committee on exploring and supporting diversity was created.
Additionally, the nomination committee led by Lt. Col. Michael Booker, chair and former VNGA president, presented nominees for the position of President, Vice President – Army National Guard, Vice President – Air National Guard, Company Grade Officer Representative and Warrant Officer Representative. All nominations were accepted and voted.
Maj. Andrew J. Czaplicki, the deputy commander assigned to the Richmond-based 34th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and High-Yield Explosives Enhanced Response Force Package, was elected as president. Czaplicki has previously served the VNGA as the Chair of Advocacy, a unit representative and as a delegate to the National Guard Association of the United States’ General Convention and Exhibition. Czaplicki holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from the Virginia Military Institute and a Master of Business Administration with project management cognate from Liberty University. He is an active member of the Military Officers Association of America, Association of the United States Army, and is a life member of the Virginia National Guard Association and Chemical Corps Regimental Association.
Maj. Eric Johnson, the operations officer assigned to the Petersburg-based 276th Engineer Battalion, was elected as vice president – Army National Guard. Johnson has previously served the VNGA as the secretary and as a unit representative. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia State University and a Master of Science in Logistics Management from Florida Institute of Technology. Johnson is an active member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., the Army Engineer Association and is a life member of the Virginia National Guard Association.
Capt. Jonathan Patterson, the human resources support branch chief, assigned to the Hampton-based 192nd Wing, was elected as vice president – Air National Guard. Johnson has previously served as a unit representative. He holds an Associate of Science from the Community College of the Air Force in Aerospace Ground Equipment Technology, two Bachelors of Arts in Political Science and Government and in American Studies from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Capt. Jason C. Dodge, the deputy commander assigned to the Fort Pickett-based 34th Civil Support Team – Weapons of Mass Destruction, was elected as the Company Grade Officer Representative. Dodge holds a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering with a Minor in Physics from the University of Massachusetts and is pursing a Master of Science at the University of Virginia in Electrical Engineering. He is an active member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The CGO representative serves as the primary conduit of sharing information between company-grade officers assigned to the Virginia Army and Air National Guard and the Executive Council.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Blair Lionel, the automation service branch chief assigned to the Fort Pickett-based Directorate of Military Personnel Management, Joint Force Headquarters – Virginia, was elected as the Warrant Officer Representative. This is Lionel’s second term of office serving in this position. Lionel holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Management from the University of Phoenix and a Masters of Arts in Public Administration from the Old Dominion University. The WO representative serves as the primary conduit of sharing information between warrant officers assigned to the Virginia Army National Guard and the Executive Council.
The officers and members of the executive council serves as Board of Directors for the VNGA and are elected to one-year terms. The executive council for 2020-2021 includes: Lt. Col. (Ret.) Matthew Ritchie, Executive Director; Capt. Adam Provost, Immediate Past President; 1st Lt. Joshua Nichols, treasurer; Maj. Christina Peronnie, secretary; Maj. James Jennings, chair of Membership Committee; Lt. Col. Tony Schlagel, chair of the Scholarship Committee; Lt. Col. Michael Booker, chair of the Nominations Committee; Maj. Sheryl Lloyd, chair of Family Programs Committee; Maj. Erika Legg, chair of Arrangements; 1st Lt. Mohammed Harba, chair of Awards.
Additionally, the VNGA appoints three members to serve on the Board of Directors for the Virginia National Guard Management Group. The VNGA representatives on the VNGMG board are: Col. W. Preston Scott, trustee; Col. (Ret.) Charles “Buddy” Faulconer, Jr., secretary; and, Maj. Gen. (Va.) John D. Taylor, chair.
The next meeting of the executive council is April 19, 2020, and the next annual meeting of the membership is April 24, 2021, at the Norfolk Convention Center, in Norfolk, Va.
Find out more about the VNGA by visiting us at vnga.us or on our social networks @vnga1960.