Officers
President: Curt Brown ’78
Vice President: Mike Reiss ’67
Treasurer: Rick Knoll ’65 Colonel (retired) Rick Knoll spent 9 years in Data Automation including assignments in Thailand during the Vietnam War and then the Pentagon. Then he trained in missiles for 14 years in Strategic Air Command, and his assignments included crew, flight, squadron, group/base, and wing commander positions, finishing as the missile wing and host commander at Grand Forks AFB, from which he retired from the AF. He was Plant Manager for Bausch & Lomb, then National Sales Director for the School Picture Division of Josten’s, then Senior Project Director for UnitedHealth Group. Rick is retired, helping his children become entrepreneurs, and he currently provides business management support to two of his children.
Secretary: Ed (Skip) Wipson ’88
President Emeritus: Tom Wilson ’61 President Emeritus: Brevet Colonel; Retired as a Lt. Colonel for family reasons. A Command Pilot with over 5,200 flying hours, including 833 combat hours in Vietnam. Served as an AOC at the U. S. Air Force Academy. His final assignment was Deputy Base Commander and Logistics Squadron Commander at Duluth AFB. He was the Director of Store Development for CUB Foods until SuperValu acquired CUB, after which he worked as a Marketing Director in commercial construction and then formed his own company as a Manufacturer’s Representative. He co-founded the Stillwater Area Baseball Association and coached youth baseball for 23 years. One son (’84) and 2 grandchildren (’13) have graduated from the Air Force Academy. Another son attended (’91) but was medically discharged due to asthma. Tom has an MBA from the U. of Southern California. Tom lost his wife and soulmate Judy, on 27 December, 2019, after 58+ years of marriage.
Board of Directors
Tom Wilson ‘61, Term expires 2024
Mike Reiss, ’67 Term expires 2026
Bob Hockman ’89, Term expires 2024
Pete Swanson ’95, Term expires 2024
Pete Swanson grew up in Minnesota and graduated from USAFA in 1995, a class that makes many people’s “Best of USAFA” list. He served as an Acquisition Officer while on active duty. He continues to serve in the AF Reserves working for the Air Force Academy Admissions Office as an Admissions Liaison Officer (ALO). Pete is a partner at Speece Thorson Capital Group in Minneapolis. Pete holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and is a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of MN. Pete has been admitted to the membership of Costco for eighteen years. Pete and his lovely wife Angie reside in Orono where they recently welcomed their two college-educated, twenty-something boomerang children back under their roof. The Swanson family’s seven-word mission statement “Raising productive adults living OUTSIDE our home” has only been selectively embraced by both children at this stage of their journeys through life.
Zach Turcotte ‘00, Term expires 2024
Zach grew up in Roseville and was an All-Conference heavyweight wrestler. He flew the KC-135 in Operations Northern Watch, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom with a permanent base at Grand Forks AFB. He then joined the North Dakota Air National Guard and flew the Predator drone for four years. For the past two years, Zach has been a financial advisor for AXA Advisors where he helps individuals and small businesses build, implement and maintain a financial plan which helps them achieve their financial goals. Zach met Jessica while traveling in Europe after graduating from the U. S. Air Force Academy – they have a daughter, Zoe and a son, Liam. He has an MBA from the Carlson School of Management at the U. of Minnesota.
Terry Flowers ‘64, Term expires 2022
After completing pilot training Terry instructed in the T-33 and T-38 aircraft. Following a medical retirement, he went on to get his MS and PhD degrees at the University of Wyoming. From 1979 until his retirement in 2012, Terry was a Professor of Physics and Astronomy at St. Catherine University. He chaired the department and held the Endowed Chair in Science. He left for a year to serve as a Visiting Professor of Physics at the U. S. Air Force Academy. He owns and operates Big River Stables and is an active pilot with Minnesota Soaring Club, flying gliders and the tow plane. He is President of both the Minnesota Association of Scholars and the Twin Cities Republican Association. He was elected to three terms on the Hastings, MN School Board and represented District 16 on the Metropolitan Council. Additionally he has been inducted into the Aerospace Educators Hall of Fame.
Curt Brown ’79
Rick Knoll ‘65, Term expires 2022
Ed (Skip) Wipson ‘88, Term expires 2026
Denny Sultany ’64, Term expires 2026
Committee Chairs
Advanced Education, Terry Flower ’64
ALO Program/Diversity Recruit, Ed Zarembo ’07
Challenger Center, Terry Flower ’64
Congressional Liaison, Terry Flower ’64 / Charlie Nelson ’96
Financial & Budget, Rick Knoll ’65/Terry Flower ’64
Fundraising and Strategic Planning, Open
Membership, Zach Turcotte ’00
MN Parents’ Club Coordinator, Bob ’89 and Christine Hockman
Newsletter, Open
Program, Jason VanOverbeke ’03, Open
Tri-Service Employment Hub, Dan Dorson ’99
In the Air Force, Dan flew the B-1 over Afghanistan and around Guam, taught the T-37, then the T-6 to US and Europeans at ENJJPT, and coordinated exercises for the Air Force Global Strike Command. Now working as a project manager here in the Twin Cities, Dan likes to connect with others new to the area or looking for employment. Visit www.triservicehub.com for good transition tips and employment advice.