What a week!

Back from the Auxiliary's National Conference (NACON), where I had the opportunity to meet numerous people with whom I have only corresponded or talked on the phone. Among those are Andrew Welch, COMO Gary Taylor, many of the District Commodores, and ADM Robert Papp, the Commandant of the Coast Guard.

Election results have been widely reported, so I won't re-transmit them here. I will simply make the comment that I am pleased with the results and believe that both the Coast Guard and the Auxiliary are in good hands at the national level. I am excited at the possibilities for the next two years and look forward to good things happening. I say this primarily because of the extensive leadership and management backgrounds of those coming into the top leadership positions.

The Coast Guard Auxiliary national staff is just completing a very difficult transition period - one in which most mid- and upper-level positions and responsibility sets were re-defined. Many jobs were divided into two or more positions, generating at least the appearance of multiple overlapping responsibility sets and functions. The word is that this upcoming term of national office (two years) will be one of stability and consolidation, rather than large-scale change. I believe that will be good for the staff and good for our programs.