Our Director 4

Lt. Col. John Thomas, USAF, Ret., is a Life Member of the Military Officer’s Association of America and serves as a member of the Central Florida Chapter’s Board of Directors.

John served in the Air Force and Air Force Reserve for a total of 23 years. He spent his early military years navigating the world in strategic transport. He also served in Vietnam in the Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service earning the Distinguished Flying Cross for a rescue mission that saved nine American lives. In his later years he flew in tactical airlift and also became an advisor to the Civil Air Patrol assisting them in developing young people in the mission of search and rescue.

John holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Management as well as an MBA. After his military service he served a number of years as president of a small printing company leading a team of 200 employees. To finish out his working career he served as Business Manager and CFO for a private Christian High School.

Following the motto of MOAA, “never stop serving”, John supervises the Central Florida Chapter’s Leadership Medal Program that provides medals for recognition of outstanding junior JROTC cadets in 32 high schools. In addition John serves on the scholarship selection committee that awards scholarship money to the top senior JROTC cadets in Central Florida. John believes strongly in the need to develop the future leaders of the military and works to support that goal.