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Col. James A. Ridley, Sr., is Civil Air Patrol’s Northeast Region commander.

As region commander, Ridley leads more than 8,000 CAP members in nine states — Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont — and serves as a member of CAP’s Senior Advisory Group. He also serves on the national volunteer staff and is an instructor with the Mobile Training Team (MTT) which teaches FEMA courses (ICS).

Ridley joined CAP in April 2004 and was deputy commander for cadets for the New York Wing’s Col. Francis S. Gabreski Squadron. He also served as the squadron’s public affairs officer before taking command of Suffolk County Squadron VII, which he had renamed as the Leroy R. Grumman Squadron in honor of the founder of the Grumman Aircraft Corp. Ridley has also held the roles of Long Island Group director of cadet programs and PAO, New York Wing PAO, and Northeast Region director of public affairs and director of plans and programs.

Upon transfer to the Connecticut Wing and before assuming command of the wing May 20, 2017, Ridley held the positions of Western Connecticut Group commander and wing chief of staff. He served as 2013 and 2014 Connecticut Wing Encampment commander and directed the 2016 and 2017 Northeast Region staff colleges and the 2016 Region Cadet Leadership School. He commanded the wing through May 24, 2021, and most recently has served as Northeast Region chief of staff.

Ridley holds Emergency Services qualifications as incident commander 1 (trainee), incident commander 2, operations section chief, planning section chief, ground branch director, ground team leader, flight release officer, and mission scanner, among others. He received the 2014 Connecticut Wing Commanders Award and has been recognized as the New York Wing’s Staff Officer of the Year, PAO of the Year, and Cadet Programs Officer of the Year. Ridley’s decorations include the Distinguished Service Award, seven Exceptional Service Awards, six Meritorious Service Awards, and 9 Commanders Commendations.

Ridley holds a master’s degree in technological systems management from Stony Brook University and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from State University of New York College at Old Westbury. He is an advisory technical account manager for BMC Software as well as a former adjunct professor of computer science at Suffolk Community College. He participated in U.S. Army ROTC at Hofstra University and is a former platoon leader with the 423rd Military Police Company, 77th Army Reserve Command, U.S. Army Reserve.  Current as of Oct. 26, 2024