Col. Tim Nelson is one of Civil Air Patrol’s two Northeast Region Deputy Commanders.

As Deputy Commander, Col Nelson serves as a senior advisor to the Region Commander.  He also serves as liaison between the Region Commander and five Wings.  Those Wings are New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and Massachusetts. 

Col Nelson joined CAP in September 1991 serving as Aerospace Education Officer and Safety Officer for Westover Composite Squadron.  An established pilot when he joined CAP, Col Nelson became a Cadet Orientation Pilot and soon thereafter a Mission Pilot.  In 2001, Col Nelson was named Director of Safety for Massachusetts Wing and in 2014 was named Director of Operations for Massachusetts Wing.  In 2021, Col Nelson was selected as Commander for Massachusetts Wing.    

Col Nelson is a Command Pilot with over 7,000 flight hours. He is a Mission Pilot, Mission Check Pilot, Mission Observer and Cadet Orientation Pilot.  Col Nelson is a Senior Incident Commander holding Master Ratings in Safety and Operations.  He is also qualified as an Operations Section Chief, Planning Section Chief and Air Operations Branch Director.   He is an instructor for NESA and NERESA.  He is the Coordinator for the Fertile Keynote Intercept and RPA Escort missions.  Decorations include the Exceptional Service Award and the Meritorious Service Award. 

Col Nelson is a graduate of Westfield State College and Springfield Technical Community College.  He recently retired as the Fire Chief/Emergency Management Director for the Town of Amherst MA.  Col Nelson is currently an Associate with the Edward Collins Center for Public Management/University of Massachusetts, Boston.

Current as of Oct. 26, 2024