Mark E. Smith (Civil Air Patrol)

• United States Air Force Academy - Bachelor's of Science in International Affairs
• Air Force Squadron Officer School
• Air Command and Staff College
• Air War College
• Embry Riddle Aeronautical University - Master's of Aviation Management
• Olivet Nazarene University - Doctor of Education in Ethical Leadership

General Smith retired as a Colonel from the Air Force in 2000 after 26 years of service. A veteran of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, he later commanded the 27th Fighter Squadron at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. Later he served as Director of the Office of the Secretary of Defense's Joint Advanced Distributed Simulation Joint Test and Evaluation (JADS JT&E) program.

In the private sector, General Smith worked at senior levels for both small and large corporations and as a private consultant. He also served as an International Test and Evaluation Association (ITEA) board member and as the first chair of the Simulation Interoperability Standards Organization's Executive Committee.[3]

General Smith began in Civil Air Patrol in 2005. He is a CAP pilot and served in command positions within all levels of the organization. As Region Commander, he led CAP's Leadership Development Working Group, a national-level team that has developed products, tools and courses to better equip CAP's leaders. This group was responsible for the Unit Commander's (UCC) Course.

General Smith was appointed by the Civil Air Patrol Board of Governors on June 18, 2017 to a three-year term as National Commander/CEO which commenced on September 2, 2017.[4] As National Commander, he is the highest-ranking CAP officer and serves as Civil Air Patrol's Chief Executive Officer and as an advisor to the CAP Board of Governors, the organization's governing body. General Smith also leads the CAP Command Council and the CAP Senior Advisory Group (CSAG). On August 8, 2019, CAP's Board of Governors extended General Smith's three-year term for one additional year, meaning he will serve until August 2021.[5]

• National Commander of the Civil Air Patrol