Washington, D.C. – Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (TX-26), Vice Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health and Chairman of the Congressional Health Care Caucus, announced the members of his 2011 Service Academy Advisory Board. The thirteen-member board met recently to advise him upon the selection of qualified service academy candidates.

The board’s purpose is to comprehensively screen and interview high school and college applicants wishing to receive a congressional nomination; the board then makes recommendations to Dr. Burgess for final review and nominations are submitted to the individual service academies (U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY, U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, MD, U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, CO, and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, NY) for appointment consideration.

“One of the privileges I have serving in the U.S. House of Representatives is the opportunity to nominate outstanding young people from the 26th District to our nation’s service academies,” Dr. Burgess said. “We have a stellar group of former military, education and community leaders serving on the Advisory Board.  In this tumultuous time in our nation’s history, many young people in our area have expressed their interest in serving their country by attending one of our nation’s service academies. After a rigorous selection process, I was grateful to receive excellent recommendations from this outstanding board.”

Retired Air Force Lt. General Charles R. Hamm serves as Chairman of the Board. Dr. Burgess noted, “General Hamm’s highly regarded service as the former Superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy enables him to capably lead the board.”

“I know how serious Congressman Burgess takes his responsibility to nominate highly qualified young people to the academies and working with this distinguished board, I believe we were able to recommend the right people to him for consideration,” said General Hamm.

The members of the 26th Congressional District Service Academy Advisory Board are as follows:
LtGen Charles R. Hamm, USAF (Ret.), Chair
Former Superintendent of USAFA
TX-26 Congressional Veteran Commendation, 2005
National War College, 1972
Air Command and Staff College, 1969
M.S., Auburn University, 1969
B.S., U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY, 1956

Mrs. Elaine Emery of Lewisville
Community Volunteer:  Medical Center of Lewisville Board of Trustees
Childrens Advocacy Center for Denton Co. Advisory Board
Christian Community Action Adult Health Center Advisory Board
B.S., University of Oklahoma, 1968

LCDR William L. Hagan III, U.S. Navy, of Flower Mound (currently Honolulu, HI)
Pacific Region Diving & Salvage Officer, Energy Manager
Engineering Duty Officer; Naval Aviator (Pilot)
Naval Engineer's degree, Masters in Mechanical Engineering, and Masters in Systems Design and Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 2008
B.S., U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, NY, 1999

LtCol Paul Gosnell, USMCR, (Ret.) of Frisco
First Officer, American Airlines
Arts Center of North Texas Board of Directors
Officer-in-Charge, Marine Transport Detachment Belle Chasse, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing
Operations Officer & Platoon Commander, 4th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company
AV-8B Harrier Pilot, Marine Attack Squadron 214/Marine Aircraft Group 13
Air Officer/Forward Air Controller, 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
B.S., U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD, 1987

COL Marc Hildenbrand, U.S. Army (Ret.) of Denton
Chief Operating Officer, Enoetics
Former Vice President of Infrastructure Development, Hillwood International Energy
Commanding Officer, 937th Engineer Group (Combat), 3rd Infantry Division,
Operation Enduring Freedom-Iraq
Executive Officer to Commanding General, Army Corps of Engineers
Senior Military Aide Secretary of the Army
MMAS, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, 1992
M.S., Arizona State University, 1987
B.S., U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY, 1979

Col Charles Jackson, USAF (Ret.), of Denton
Assistant Vice President for Facilities, University of North Texas
Commander, 7th Civil Engineering Squadron, Carswell AFB, Ft. Worth
5th Air Force Civil Engineer, Yokota Air Base, Japan
Deputy Civil Engineer, HQ Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colorado
M.S., Air Force Institute of Technology, 1974
B.S., U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO, 1968

Dr. Peter Lane, Col., USAF (Ret.) of Denton
Visiting Lecturer-Retired, Department of History, University of North Texas
M.A., 1969 & Ph.D., 1972, University of Washington-Seattle
B.S., U.S. Air Force Academy, 1961

LCDR Dave Loomis, USNR, (Ret.), of Denton
Consultant – Dave Loomis Copywriting
Retired, International Marine Transportation
Oil and Chemical Tanker Charterer; Manager International Marine Center,
Chevron Shipping Company – Houston
Board of Directors, American Waterways Operators
Regional Manager, Chevron International Oil Company – London, Houston
Business Manager – Chevron International Oil Company – San Francisco
Sales Engineer, Gulf Oil Trading Co. -  New Orleans and Houston
Surveyor, American Bureau of Shipping – New Orleans
Asst. VP Operations Delta Steamship Lines – New Orleans
MBA, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 2005
B.S., U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, NY, 1971

Captain Kevin R. Purnell, USAFR of Lantana
Sr. Associate - Management Consulting, KPMG LLP
U.S. Air Force Academy Liaison Officer
Communications Officer, 56th Communications Squadron, Luke AFB, Arizona
MBA, WP Carey School of Business, Arizona State University, 2007
B.S., U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO, 2004

Maj Gen Mary Saunders, USAF (Ret.) of Denton
Executive Director, Leadership Institute, Texas Woman's University
Former Vice Director, Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), Fort Belvoir, VA
34 years of service, USAF
Former Director of Supply, U.S. Air Force/Pentagon
Graduate, Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, AL
M.A., Rider University, Lawrenceville, NJ
B.S., Texas Woman's University, 1970

CAPT Peter Stamps, USNR (Ret.) of Fort Worth
Quality Assurance Manager, North America, Hanson Pressure Pipe, Inc.
Officer-in-Charge, Joint Force Maritime Component, NR Commander US 7th Fleet
Commanding Officer, NR Destroyer Squadron 24
Former Academy Board Member, U.S. Senator Rod Grams (MN)
MBA, University of Phoenix, 1999
Graduate, Naval War College, Newport, RI
BSME, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD, 1985

Mr. Richard Walker of North Richland Hills
Finance Manager, Customer Support and Services, Bell Helicopter
Past State Vice President, Air Force Association
B.S., Oklahoma State University, 1982
 
Maj Jae Yu, USAFR (Ret.), of Flower Mound
Captain, Southwest Airlines
Officer, Southwest Airlines Pilots Assn.
Deputy Director, USAFA Admissions Liaison Officer
Operations Officer & C-130 Pilot, 137th OK Air National Guard
C-12 Evaluator, Instructor, Standard and Evaluation Pilot, 7th AF Commander
Executive/Aide-de-Camp to Commander, Republic of Korea Air Force Ops Command
T-37 Instructor Pilot, Academic Instructor, Wing Staff, Vance AFB, OK
B.S., U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO, 1989
Labor Arbitration, National Labor College, George Meany Center, MD, 2002
Negotiations and Mediation, Pepperdine School of Law, CA, 2007


***To download a photo of Dr. Burgess with the Service Academy Board click here. Pictured are (L-R standing) Dave Loomis, Jae Yu, Mary Saunders, Charlie Jackson, Peter Lane, Will Hagan, Paul Gosnell, Peter Stamps, Marc Hildenbrand, Kevin Purnell, Rich Walker; (L-R seated) Charlie Hamm, Congressman Michael Burgess, Elaine Emery***