2023 Spring Regional Trustees Election
Vote for Central and Eastern Region Representation
U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association
Board of Trustees Election Information
If you are a Central or Eastern region member and would like to vote for your regional trustee, click HERE. The election launched on 1 March.
By voting in the upcoming election, you are helping choose leaders for the Alumni Association who will help guide the future and strengthen our alma mater.
In accordance with the bylaws of the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association, the Board of Trustees approved the slate of nominees for the positions of Central and Eastern Region Trustees at the December 2022 meeting. The trustees elected will join the board for the May 2023 meeting and will serve a three-year term. Trustees can serve up to two consecutive terms.
Trustees must be regular members of the Association. Write-in votes are permitted. The candidate receiving a plurality of the votes cast will be announced at the May 2023 meeting.
Board members help manage the business and affairs of the Association which includes reviewing the status of existing alumni programs and services, and determining mission-critical activity.
Eastern and Central region members will receive an email from the third-party election service YES Elections with instructions to vote online, and also a paper ballot to vote by mail. The election closes on 21 April.
The Eastern Region comprises the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and the region lying east of the East Coast of the United States to longitude 61 degrees east. The Central Region comprises the states of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and the Americas, including the Caribbean.
Find out more about the Alumni Association Board of Trustees and the election at www.usna.com/BOT-Trustees.
Candidates for Eastern Region Trustee
Listen to your candidates’ campaign videos.
Enochia T. Anderson ’94
Jen Bohr Tyll ’01
Caleb W. Cronic ’11
Candidates for Central Region Trustee
Listen to your candidates’ campaign videos.
Robert D. Ravener ’81
CDR Kirk R. Benson ’87, USN (Ret.)
Darryl L. Smith ’88
Eastern Region
Enochia T. Anderson ’94
Enochia T. Anderson ’94 is the Regional Work & Family Life Coordinator for the Commander, Navy Region Southeast Fleet & Family Readiness Program. She is a 1990 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy Preparatory School.As the Jacksonville Chapter Trustee on the Naval Academy Alumni Association Board of Trustees, Enochia also serves on the Strategic Plan 2030 Committee, Admissions Committee, and Communications Committee.
Enochia served in the Navy for more than 11 years and was designated as a Cryptologic Officer, ending her Naval career onboard Naval Security Group Activity, Rota Spain. After resigning her commission, she worked at the Fleet & Family Support Center (FFSC), Rota, Spain as a Spouse Employment Assistance Program Manager, Transition Assistance Program Manager, and Work & Family Supervisor and Acting FFSC Director.
She also has five years of experience working for the Department of the Army as the ASVAB Program Coordinator for the Military Entrance Processing Station, Jacksonville where she maintained relationships with 341 high schools and colleges in 86 counties in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.
Enochia believes in volunteering and serving her local community and has received a Congressional Certificate of Recognition as a member of then-Congressman Ron DeSantis’ Service Academy Nominations Board during her 17 years serving as a Blue & Gold Officer for the Naval Academy’s Admissions Office in the overseas area and Jacksonville, FL. She also served as an appointed Commissioner for the City of Jacksonville on the Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women, advocating for women and children, with a focus on veteran and military spouse issues.
Based on her work and accomplishments, she is honored to have been named 2011-2012 Woman of the Year by the National Association of Professional Women, 2015-2016 Woman of the Year by the International Women’s Leadership Association, and USMEPCOM GS-10 and Above Civilian of the Year for FY16.
Her proudest role is as the mother to three successful daughters.
Jen Bohr Tyll ’01
Jen Bohr Tyll ’01 commissioned as an ensign in the Navy and assigned as the Damage Control Assistant on the AEGIS cruiser Lake Champlain. The only female engineer-she was responsible for fire safety, water tight enforcement, and emergency response training for over 285 personnel.
On her second tour, Jen was selected to be the Flag Secretary for Marine Corps Brigadier General Joe Medina ‘76 USMC (Ret.) serving as the first USMC flag officer to lead an Expeditionary Strike Group afloat. As her tour progressed, she assumed the additional duties of the Flag Aide, serving in both roles on a seven-month deployment to the Middle East. In her “free time” she became an ACE certified personal trainer and was honored to serve as the Ombudsman for SEAL Team FOUR for two years, and three of their operational deployments. Upon her departure from the military, Jen was employed as a member of a Business Development team for the Lockheed Martin Corporation in Washington, DC.
In September of 2008, James, the first of Jen’s four children, was born. After moving to Maine in 2009, three daughters would follow - Grace in 2010; Faith in 2012; and finally, Eve in 2016.
Jen currently works as a project manager for Camden National Bank, after working for four years with Maine & Co.-a private, nonprofit focused on economic development within Maine. She is a volunteer lacrosse coach, a Girl Scout troop leader, and an active participant in the American Legion, the local town's Family Network and Care Coalition, and numerous other community endeavors.
Jen remains an active alumnus of the Naval Academy, serving as the Class President for the Class of 2001; the Chair for the Council for Annual Giving; the Chapter President for Maine alumni; is a member of the Area Coordinator Steering Committee, as well as the Area Coordinator for the Blue Gold Officers of Maine. She is a non-voting member of the Alumni Association & Foundation Board of Trustees on the communications and admissions committees, and was selected to serve as a member of the Alumni Association’s Strategic Plan 2030.
Caleb W. Cronic ’11
Caleb Cronic ’11 has been an active member of the Naval Academy alumni community since he transitioned out of active duty.
He has served as a Blue and Gold Officer (2017-18), president of the Naval Academy Alumni Association Jacksonville, FL chapter (2018-20) and as a Jacksonville Chapter Trustee (2020-21). He has served as a communication and admissions committee member since 2020. Caleb was a member of the Ad Hoc Committee (Action Committee on Alumni Culture, Diversity and Inclusion) in 2020-2021.
He would take on the trustee role in the same way he did as chapter president and chapter trustee position by assessing what is needed and then applying the appropriate organization, energy, and leadership. He has had the privilege of making connections across the Alumni Association and will lean on, strengthen, and share those connections across the region.
As a Trustee, he would help the Alumni Association achieve its strategic goals in the Eastern Region. He would accomplish this by chairing Board of Trustee committees and as a liaison with Eastern Region chapters. Using a multigenerational approach, he believes he can increase engagement and efficiency in the Eastern Region. By streamlining communications, a clear flow up and down the organization could be created.
Caleb’s vision also includes:
• Having a mid-level advocate to help accomplish the Naval Academy Alumni Association’s strategic goals on a national and local level.
• Having a younger point-of-contact at the region trustee level to help improve leadership participation amongst younger alumni.
Central Region
Robert D. Ravener ’81
Bob Ravener ’81 credits the Naval Academy and the Navy for giving him a start in life and has been giving back to USNA and the military ever since. He has spent much of his career helping veterans successfully transition to the civilian workforce.
One of many successes was starting military hiring initiatives at three companies which, to date, have employed more than 150,000 veterans into the workforce. Each of those companies was awarded the DoD Freedom Award, its top civilian recognition.
He was also responsible for creating and leading Tennessee’s highly successful ‘Paychecks for Patriots’ initiative, an effort to reduce unemployment among veterans, while also serving as the State Workforce Development Board Chair. Bob was a member of the President’s National Hire Veterans Committee and the Secretary of Labor’s Advisory Committee for Veterans Employment, Training, and Employer Outreach, where he helped lead the transition initiatives of veterans across the nation.
Prior to entering the private sector, Bob served in the Navy as a Strategic Weapons Submarine Officer aboard Daniel Webster. He completed his active-duty service at USNA as the Academic Liaison Officer, instructor, coach, and recruiter. He has been a Blue & Gold Officer while serving on congressional service academy selection boards for most of the last 25 years. Bob was a battalion commander and varsity baseball player at USNA and is a past president of his class. He continues to serve as a Trustee on the Naval Academy Athletic Foundation for Athletic Scholarships & Programs while being an active class rep.
Currently, the CEO of his own company, Bob retired from Dollar General as the chief people officer in 2019 and was instrumental in creating 65,000 new jobs, becoming the number one ranked company worldwide in training, and promoting thousands from within. Prior to joining Dollar General, he served in various roles of increasing responsibility with other Fortune 200 companies including Starbucks, Home Depot, and PepsiCo. He is married with three grown children and four grandchildren.
CDR Kirk R. Benson ’87, USN (Ret.)
CDR Kirk R. Benson ’87, USN (Ret.), served as a surface warfare officer for 13 years before becoming a Full-Time Support (FTS) officer. He is also a graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School and Cornell University’s Executive Leadership Program.
Kirk served aboard four ships and on the staff of the Commander, U.S. Seventh Fleet, embarked in Blue Ridge. Ashore, Kirk served at Afloat Training Group Western Pacific, Naval Reserve Forces Command, and the Naval Oceanographic Office.
While in command of Naval Operational Support Center Green Bay, he was awarded the Rear Admiral Maurice J. Bresnahan Leadership Award as FTS Officer of the Year.
Following retirement, he worked with Science Applications International Corporation and managed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Tsunami Buoy Program at the National Data Buoy Center.
In 2011, Kirk became a Navy civil servant working at the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command and Naval Information Forces. Kirk currently serves as the Director of Plans, Program, and Requirements at the Naval Oceanographic Office.
Kirk has been active supporting the Naval Academy throughout his career. He served 17 years as a Naval Academy Admissions Blue and Gold Officer (BGO), including five years as the BGO Area Coordinator (AC) for Louisiana (leading 23 BGOs), and four years as the Region 3 Representative (representing 14 states) to the AC Steering Committee, advising the Dean of Admissions.
As a BGO, Kirk received the Commandant’s Award, as one of the top BGOs in the program, and the Meritorious Public Service Award, from the Secretary of the Navy, for his support of Naval Academy Admissions.
Kirk is the founding Secretary of the Naval Academy Alumni Association’s Tokyo Bay chapter and served four years as president of the Louisiana chapter. He also served on the Board of Trustee’s Admissions and Communications Committees. He has served as a Alumni Mentoring Program Mentor. Since 2009, Kirk has served on Congressman Steve Scalise’s Service Academy Nomination Board.
Kirk and his wife, Melissa, an audiobook narrator, reside in Slidell, LA. They have six grown children.
Darryl L. Smith ’88
Graduating from the Naval Academy changed my life. The Naval Academy provided me with a great education, developed my character, and connected me with an amazing group of lifelong friends and colleagues. I want to serve on the Board of Trustees to continue giving back to the institution that shaped me so profoundly.
The Alumni Association is changing rapidly, as younger graduates, with different priorities and preferred methods of engagement, are rightfully driving change within the Association. I believe my engagement in mentoring the younger generations, and helping my peers transition into new opportunities, can bring a valuable voice to the Board of Trustees about how our organization can serve all our Alumni.
My love of country and interest in leading Marines led me to the Naval Academy and ultimately the Corps. I served six years in various command and staff roles.
After leaving the Marines, I began a career in business, earning an MBA from the Wharton School and working as a strategy consultant for Accenture. I moved into private equity and entrepreneurship, where I have bought and/or led nearly a dozen companies.
My deep appreciation for how the Academy prepared me professionally, and how much my shipmates have poured into my career, have kept me connected to the Naval Academy and motivated me to help alums and applicants.
I am a Board member for the North Texas Chapter and a Trustee on the Alumni Association Athletic and Scholarship Programs Board. I have helped several dozen graduates transition from military to civilian life, get into business school and switch civilian careers. I have counseled countless Academy applicants and their parents about the admissions process and life at the Academy.
Almost a decade ago, I helped start a local service academy graduate quarterly business networking session. Finally, a few classmates and I started a monthly Zoom meeting during the pandemic to raise morale. We continued to conduct these meetings as a way of building class unity and helping each other (and our children) gain access to business and educational opportunities.