Ashore, he completed two highly rewarding tours at USNA, teaching and mentoring hundreds of midshipmen in the Leadership & Law and History departments, respectively. He is a graduate of the Naval War College and earned an MBA from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.

After retiring from the Navy, he and his family settled in West Hartford, CT, where he has held senior roles in project and portfolio management and IT operations at Travelers, Wolters Kluwer and Raytheon Technologies. Herbener currently serves as the chief operating officer of Barnet Associates, an IT services firm. He is also the very proud parent of a midshipman in the Class of 2029, deepening his personal connection to today’s Brigade.

Herbener served as reunion co-chair twice, collaborated on and guided several of the class’ philanthropic efforts, and recently stewarded a successful Distinguished Graduate Award package. He has been a Blue & Gold Officer for Connecticut for nearly a decade, successfully advising numerous midshipman candidates. Herbener is a founding representative to the Council of Class Presidents’ Reunion Advisory Committee, which seeks to improve the reunion experiences of all classes through organization, planning and execution improvements. Under his leadership, the Class of 1987 has achieved significant year-over-year improvements in the Great Class Challenge, culminating in 2025 with nearly 60% participation and 570 donors.

Herbener would be honored to bring his lifelong commitment to service, proven governance experience and results-driven leadership to the Board of Trustees as the Eastern region representative.

More than 20 years in the Marine Corps, Winklosky served as prosecutor, defense counsel, trial judge, staff judge advocate, executive officer and professor of law. After retiring from active duty, he entered private law practice. He later continued his public service as a federal administrative judge at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He now practices as a counsel in Pittsburgh, PA, representing clients in complex federal and state litigation across numerous industries.

Winklosky is equally committed to serving the Academy and the broader community. He is vice president of the Greater Pittsburgh Chapter of the USNA Alumni Association and a longtime Blue & Gold Officer, mentoring prospective midshipmen. His extensive volunteer service includes his role as a knight of magistral grace in the Order of Malta, board member of The Hear Foundation, community advisory committee member for the Eradicate Hate Global Summit, board member of Neighborhood Legal Services (2015–2021), Leadership Pittsburgh Cohort XXXVI, longtime contributor to the Allegheny County Bar Association Veterans Legal Clinic and service on the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation’s Steel City Scarlet & Gold Committee. He has provided hundreds of hours of pro bono legal support to veterans, asylum seekers and low-income individuals.

Family and service have always been central to his life. He and his wife, Tricia, have been married for more than 31 years. Tricia is the head of Well-Being Programs and Services at Hope for The Warriors, a nonprofit organization that supports military members, veterans and their families. They have three children: Drew, a U.S. Marine Corps captain and CH-53 pilot; Alex, an economist; and Annaliese, a lieutenant in the U.S. Space Force.

Anchored in the Naval Academy’s values of honor, integrity, service and leadership, Devin seeks to serve on the Board of Trustees to strengthen the alumni community, advance the mission of the Academy, uphold its traditions and support the next generation of Naval leaders.

On her second tour, Tyll 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. Her shore tour took her to Virginia Beach, VA, where she served as the strategy & tactics officer for the Surface Warfare Development Group 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, Tyll 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 Tyll’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. Supporting Team Tyll and their endeavors in academics, athletics, and beyond ensures she lives at the pace of a forward operating base at all times.

In the professional realm, Tyll transitioned to Camden National Bank where she is currently the vice president of Operational Excellence after working for four years with Maine & Co., a private, nonprofit focused on economic development within Maine. She remains an excessive community volunteer with high school booster clubs, fundraisers and veteran organizations. She currently serves as the state chair for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a new role for which she is gaining an increased passion! Tyll also remains an active alumna of the Naval Academy, serving as the class president for the Class of 2001; the area coordinator for both the Blue & Gold Officers of Maine and New Hampshire; the chapter president for Maine alumni; and the current Eastern region trustee for the Alumni Association and Foundation Board of Trustees, serving on the Nominating Committee and as the chair for the Communications Committee.

Cronic was a member of the Board of Trustees’ Ad Hoc Committee (2020-2021) and Admissions Committee (2020-2024). He continues to serve on the Board’s Communications Committee (2020-present).

During his tenure, Jacksonville grew to become a large chapter, earned two Distinguished Chapter awards and established the nation’s largest annual Army-Navy game watch party at the local NFL stadium. 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.

In his personal life, Cronic has a master’s degree in public policy and earned his Certified Investment Management Analyst certification through the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He runs a successful wealth management team based in Jacksonville, FL. Cronic is consistently outshined by his artist wife, Kristin (aka Easel on Stribling). They enjoy traveling and time together with their three children and family dog.

Smith also serves on the Board for the USNA Alumni Association of North Texas Chapter, is an Athletic & Scholarship Programs trustee and President’s Circle member.

Smith’s rise to the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association Trustee position started from humble beginnings that were fueled by his experience at Annapolis. The son of a single mother, he was raised in south central Los Angeles, CA. The Naval Academy provided him with a great education, developed his character and connected him with an amazing group of lifelong friends and colleagues. While at Annapolis, Smith received a B.S. in economics and excelled in sports. He was a brigade boxing champion, Eastern College Boxing champion and National College Boxing runner up. He was also a leader, having served on Brigade staff and was a NAPS Indoctrination company commander. Smith also received the Superintendent’s Leadership Award.

Upon graduation from the Naval Academy, he served six years in various command and staff roles with First Marine Expeditionary Brigade (1st MEB) and the Base Realignment and Closure team, MCAS El Toro. He was deployed with 1st MEB in support of Desert Shield and Desert Storm as a platoon commander and company executive officer.

After leaving the Marines, Smith began a career in business, earning an MBA from Wharton and working as a strategy consultant for Accenture. He transitioned into private equity and entrepreneurship, where he has bought and/or led nearly a dozen companies. Smith has served as a senior operating partner for Platinum Equity, Skyview Capital and Windage Partners. Additionally, he is on the board of advisors for Solutions Group International and VigilanteX. He credits his Naval Academy academic preparation and Marine Corps leadership experience for much of his success as a business leader.

Upon completion of Naval flight training and receiving his pilot “Wings of Gold” in August 1997, he reported to Mayport, FL, to fly the SH-60B Seahawk helicopter with Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron-Light 46, where he made two combat deployments to the Mediterranean aboard Vella Gulf (CG-72) and Gettysburg (CG-64), overseeing aircraft maintenance and operations.

Davis then served as government flight representative (GFR) at Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA), Lockheed Martin Systems Integration in Owego, NY, test flying and providing contract maintenance and production oversight for the SH-60B, MH-60R/S, and presidential helicopter programs. He was re-designated an aerospace engineering duty officer, and then served as the DCMA Owego executive officer, as well as fulfilling additional roles of chief of flight operations and program integrator. During this tour, he was selected as DCMA Junior Officer of the Year, Best in Service (2002), GFR of the Year (2003) and DCMA Field Grade Officer of the Year, Best in Service (2004).

His next assignment was as the MH-60R air vehicle integrated product team lead in the Multi Mission Helicopter Program Office (PMA-299), during which time the MH-60R was successfully introduced to the fleet. Here he was selected for the acquisition corps and achieved Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) Level III certification in program management and production, quality and manufacturing. While in this assignment, from May 2006 to April 2007, Davis deployed as the executive officer of the Joint Provincial Reconstruction Team, Sharana, Paktika Province, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Griffin served aboard Mobile Bay (CG 53) as first lieutenant and navigator and later as an officer-in-charge with Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron One. Following his military service, Griffin joined Apple, spending six years in new product operations, product development and supply chain strategy. During his time there, he co-chaired the company’s veterans group and helped launch a number of veteran-focused initiatives, including participation in the Service Academy Career Conference, Apple TV Veterans Day specials, résumé support programs and volunteer efforts with Honor Flight.

He then spent three years at Facebook (Meta), helping lead risk operations, and now leads regulatory operations at Airbnb. Across all three companies, Griffin has remained actively involved in veterans groups, strengthening connections between the tech industry and the veteran/service academy community.

Griffin has also been deeply engaged in his local community, mentoring students in the “No Excuses U” program at Los Peñasquitos School, coaching boys’ and girls’ lacrosse teams and clinics and supporting disaster recovery efforts following recent floods and storms in the Texas Hill Country.

Griffin comes from a proud line of USNA graduates. His father, Commander Arch Griffin '78, USN (Ret.), served as president of the Class of 1978, and his grandfather was Tom Burns '51.

Griffin credits both the Naval Academy and his fellow graduates for shaping the person he is today. The relationships he built with his classmates and other alumni have played a defining role in his personal and professional growth. He looks forward to further strengthening his connection to the Academy and its alumni community.

Griffin and his wife, Leslie, reside in Houston, TX, with their three dogs—Halsey, King and Sevy—and his four stepchildren.