Col. Rajesh ‘Raj’ Kothari

Board of Governors

Col. Rajesh “Raj” Kothari

Civil Air Patrol Board of Governors Member

Col. Kothari serves as a member-at- large of the Civil Air Patrol Board of Governors. As CAP’s top governing body, the 11-member board includes four at-large members selected by CAP’s Senior Advisory Group.

Kothari, who has over 40 years of service in Civil Air Patrol, joined the board Aug. 27, 2024.

He also serves as the chair of the CAP Foundation, and he is one of the original foundation board members, first serving from 2011 to 2014 and again since 2019. He has helped set the foundation's direction, supporting its success and establishing it as a long-term solution for CAP's financial needs. He also leads CAP’s Investment Committee.

Kothari joined Civil Air Patrol as a Michigan Wing cadet in 1981. Since then, he has served at nearly every echelon — squadron, group, wing, and national — as both a team member and a leader within the organization. He served as the Michigan Wing commander (2018-2021) and CAP’s first national executive officer (2009). He was also the National Cadet Special Activities coordinator (2014-2018) and the activity director of Cadet Officer School (2012-2014). He has received three Distinguished Service Medals for his service in CAP.

Professionally, Kothari has been an entrepreneur for over 30 years founding and leading several companies. Currently, Kothari is the founder, chair, and managing director of Cascade Partners LLC/Cascade Partners BD, LLC, an investment banking and private investment firm in Southfield, Michigan.

Kothari has also supported the growth and development of over 20 different nonprofit and forprofit organizations as a board member, including his current service on the OHM Advisors, Northstar Bank, Celtic Band and Crecera Brands corporate boards and a philanthropic board, the Leader Dogs for the Blind Foundation.

He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He is a chartered financial analyst and served as an adjunct professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and the University of Notre Dame Mendonza School of Business.

He is married to Christie Kothari, his wife of 30 years. They have two children, including a CAP adult member and a former cadet