National Leadership

Rene “Mike” Valdez

Chief Logistics Officer, Civil Air Patrol

Rene “Mike” Valdez is a U.S. Air Force veteran and serves as Civil Air Patrol’s chief logistics officer.

As chief logistics officer, Valdez is responsible for CAP’s enterprise logistics portfolio and the full lifecycle management of major assets across the organization.

His responsibilities include procurement, distribution, sustainment, and disposition of small unmanned aircraft systems, vehicles, communications equipment, facilities, real property, and the CAP aircraft fleet — the largest single-engine piston fleet in the world.

In this role, Valdez ensures the organization is properly equipped to execute its missions of serving communities, saving lives, and shaping futures.

He provides logistics leadership by establishing priorities, shaping enterprise logistics strategy, addressing operational challenges, and collaborating with internal and external partners to strengthen CAP’s long-term mission readiness.

Valdez joined Civil Air Patrol in September 2022 as director of logistics and mission resources and was promoted to chief logistics officer in 2024.

Before joining CAP, Valdez completed a distinguished 22-year career in the United States Air Force, retiring at the rank of chief master sergeant — the Air Force’s highest enlisted grade.

During his Air Force career, he served in senior logistics leadership positions supporting complex, high-demand operations across multiple duty stations and deployed environments.

His background also includes service as a military training instructor for U.S. Air Force Basic Military Training.

Valdez holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in management and leadership from American Military University.

He is certified as a Project Management Professional, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, and Resilience Building Leadership Professional Trainer.

Valdez resides with his family in Pensacola, Florida.