Chief of Staff

Colonel Janon “JD” Ellis, CAP

Colonel Janon “JD” Ellis is the Chief of Staff for Civil Air Patrol’s (CAP) Mid-Atlantic Region. Colonel Ellis joined CAP as a cadet in 1978 with continuous service to date. As a cadet, he served in numerous positions to include cadet commander of the North Miami Cadet Squadron and later the Miami Springs Optimist Cadet Squadron. He earned the General Carl A. Spaatz Award, CAP’s highest cadet achievement, as a member of the Florida Wing and continued to serve CAP after he was commissioned in the U.S. Air Force with Texas, Arkansas, and Illinois Wings. He also served overseas as the commander of the Yokota Cadet Squadron, Japan. Most recently he served as the Mid-Atlantic Region Deputy Chief of Staff for Cadet Programs. Previously he held the position of commander of Civil Air Patrol’s National Capital Wing. Colonel Ellis assumed his current position on the Mid-Atlantic Region staff on 15 October 2022.

Colonel Ellis is a 23-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force where he earned the rating of master navigator with over 4000 hours in the C-130. He served as an operations inspector on the Air Mobility Command Inspector General team, and he served as operations officer for the 730th Air Mobility Squadron at Yokota Air Base, Japan, later he commanded the 728th Air Mobility Squadron at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey and served as Chief, Requirements Policy Division on the Headquarters USAF staff, Washington, D.C. Colonel Ellis retired from active-duty service in 2009 and is currently a Department of the Air Force civilian on the Headquarters USAF staff.

Colonel Ellis was recognized as the Civil Air Patrol’s John “Jack” V. Sorenson National Cadet Programs Officer of the Year in 2012. In 2011 and 2012 he served as the commander of the Tri-Wing Encampment at Camp Fretterd. MD, and in 2013 and 2014 he served as CAP’s National Coordinator for Wreaths Across America. In 2018, Colonel Ellis led CAP’s National Diversity Initiative Team. He currently serves as the National Cadet Advisory Council Senior Advisor and is the National President of The Spaatz Association. Colonel Ellis holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Miami and a Master’s in Human Resources Development from Webster University. He is a graduate of the USAF Squadron Officers School (in residence), as well as the Air Command and Staff College (seminar), and the Air War College (seminar).

(October 2022)