Robert L. Caslen

Lt. Gen. U.S. Army, Ret.

Chair

Maj. Gen. Robert L. Caslen, Jr., U.S. Army, Ret., was elected chair of the CGSC Foundation and Alumni Association on Sept. 29, 2026. He has served as a member of the CGSC Foundation Board of Trustees since 2024. He has been a Senior Research Fellow of the Foundation’s Simons Center for Ethical Leadership and Interagency Cooperation since 2022.

Caslen was commissioned as an infantry officer in the United States Military Academy class of 1975. He served in the U.S. Army for 43 years retiring in 2018 as the 59th Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Under his direction as superintendent, West Point was recognized as the number one public college in the nation by Forbes Magazine and the number one public college by U.S. News and World Report. Through the establishment of Centers of Excellence at West Point, Caslen developed an integration between Army applied problem sets and West Point research and intellectual capital. He stood up the Army Cyber Institute to build skills and Army leaders required for the new cyber fight. He won support of Army leadership and of Congress to build over $2 billion in capital expenditures. Working with the West Point Director of Athletics, Caslen revamped the athletic program and made it self-sustaining. Fulfilling a pledge he made after becoming superintendent, he led a sweeping reversal of Army’s football program and developed a culture of excellence through winning with character, culminating in Army defeating Navy in 2016 for the first time in 14 years, and winning the Commander-in-Chief’s trophy for the first time in 21 years.

After his military retirement he also served as the 29th president of the University of South Carolina. Caslen successfully led the university through its most challenging period – the 2020-21 pandemic. During the pandemic, the university remained open, profited an additional $50 million, opened a national on-line program, and increased its enrollment applications by 21%. 

Before becoming the West Point Superintendent, Caslen served as the chief of the Office of Security Cooperation in Iraq, and was the commandant of the Army’s Command and General Staff College and commander of the Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Caslen also commanded the 25th Infantry Division during Operation Iraqi Freedom and was chief of staff of both the 101st Airborne and the 10th Mountain Divisions, where he also served as chief of staff of Task Force Mountain during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. He also served in combat and overseas deployments in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Honduras, and Operation Uphold Democracy and the United Nations Mission in Haiti.

Caslen holds a doctorate in business administration from Salem University, a master’s degree in business administration from Long Island University and a master’s degree in industrial engineering from Kansas State University. He is a distinguished graduate of the United States Military Academy, a member of the Kansas State Engineering College Hall of Fame, recognized with a Lifetime of Service award from the American Red Cross, was selected as the Honorary Rock of the Year Award for his leadership in diversity, the 2018 Gerald R. Ford Legends Award for lifetime service as a former football offensive center, the NCAA Theodore Roosevelt Award for a former NCAA student-athlete who is a distinguished citizen of national reputation exemplifying the ideals to which collegiate athletics programs and amateur sports competition are dedicated. Caslen was also recognized with an honorary doctorate from Long Island University.

In 2020, Caslen co-authored the book, The Character Edge Leading and Winning with Integrity. In 2025, he published his second book, The Impossible Mission, about the challenges he faced as the leader of the Office of Security Cooperation – Iraq. Caslen has been married to the former Michele Pastin, from Highland Falls, New York, for 45 years and has three adult sons and five grandchildren.

Download a copy of Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Caslen’s biography here

Farhad Azima

Regional Vice Chair (International)

Farhad Azima has served on the CGSC Foundation Board of Trustees since September 2018. He was elected as Regional Vice Chair (International) in September 2024.

Azima is the retired chairman of ALG Transportation. In his aviation career he conducted extensive business in the Middle East. He was recognized by the United States Air Force for his exceptional services to America during the build-up to and execution of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 1998.

Rolf D. Snyder

Legal Advisor

Rolf Snyder has served on the CGSC Foundation Board of Trustees since June 2010 and was elected as the Foundation’s Legal Advisor in September 2022.

Snyder is the German Consul for Kansas and Missouri and, as such, represents the Federal Republic of Germany for his areas of jurisdiction. He is also the president of Real Estate Corporation, Inc. and works extensively with various nonprofits around the country. Snyder’s practice focuses primarily on businesses and not for profit organizations.

Snyder received his MBA and law degree from the University of Kansas and his MIM from ESC Clermont Ferrand, France.