Foundation elects new chair during annual board meeting Sept. 29

The CGSC Foundation and Alumni Association board of trustees conducted their fall 2026 meeting Sept. 29, in the Arnold Conference Room of the Lewis and Clark Center on Fort Leavenworth.

The key highlight of the meeting was the board’s acceptance of the resignation of CGSC Foundation Chair Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Chris Hughes and the election of Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Robert L. Caslen as the new chair. Hughes had served three years as the chair. Caslen has been a member of the Foundation’s board since September 2024 and a senior research fellow of the Foundation’s Simons Center since 2022.

“We are extremely grateful for Chris’s leadership, commitment, and service to the Foundation and to the Command and General Staff College,” said CGSC Foundation and Alumni Association President/CEO Lora Morgan. “Chris has been a valued member of our Foundation family, and we wish him continued success and all the very best. We’re also honored to have Lt. Gen. Caslen as our new chair and look forward to working with him in this new role.”

During his distinguished 43-year Army career, Caslen served as superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, commandant of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and commander of the Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth, among numerous other senior leadership positions. Following his military retirement, he served as president of the University of South Carolina and has continued his work in leadership, education, and ethical leader development. He has been an active speaker for the Foundation’s speaker programs since becoming involved with the Simons Center.

Other key actions during the meeting included the approval of trustee Richard Looney to serve a second, three-year term and the election of four new trustees. The four new trustees include:

• Joe Close, from Kansas City, a regional leader with First National Bank of Omaha

• Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Jerry Neff, from Bradenton, Florida, former president of M&I Bank, Florida Region

• Maj. Gen. (Ret.) John Holmes, retired British Army officer, from Leominster, United Kingdom, former commanding officer of 22 Special Air Service

• Damian Schaible, from New York City, co-head of Insolvency and Restructuring Group, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

The remainder of the meeting was focused on officer and committee reports and a lively discussion about the Foundation’s programs in support of the College.

During the meeting the board also visited the Foundation’s new office space in the Lewis and Clark Center, which is currently under construction.

For more photos from the meeting see the CGSC Foundation Flickr album.