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Hawk Mountain Leadership
Command Team
Major Brian Bartle
Commander
As the Commander and Activity Director, Major Brian Bartle is responsible for the overall leadership and direction of the HMRS activity throughout the year as well as provides guidance of the CAP Ranger Program nationally.
Major Bartle began his Civil Air Patrol journey as a cadet in the early 1980s, quickly becoming involved with Hawk Mountain as a student and later as a member of the cadet staff. After rejoining Civil Air Patrol in 2008, he has held numerous leadership roles within the Hawk Mountain Ranger School (HMRS), including Squadron Leadership, Operations Section Staff, Commandant of Students, Deputy Chief of Standards and Evaluations, Chief of Standards and Evaluations and ultimately Director of Operations.
Major Bartle serves as the Pennsylvania Wing Assistant Director of Emergency Services and Assistant Director of Cadet Programs. Beyond CAP, he works professionally in plastics manufacturing management and is a veteran of the United States Army.
Ground Branch Director | Expert Ranger #248
Major Hahn assists the Commander in the execution of the HMRS activity and provides overall guidance to various special projects and initiatives.
Major Mark Hahn first came to Hawk Mountain as a cadet in 1969 and joined the cadet staff 1971-1973. Upon returning to CAP in 2005 he has served as Emergency Services and Logistics Officer at the squadron level. During Hurricane Florence he was a Ground Branch Director supporting SC Wing operations. On the Hawk Mountain staff he has served in various positions such as Instructor, Logistics Section Chief and Planning Section Chief. Off the mountain Maj Hahn recently retired as a Global Supply Chain manager in the mineral processing industry."
Ground Branch Director | Expert Ranger #279
Major Mark Hahn
Deputy Coammnder
Captain Terry Loughran
Advisor to the Commander
Captain Terrence Loughran assists the Commander in the execution of the HMRS activity and provides overall guidance to various special projects and initiatives.
Captain Terry Loughran has over four decades of dedicated service to the Civil Air Patrol and serves as a pillar of leadership and mentorship within the organization. His long-standing commitment to the Hawk Mountain Ranger School (HMRS) includes a distinguished record of roles such as Cadet School Commander, Squadron Leadership, Director of Operations, Deputy Commander, and currently, Advisor to the Commander. Capt Loughran also served as the Squadron Commander for Pennsylvania Squadron 101. His guidance and experience continues to shape the next generation of CAP leaders.
A proud veteran of the United States Air Force, Capt Loughran brings a wealth of discipline and service ethos to every role he undertakes. Outside of CAP, he serves in the medical field at a hospital in Philadelphia, where his dedication to helping others extends into his professional life.
Ground Branch Director | Expert Ranger #155
Lt Col DeEtte Riley
Director of Staff
Lt Col Riley is responsible for the execution of all school support functions and facility. She directly oversees Finance/Administration, Public Affairs, and Medical Sections.
Lt Col DeEtte Riley first came to the Mountain as a cadet in 1977. Now, there are few things at Hawk Mountain that have not felt her profound influence. She is responsible for procuring all supplies and services needed for the management of the school. She managed the construction bids, materials and accounting for hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of improvements to HMRS. She has served as NCSA Activity Director and School Deputy Commander, as well as Chief of Staff. She holds the Ranger Proficiency Grade of Instructor. When she is not serving at Hawk Mountain, Col Riley is PAWG Assistant Safety Officer and Director of Finance, winning several Finance Officer of the Year Awards, and a feature article in CAP’s Volunteer magazine. Outside of CAP, Col Riley lives near State College, PA with her husband, Expert Ranger Lt Col Jeff Riley, whom she met through her local squadron. She worked for an apartment management company in State College PA for over 35 years until it was sold. Currently she is a manager for a furniture and design store.
Incident Commander 3 | Instructor
CMSgt Cory Felts
Command Chief
CMSgt Cory Felts serves as the Command Chief for Hawk Mountain Ranger School, where he is responsible to the Commander for enlisted force development, morale, discipline, and the professional growth of Ranger NCOs and staff. He provides senior enlisted counsel on personnel matters, oversees NCO leadership initiatives, and ensures continuity between Ranger field standards and CAP leadership doctrine.
In addition to his HMRS duties, CMSgt Felts serves as the Senior Enlisted Leader for the Civil Air Patrol’s Great Lakes Region, advising region leadership on enlisted issues, NCO utilization, and the development of future enlisted leaders across the six state region and beyond. He also serves nationally as the Continuing Education and Training Superintendent for the Civil Air Patrol National Mentoring Program.
CMSgt Felts is an Incident Commander Level 1 with extensive operational experience in missions tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, having supported search and rescue, disaster relief, and multi-agency emergency services operations. A retired U.S. Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer with multiple overseas deployments, he brings more than three decades of enlisted leadership, resilience training, and expeditionary experience to CAP and HMRS.
He is Expert Ranger #283 and continues to mentor Ranger NCOs and candidates, strengthening the school’s legacy of competency, humility, and service in the field.
Incident Commander 1 | Expert Ranger #283
Major Beata Wirth
Director of Operations
Major Beata Wirth directs the day-to-day execution of HMRS. She is primarily responsible for supervising the Commandant of Students, Planning, and Logistics Section's.
In 1983 Maj Wirth joined CAP as a Cadet Sponsor Member supporting her family and Hawk Mountain Ranger School in many roles: food preparation. After a few years she joined as a member and became a HMRS Staff member as a instructor of several topics, and leading medical operations. She brings a great deal of real-life emergency services leadership experience to HMRS and was instrumental in establishing a relationship with local emergency services for any acute or critical services during HMRS activities.
Maj Wirth is a nursing health professional with a prehospital nursing certification. She is a PA State Fire Academy Instructor and has participated in the PA Urban Search & Rescue service. She is an instructor for the American Heart Association, NASAR, and ECSI.
Maj Wirth achieved the highest awards in both CAP’s Ranger and Medic Programs as both an Expert Ranger and Master Medic. She has been influential in developing CAP students and staff, motivates others, fosters a collaborative environment, and emphasizes the importance of leadership at HMRS.
Ground Branch Director | Expert Ranger #257 | Master Medic #24
Cadet Command Team
C/Capt Cody Mangiaruga
Cadet Commander
Over the past six years in Civil Air Patrol, C/Capt Cody Mangiaruga has been fortunate to grow in every facet of the Cadet Program, gaining valuable experience in Leadership, Emergency Services, and Aerospace Education. Throughout Mangiaruga's cadet career, he has served in a variety of staff roles at the Squadron, Group, Wing, and National levels, each one challenging him to expand his skills and serve his peers more effectively.
Over the past three years, Mangiaruga has had the privilege of serving in the role of the HMRS Cadet School Commander. This responsibility has been both demanding and rewarding, continually shaping him as a leader.
In addition to serving as the HMRS Cadet School Commander, Cody has been selected to serve as the Cadet Wing Commander for the 2026 Pennsylvania Wing Cadet Training Schools. Cody has also contributed to multiple past CTSs in a range of staff positions, further broadening his perspective on teamwork and mission accomplishment.
“My greatest hope is that every cadet who attends HMRS departs with a renewed sense of purpose in their CAP journey—one grounded in our simple but powerful motto: These things I do, that others may live.” – C/Capt Cody Mangiaruga
Ground Team Leader | Advanced Ranger
C/Capt Spencer Kovalsky has been an active member of Civil Air Patrol for five years. He has served in multiple staff positions within his home squadron and at Hawk Mountain Ranger School (HMRS), including Advanced Staff Training Squadron Commander and Cadet School Executive Officer. As Cadet Deputy School Commander, Kovalsky focuses on leadership by example and learning through experience. His goal is for every cadet who attends HMRS to leave with stronger qualifications, greater confidence, and the ability to lead effectively in their home units and daily lives.
“HMRS has made me the leader and person I am today. It has pushed my boundaries and given me a drive to achieve more. My goal is to help cadets do the same—push past their limits to become the best they can be.”— C/Capt Spencer Kovalsky
Ground Team Member 1| Advanced Ranger
C/Capt Spencer Kovalsky
Cadet Deputy Commander
C/Lt Col Karl Farynaz
Cadet Executive Officer
The Cadet Executive Officer supports the cadet leadership team with all administrative and management support functions to ensure effective execution of cadet training programs.
Karl Farynaz from Massachusetts joined CAP in 2017 for what he hoped would be competitive PT and Search & Rescue. Although he didn’t find either right off, he finally found his calling in 2019 when he came to Hawk as a basic student. Since then, he has shifted towards advocating SAR and specifically Hawk Mountain to both cadets and seniors throughout the rest of the program. In MA Wing, he represented for several terms on wing and regional CAC, staffed six encampments and served as the 2023 Cadet Commander. He was awarded Expert Ranger Belt #285 in 2025. Outside of CAP, he enjoys athletics (especially hurdles), most sports, culinary, competition, and homesteading skills. He currently works as journeyman chimney sweep and is working towards law enforcement.
His best piece of advice is that although tirelessly striving towards your goal is crucial, don’t always focus on being the hardest worker, focus on being the longest worker and you will outlast your peers and competitors. The most rewarding victory in life is saving souls, a close second is winning the respect, friendship, and lasting thankfulness of your people.
Ground Team Leader | Expert Ranger #285
Senior Leadership
Bio coming soon
Captain Steve Gundy
Commandant of Cadets
Lt Col Jeff Smith
Lt Col Jeffry Smith joined CAP as a cadet in 1968 and immediately joined his Squadron Ranger Team. Subsequently he joined the Hawk Mountain team as a student then as staff. He has served in various CAP Squadron leadership roles and as a member of the Hawk staff he served as Deputy Commander, Planning Section Chief, Training Officer, Cadet Deputy School Commander and Cadet Executive Officer. In 1996, Lt Col Smith was responsible for organizing the 40th annual Hawk Mountain Ranger School working with NHQ to establish Hawk Mountain as a National Cadet Special Activity.
Lt Col Smith represents PA Wing as a liaison to PA DCNR and PA Game Commission and also serves in the state Emergency Operations Center coordinating emergency services activities with other State and Federal agencies. For his service during the response to Hurricane Sandy performing airborne mission crew duties, Lt Col Smith received a National Commanders Commendation.
Incident Commander 2 | Expert Ranger #67
Deputy Director of Staff
Bio coming soon
Capt Nick Cocco
Deputy Director of Staff -Support
Major Chad Hooper
Maj Chad Hooper began his career at Hawk Mountain Ranger School as a student in the summer of 2013. Since then, he has been a dedicated staff member. Chad achieved his Expert Ranger in 2018.
From 2020 to 2024, he commanded the North Carolina Wing Ranger Training Weekend event, and he currently holds the position of Director of Education and Training for NCWG. In addition to earning his Master rating in Professional Development, Chad was honored with the Mid Atlantic Region Professional Development Officer of the Year Award in 2024. Off the mountain, Chad is a pharmacist and general contractor.
Ground Branch Director | Expert Ranger #276
Planning Section Chief
Lt Col Lamantia is responsible for the management of all HMRS vehicle, communications, facilities, and operational supply to support school execution.
Bio coming soon
Logistics Section Chief | Expert Ranger #277
Lt Col Aaron LaMantia
Logistics Section Chief
Staff Training Project Officer
Lt Col Ciara Williams
Administration Section Chief
Lt Col Williams first joined Civil Air Patrol in 1992 with her older brother Lt Col Jacob Hiles, who has also been a Hawk Mountain staff member. As a cadet, she was highly involved in every aspect of Civil Air Patrol and assisted in numerous missions, attended and staffed as a PAO at Encampment West, was a CAC representative, and helped organize and run a leadership academy called “Eagle Academy”. Lt Col Williams also completed Cadet Officer School, and represented the United States while she visited Switzerland as part of the International Air Cadet Exchange Program. In 1997, Lt Col Williams attended Hawk Mountain Ranger School as a student in the Field Medic Program, earned her green scarf, and was named honor cadet of the school. After she achieved her Cadet Lieutenant Colonel, and held the position of Cadet Commander at Jimmy Stewart Composite Squadron 714 in Indiana, PA, Lt Col Williams decided to take a break from Civil Air Patrol while she pursued her post secondary education.
Several years after graduating college, Lt Col Williams dove headfirst back into Civil Air Patrol as a senior member serving in numerous positions such as Deputy Commander of Cadet Programs for Butler County Composite Squadron 712, Squadron Commander of Greene County Composite Squadron 606, and PA Wing Chief of Staff under Col Kevin Berry. Currently, she is heavily involved with Education and Training, Aerospace Education, and Cadet Programs. Lt Col Williams returned to Hawk Mountain in 2021 to assist with the Administration section and in 2024 assumed the role of Finance Admin Section Chief. In addition to the Medic Green Scarf, Lt Col Williams has earned her Ranger First Class rating and Orange Scarf.
Ground Team Leader | Ranger First Class
Captain Rachel Scheller
Public Affairs Section Chief
Bio coming soon
MSgt Mark Kleibscheidel
Medical Section Chief
MSgt Kleibscheidel is a 30 yer plus member of CAP, having served in multiple roles both in and out of HMRS to include; Squadron Commander, Deputy Cmmander for Cadets, Operations Officer, Emergency Services Officer and Health Services Officer. He has served at HMRS as a lead Instructor for the Field Medic Course, Aircrew Survival Course and as a Squadron commander. He holds a Masters Rating in Health Services and a Senior rating in Emergency Services. He holds specialty qualifications as a Ground Team Leader and Ground Branch Director and is qualified as an advanced Ranger and Master Medic in the HMRS program. He is retired from the US Military where he served as US Army Combat medic and a USAF Aeromedical Evacuation Technician, Special Operations Medical Element Medical Technician and as the NCOIC of Medical Education and Training and CAP Reserve Assistance Program NCO. He is a Certified Flight Paramedic, Wilderness Paramedic, Firefighter, Rescue Technician, and EMS instructor as well as a specialty instructor for ACLS, PALS, PHTLS and TECC
Planning Section Chief | Master Medic #20
Major Alan Heckman
Chief Standards and Evaluations
Major Alan Heckman serves as the Chief of Ranger Standards and Evaluations and Medical Officer for the Hawk Mountain Ranger School. He began his Civil Air Patrol career as a cadet in the 1990s, becoming active in multiple areas of the organization, including emergency services and the Ranger program. His experiences in CAP inspired his professional path, leading him to become a Paramedic and later a Physician Associate.
Major Heckman holds a Doctor of Medical Science in Emergency Management and Global Health and has clinical experience in Emergency and Critical Care Medicine. After returning to CAP in 2016, he has served at both the squadron and wing levels in roles including Commander, Health Services Officer, Aerospace Education Officer, and Emergency Services Officer. He currently serves as the Health Services Officer for the Pennsylvania Wing and holds the Ranger ratings of Expert Ranger and Senior Medic.
Outside of CAP, Major Heckman practices Critical Care Medicine and is the Program Director for the Doctor of Medical Science Program at DeSales University.
Ground Branch Director | Expert Ranger #278
Chaplain "Capt" Toby Holland
Chaplain
Chaplain Holland serves as the command chaplain for Hawk Mountain Ranger School. He provides spiritual, moral, and emotional support to both staff and students by performing religious rites, conducting worship services, and offering counseling as needed, regardless of faith traditions. He is responsible for advising the school commander on morale and ethics issues. He joins staff and students on field exercises to ensure they receive care while conducting their Search and Rescue field training. Chaplain Holland serves at both the squadron and wing levels as a squadron chaplain and the Pennsylvania Deputy Wing Chaplain. He is a certified Mission Chaplain (CAP Support Rating), qualified Ground Team Member, and Ranger 2nd class. He has been with Civil Air Patrol since June 2023.
Chaplain Holland is a veteran of the US Navy and has over 20 years of pastoral experience. He is an ordained Lutheran pastor and currently serves a congregation in Johnstown, PA.
Mission Chaplain | Ranger 2nd Class