By Staff Reports
(Honolulu)– The Hawaii National Guard Youth Challenge Academy has named retired U.S. Air Force Col. Gary L. Thomas the deputy director of its Kulani campus on the Big Island.
Col. Thomas will oversee Academy instruction and courses and will work with students to help them get through a rigorous 22-week on-site program that prepares them to obtain their high school diplomas, succeed in life and become productive citizens.
The highly decorated Col. Thomas served 26 years in the U.S. Air Force, both on active duty and in the reserves. He served as Deputy Chief of the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Pacific Regional Service Center in Hawaii. He held a variety of other senior positions and was deployed on tours to England, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Qatar, Iraq, Djibouti and Afghanistan.
A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Maryland, Col. Thomas has also served as the CEO and executive director of several nonprofit organizations.
About Hawaii National Guard Youth Challenge Academy
The Hawaii National Guard Youth Challenge Academy provides the opportunity for at-risk or non-traditional students ages 16 to 18 to reclaim their lives through an intensive, voluntary 22-week program. Cadets learn the values, life skills, education and self-discipline necessary to succeed as productive citizens, while working toward their high school diplomas. The Academy operates campuses in Kalaeloa on Oahu and Kulani on Hawaii Island. For more information, visit www.ngycp.org/site/state/hi.