ACG Member Rajesh U Kothari named Civil Air Patrol Michigan Wing Commander

Cincinnati, OH – Col Matthew Creed, Commander of Great Lakes Region, Civil Air Patrol, today announced the selection of Lt Col Rajesh U. Kothari to serve as the next commander of the Civil Air Patrol’s Michigan Wing. Col (select) Raj Kothari joined Civil Air Patrol in 1981 as a cadet and earned the Amelia Earhart award in 1985.

Since his days as a cadet, Col (select) Kothari has served in numerous leadership positions within the Civil Air Patrol from the national to local levels. Most recently, he served as the Commander of Group 705, Southeast Michigan, the National Cadet Special Activities Coordinator where he oversaw over 50 summer activities supporting thousands of Civil Air Patrol Cadets and will continue to serve as the Chair of CAP’s Investment Committee He has also served as the National Executive Officer, Board Chair of the CAP Foundation and the Vice Commander of Michigan Wing, along with a variety of other positions and roles.

Professionally, Kothari is Founder and CEO of Cascade Partners LLC an investment banking and private investment firm based in Southfield, Michigan and Cleveland, Ohio. In this role, he leads a team of professionals that assist middle market companie with mergers, acquisition and investments in privately-held companies.

Kothari is a graduate of the University of Michigan with a MBA and BA in Economics. He has also earned the the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is licensed by FINRA.

In addition to his work with the Civil Air Patrol, he has served on the board of numerous non-profit and for profit organizations including Priority Health, MedBio, MicroMachine, Leader Dogs for the Blind – Alternative Revenue Task Force, St. John Providence Health System – Finance Committee, Providence Health Foundation – Board Member, Development Committee (Chair)

Kothari and his wife, Christie have two children (both members of Civil Air Patrol) and live in Wolverine Lake, Michigan.
A formal Change of Command ceremony will be held at the West Michigan Aviation Academy on September 8th 2018.