Gen. Gary North, USAF (Ret), will end his six-year term on MOAA’s board of directors and his two-year term as chairman this month. Before stepping down, he looked back on his tenure, which emphasized growing MOAA’s strength in advocacy and number.
Q. What were some milestones MOAA reached during your tenure?
A. I am proudest of the work done by the board, the staff, and our members in our advocacy, both at the national level and the grassroots level.
The staff works not only with Congress and our uniformed service leaders, but they are also conducting important advocacy alongside other veterans service organizations to protect the earned benefits of uniformed servicemembers and families.
Also, I’m proud of the branding and outreach we have done. MOAA has been recognized as a top lobbyist by The Hill for 17 years running. That speaks to outreach across our nation.
How do we do this at the grassroots level? It’s the council and chapter members who are the muscle, the backbone, and the web of how we do business.
I am also proud of the efforts to support the Scholarship Fund and The MOAA Foundation. And lastly, our efforts to maintain financial stability have been really important.
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Q. You have been a vocal recruiter of MOAA members. What are your thoughts on growing?
A. We need to continue to advocate for our membership. We need to bring in younger members and currently serving members and foster an appreciation of their families.
As I’ve always said to our board members and many MOAA members, every member should be a recruiter, and every recruiter should help retain people.
My challenge has always been that every member needs to recruit three new members. And that, I think, has been important and successful.
Q. MOAA’s inaugural “people conference” TotalForce+ — set for October 2025 — was envisioned during your tenure. What are your thoughts about this event?
A. Uniformed servicemembers do a job unlike anybody else in our country. ... We must continue to support this all-volunteer force, which relies on the collective strength of families, civilian personnel, and the broader community. This will be a significant opportunity that brings together the services, academia, industry, and nonprofits to identify solutions for servicemembers.
[LEARN MORE: TotalForce+]
Q. What have you enjoyed about attending MOAA events?
A. The value you gain as chairman in attending events ... is getting to know people on the Hill and among MOAA’s membership. ...
The staff is a fantastic group, led by an amazing leader in Lt. Gen. Brian Kelly, USAF (Ret), and the corporate leadership. It’s just fun being with people who enjoy what they do and how they want to help others.
Q. What’s next for you?
A. I’m sure I’ll always remain active in many areas — supporting our uniformed servicemembers and their families and outreach across many venues. You never know what’s around the next corner, but I look forward to future challenges and opportunities.
