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Commodore Vass, as the National Vice Commodore is the Chief Operating Officer of the Coast Guard Auxiliary and reports to the National Commodore, Commodore Kerigan NACO. Commodore Vass also represents the Auxiliary at the direction of the NACO with all Coast Guard Flag officers and Flag officer equivalent civilians at Coast Guard Headquarters on Auxiliary matters.
Commodore Vass supports the Commandant’s strategic goals and serve Auxiliarists. Commodore Vass, under the general direction and supervision of Commodore Kerigan, shall:
While serving on active duty he served in Korea, Vietnam, Germany and the Virgin Islands. After leaving the Army Jim joined the Dupont Company and retired after 29 years of service as a Senior Project Engineer. While working with Dupont he was stationed at seven different sites responsible for major construction activity: Richmond Virginia, Augusta Georgia, Beaumont Texas, Dordrich the Netherlands, Parkersburg West Virginia, Ulsan Korea and Victoria Texas.
Jim is a qualified instructor, vessel examiner, coxswain and qualification examiner. He has been recognized with the following awards during his association with the Auxiliary: Medal of Operational Merit, Auxiliary Commendation Medal, Coast Guard Sustained Auxiliary Service Award, the Coast Guard Unit Commendation, and the Coast Guard Meritorious Team Commendation.
Jim currently works as a part time consultant for Mustang Engineering. He is a professional engineer in the state of Texas and a board member of the local Coastal Conservation Association.
Jim was born in Waynesboro Virginia and is currently living in Port O’Connor Texas on the Intercostal Waterway. Commodore Vass enjoys working with the Coast Guard Auxiliary and making contacts with the public. Commodore Vass also enjoys the recreational aspects of the water as a fisherman and hunter.
Vice National Commodore Tom Mallison
Commodore Mallison joined the USCG Auxiliary in 1990. He has enjoyed a wide variety of experiences in both elected and appointed offices.
He served as Vice and Flotilla Commander, Vice and Division Captain, Rear Commodore, and Vice Commodore. He presently serves as District Commodore.
He served on National Staff as Chief, Boating Liaison Division, Department of Boating; and as Department Chief, Department of Personnel.
He served at District level as District Staff Officer for Member Training and Personnel Services, Aide to the District Commodore and Liaison Officer to Sector Ohio Valley. At Division level he served as Staff Officer for Member Training, Publications, and Marine Safety, and as Liaison Officer to Coast Guard Group Ohio Valley. He served as Flotilla Staff Officer for Member Resources, Member Training, Operations, Public Education, Publications, Information Services and Finance.
He is active as Boat Crew Coxswain, PATON Verifier, RBS Visitor, Vessel Examiner, Instructor and Qualification Examiner. He earned the AUXOP device.
Following his graduation from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Commodore Mallison served in Germany, Korea and Vietnam as a U.S. Army officer in the Air Defense Artillery and Infantry Branches. After eight years of active duty, he joined the manufacturing sector. He was employed as Controller, Secretary, Treasurer, and Vice President with companies in the plastic molding business, printed and stamped aluminum business and electronics manufacturing business.
He served on the Board of Directors of three corporations. Business models ranged from privately held, Subchapter S to public C corporations. He also served on the Board of Directors of a large nonprofit corporation in the medical sector. During his business career he served in the U.S. Army Reserve in the Field Artillery Branch as an NCO and as a commissioned officer, and retired with twenty years of service. He opted for early retirement in 2004 from employment as Vice President and Director of Administration with Systran Corporation in Dayton, Ohio.
Tom and his wife Wanda maintain a residence in Dayton, Ohio as well as a seasonal home in Bear Lake, Michigan. Wanda also joined the Auxiliary in 1990. She shares her husband’s love of boating and spreading the Coast Guard Auxiliary’s message of boating safety.
Deputy National Commodore Atlantic-East Donald Frasch
Commodore Donald L. Frasch is currently serving as District Commodore, Seventh Coast Guard District Auxiliary. He previously served as District Vice Commodore in 2007-08, and as Division Captain, Division Eleven in 2005-2008.
Commodore Frasch received his advanced education from Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio where he majored in Applied Mathematics with a minor in Electrical Engineering. His education focused on the mathematical modeling and computer simulation of physical processes.
Commodore Frasch joined the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary in May of 1985 in District Nine, Eastern Region. While in Rochester, New York, he served two years as Vice Flotilla Commander, Flotilla 42, two years as Flotilla Commander, two years as Vice Division Captain, Division Four and two years as Division Captain. He then served three successive District Commodores as Coordinator, Special Projects and as the District Awards Chairman. Upon his retirement in 2000, he relocated to Hudson Florida where he again resumed his service to the Auxiliary. He has achieved qualifications as Coxswain, Vessel Examiner, Instructor and Uninspected Passenger Vessel Examiner.
Commodore Frasch retired from Digital Equipment Corporation in 2000 where he held various sales and sales management positions focusing on high technology Original Equipment Manufacturers, and Simulation and Simulator Systems for Industry and Government. Prior to Digital Equipment, Commodore Frasch held positions as an Electronics Engineer designing Hybrid Computer Systems for Simulation, and as Project Manager for the design and development of Computerized Color Matching Systems for the paint, plastics and textile industries.
He served in the U. S. Army National Guard in New York as a non-commissioned officer and reached the rank of Chief Warrant Officer, CWO-2. His personal awards include the Auxiliary Meritorious Service, Auxiliary Commendation, Auxiliary Achievement, Auxiliary Commandant’s Letter of Commendation and Auxiliary Sustained Service (11) Awards.
Commodore Frasch and his wife, Sandy, have been married for 48 years. They have three children and six grand children.
Deputy National Commodore Atlantic-West Mark Simoni
Mr. Simoni joined the Coast Guard Auxiliary in 1991 and has served in elected offices from FC to DCO. He served as Division Chief - Surface in the Operations Department from 2000 through 2005, and also as District Commodore for the Ninth Central Region, National Directorate Commodore- Operations, and currently as Assistant National Commodore, Operations Policy and Resource Management.
Mr. Simoni is an AUXOP member who has been active in the operations arena, being certified as a coxswain, QE, and PATON verifier. He has qualified on a Coast Guard 49’ BUSL, and was captain of the 2000 ISAR team which captured the US championship. He served on the ISAR Committee from 2001-2005.
Mr. Simoni is co-owner of a firm that specializes in electro-acoustic design and audio/visual integration. He is happily married to the former Cheryl L. Bowden of Bay City MI. They reside in Saginaw MI.
Deputy National Commodore Pacific Marie Scholle
Commodore Scholle joined the Auxiliary in 1997 as a member of the Fairbanks Flotilla. In 1997, she was appointed to the DSO-MS and held that position until 2002 when COMO Scholle was appointed to the National Staff as Division Chief, Commercial Fishing Vessel Division, Marine Safety and Environmental Protection Department. COMO Scholle was elected Commodore for Seventeenth District and took office on January 1, 2009.
COMO Scholle was born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island and received her AAS in Paraprofessional Counseling from Tanana Valley Community College. She received her B.A. in Criminal Justice from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks in 1990 where she also received her M.A. in Northern Studies History in May, 1996.
In 1976, COMO Scholle became the first female patrol officer for the City of Fairbanks. During her law enforcement career, she became a certified police instructor and a Hostage Negotiator with the Tactical Police Team. After a career ending injury in 1988, she joined the staff at the University of Alaska Fairbanks as Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety Officer and became a Nationally Board Certified Safety Professional in 1995. After retiring from State service, COMO Scholle accepted a position as Senior EOSH Professional for Advancia Corp/FAA. She currently serves as an Adjunct Faculty member of the University of Alaska as an instructor in Hazardous Material Management, Hazardous Waste Operations, Incident Command System – Levels 100, 200 and 300, Introduction to Occupational Health and Safety, Incident/Accident Investigation and Workplace Safety and Evaluations. In 1998, Governor Tony Knowles appointed COMO Scholle to the Alaska Advisory Council on Safety where she served three terms, one as the Board’s Chairperson.
COMO Scholle has held every flotilla, division and district elected position. She has also held several flotilla and district staff officer positions such as Marine Safety, Publications and Personnel Services and Finance. She is qualified as Coxswain, PWC Operator, Instructor, Coast Guard Instructor for Incident Command System-300 level, Vessel Examiner, Commercial Fishing Vessel Examiner and Harbor Safety Specialist. In September 2004, COMO Scholle was awarded the Marine Safety Trident Device.
COMO Scholle’s Auxiliary awards include the Auxiliary Award of Operational Merit, Auxiliary Commendation Award (3), Auxiliary Sustained Service Award (7), Auxiliary Commandant Letter of Commendation, Coast Guard Presidential Unit Citation, Coast Guard Unit Commendation (3), Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation (2) and the Coast Guard Meritorious Team Commendation (11).
~jim 08-26-10