McDermott + Bull has successfully placed Christopher Plamp as Chief Operating Officer at Civil Air Patrol. In this role, Christopher will be responsible for driving operational excellence across the organization, ensuring alignment and disciplined execution in support of Civil Air Patrol’s strategic priorities. He will partner closely with the Chief Executive Officer, Board leadership, volunteers, and professional staff to strengthen organizational effectiveness, enhance member engagement, oversee enterprise operations, and support the organization’s mission of serving communities, developing youth, and advancing aerospace education.
Christopher brings over 30 years of executive leadership experience spanning nonprofit, military, and mission-driven organizations. Most recently, he served as Chief Operations Officer at the United Service Organizations (USO), where he led global operations across more than 130 countries, overseeing a $78 million operating budget, an integrated workforce of more than 500 employees, and 21,000 volunteers supporting nearly one million service members annually. Prior to that, Christopher served as Chief Executive Officer of Hire Heroes USA, where he led the organization’s strategy, operations, fundraising, and governance while significantly expanding revenue, organizational impact, and volunteer engagement. Earlier in his career, he served for more than 25 years as an officer in the United States Air Force. Christopher holds a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Air Force War College, a Master of Military Art & Science from the U.S. Army Command & General Staff College, and a Bachelor of Science from the United States Air Force Academy.
Civil Air Patrol is the official civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force and one of the nation’s premier nonprofit organizations dedicated to emergency services, aerospace education, and youth leadership development. With more than 70,000 members nationwide, Civil Air Patrol supports communities through search and rescue, disaster relief, aviation missions, and cadet programs while inspiring the next generation of aerospace leaders.
This executive search was completed by McDermott + Bull Partner Sue Waterbury and Executive Recruiter Bryan Carter.