Hello, my name is CW5 (Ret) Joachim “Joe” Consiglio. If you are a Warrant Officer (or one of USAWOA’s wonderful Associate Members), I am the President of your association – the United States Army Warrant Officers Association (USAWOA). The USAWOA is the only military service organization by, of, and for Warrant Officers, and on behalf of all the national officers, I thank you for taking the time to learn about our association. The term “The Quiet Professionals®,” as we have long been affectionately known, was trademarked by us in 2013, but we have been supporting Army Warrant Officers and their families since our founding, in July 1972.

The USAWOA was officially incorporated as a not-for-profit association in Virginia, on 7 November 1974. In 1985, it became a charter member of The Military Coalition (TMC), which is today comprised of 32 organizations, representing more than 5.5 million members of the uniformed services – active, reserve, retired, survivors, veterans – and their families.

As your National President, I am committed to improving our great organization, and am sincerely requesting your assistance in this effort. I firmly believe the three most significant challenges facing the USAWOA are:

1. Retaining existing members: We often state that “recruiting is the responsibility of every Member,” but retention of our existing membership is just as – if not more – important. This will be my number one association priority, and I will need the help of every single Member of the USAWOA. I need your help stressing the crucial importance of membership in our great organization with every Warrant Officer that you make contact with.
2. Improving our posture and leadership at the Army Level, and supporting the hard work of our senior Warrant Officer leaders in all three Army components. I repeatedly stress the utility of Chapter activities as excellent platforms for mentoring relationships, between junior and senior Warrant Officers, in an informal environment. You should also consider Chapter-sponsorship of WOPD seminars, in cooperation with local commanders.
3. Increase awareness of our national-level representation of Warrant Officers. Increasing our numbers strengthens the hand of National Executive Director CW4 (Ret) Jack Du Teil, when he is fighting for our issues on Capitol Hill. Simply put, a non-member attendee at a Chapter meeting is not only forbidden to vote there, but his or her voice is not counted in Washington, DC, either (and we are legally required to periodically report these numbers).

I am confident USAWOA Members can meet these challenges, and it is with the desire to fervently champion the Warrant Officer cause that I ask that you take an active role in your communities, to help us improve our posture.

If you are a Member, I thank you for your decision to join our professional organization. I would also like to challenge each of you to bring in one new Member. I cannot stress enough the importance of all Members not only renewing their memberships, but also becoming recruiters for our Association – and thereby increasing our voice (on your behalf) in the halls of our nation’s government.

If you decide to accept this challenge, you might be asked (or if you are not yet a Member yourself, you might ask), “What’s in it for me?” I would ask that you use our calling card of accomplishments – in coordination with our TMC partners – which we post on the inside cover of every December Newsliner magazine. The latest version of this may be viewed below – but please contact our national headquarters (at 703-742-7727) for a copy of the entire issue, and take time to read it.

With your help, we can continue to keep our great association relevant, and make it even stronger. God Bless each one of you, and thank you for all you do!

Sincerely,

Joachim Consiglio
National President, USAWOA