Lieutenant Colonel Ryan Kastrukoff was born and raised in the suburbs of Vancouver, BC then completed an Honours Bachelor of Science in Physics and Computer Science from the University of Toronto prior to joining the Royal Canadian Air Force as a Pilot in 2004.

After receiving his pilot wings in 2007, he was selected as a pipeline Fighter pilot on the CF-188 Hornet, received the call sign “Beef” and started his gun squadron tour in early 2009. During this tour LCol Kastrukoff held NORAD alert in Cold Lake, the West Coast and in the Arctic. He also flew combat air patrols (CAP) over his home-town as part of Op PODIUM support to the Vancouver Olympics before completing an 8-month air liaison deployment with the R22eR battle group in Kandahar, Afghanistan as part of Op ATHENA. Subsequent tours include 4 Wing Operations as the Combat Operations Officer with a focus on NORAD operations in the Arctic, promotion to Major in 2014 and a flying instructor/supervisor tour at 419 Sqn on the CT-155 Hawk as the Training then Operations Officer followed by two years as Deputy Commanding Officer. In 2018 he was posted to 1 Cdn Air Div HQ in Winnipeg. In 2019 he was promoted to his current rank as the Senior Staff Officer Fighters, then in 2020 assigned to be the Deputy Director Fleet Readiness prior to his appointment to command Barker College in 2021.

Professional development has been a keen interest throughout his career including completing a 2013 distance learning (DL) Master of Aeronautical Science with a specialization in Space Science from Embry-Riddle, a 2020 DL Joint Command and Staff Programme grad and numerous smaller courses in between. Since 2015, LCol Kastrukoff has also been fortunate to have multiple articles published in the RCAF Journal, the Canadian Military Journal, and an article by the RAWC’s InFORM publication.

LCol Kastrukoff married his Winnipeg-native wife Stasa, a pediatric intensive care physician, during the first pandemic year. They are both delighted for the opportunity to work with the personnel of Barker College to shape and execute the professional development programs of the RCAF.

Maj Geneviève Dussault was born in St-Ferdinand, Qc and joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1996, attending the Royal Military College in Kingston, ON where she graduated with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering in 2001. After completing her training as an Air Combat System Officer in 2002, Maj Dussault was posted to 405 Long Range Patrol Squadron in Greenwood, Nova-Scotia where she flew the CP140 Aurora overseas and domestically in Canada. She is now completing 24 years of service in the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Being raised in a small town and living in the smaller town of Greenwood, NS most of her career, her transfer to the big city of Toronto, was quite a big deal. She worked at the Joint Task Force Central in Toronto for a year before being posted to 402 Sqn in Winnipeg in the summer of 2015 where she occupied the Chief Instructor position while teaching young Air Force Officer to become professional Air Combat System Officer, the first women ever women in this position. She is now posted at RCAF W/C William G. Barker VC Aerospace College and occupies the Deputy Commandant of the unit.

She is engaged in her community as a committee member of the Girls in Aviation Day and stays active by playing softball, going to the gym and attending yoga classes. Maj Dussault gave herself the mandate to mentor young women and therefore have been involved in the organization of International Women’s Day for the past ten years and is the Champion of Women at 17 Wing. She has three wonderful boys, Elliot, Justin and Ludovic and is married to LCol Ian Perreault.

Master Warrant Officer Emms was born in Winnipeg Mb. He graduated high school in 1990 and joined the RCN as a Marine Engineering Technician on 15 Aug 1991 in Winnipeg Mb. Following completion of QL3 trades training he was posted to HMCS Saskatchewan to begin apprenticeship training. In 1993 HMCS Saskatchewan was decommissioned and he was subsequently posted to the then new frigate HMCS Winnipeg in 1994 and proceeded shortly after on QL4 training in Halifax, Nova Scotia for six months.

He was posted ashore for two years in 1998 to complete QL5 technical training in Esquimalt, British Columbia and then posted back to HMCS Winnipeg in December of 2000. He completed Naval Boarding Party training in 2002 in preparation for Op Apollo as a NBP team member and participated in over a hundred boardings in the Persian Gulf.

Master Warrant Officer Emms served between 1992 and 2003 aboard HMCS Saskatchewan, HMCS Restigouche, HMCS Yukon, HMCS Regina, HMCS Ottawa and HMCS Winnipeg.

He applied for and accepted occupational transfer to AES Op in Jan 2003, awarded AES Op Wings in July 2004 and posted to 12 Wing Shearwater 423 Sqn to fly operationally on the CH-124 Sea King in the fall of 2004.

He was then posted to 12 Wing Shearwater 406 Sqn as an instructor in 2007. In 2008 posted to 17 Wing Wpg CFSAT as an instructor. 17 Wing Wpg 1CFFTS as an instructor in 2009, 17 Wing Wpg CFSAS as an instructor in 2012, 17 Wing Wpg 1CFFTS as a flight instructor in 2013, and 17 Wing Wpg 1 Canadian Air Division as the Combat Operations Division Superintendent from 2017- 2020.

Master Warrant Officer Emms has had 3 deployments to include NATO 1997 HMCS Winnipeg, Op Apollo 2002 HMCS Winnipeg, & SNMG1 Op Sextant HMCS Iroquois 2006.

In 2020 Master Warrant Officer Emms was posted to Barker College as the new SWO.

Brigadier General Denis O’Reilly grew up in Moose Jaw, SK and enrolled in the Canadian Armed Forces in 1991. He received his RCAF pilot wings in 1995, and was posted to 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron (Edmonton, AB) where he flew the CH135 Twin-Huey and later the CH146 Griffon helicopters.

From 2000 to 2003, he was selected for foreign exchange duties with 664 Squadron Army Air Corps (Dishforth, UK) where he flew the Lynx Anti-Tank Helicopter. His duties included Squadron Operations Officer and Squadron Second-in-Command. Upon promotion to Major in 2003, he was appointed Officer Commanding (OC) 664 Squadron.

Upon return to Canada in 2003, he joined 403 Helicopter Operational Training Squadron (Gagetown, NB) where he served in various Flight Commander positions, finishing his tour as Deputy Commanding Officer. In 2006, he assumed the role of J5 Air as part of the Standing Contingency Task Force HQ (Halifax, NS). In 2007, he was posted to 1 Wing HQ (Kingston, ON) to fill the role of A7 Doctrine. Promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel during Staff College in 2008, he returned to 1 Wing HQ in 2009 as the Operations Officer.

From 2010-2012, he had the privilege to rejoin 403 Helicopter Operational Training Squadron, this time as the Squadron’s Commanding Officer. A move to 2 Canadian Air Division HQ (Winnipeg, MB) followed, where he served as the Senior Staff Officer in charge of Air Operations Training. Promoted in 2015, he was appointed Director Air Force Training until 2016, when he returned to his home town of (Moose Jaw, SK) to assume command of 15 Wing - home of RCAF pilot training and The Snowbirds. In 2019 he returned to Winnipeg, this time to 1 Canadian Air Division HQ, where he filled the roles of A5/A7 and Director of Fleet Readiness.

Promoted to his current rank in June 2020, Brigadier General O’Reilly was appointed Commander, 2 Canadian Air Division in August 2020.

Brigadier General O’Reilly served on operational deployments to Haiti (1996), Kosovo (1999), and Kuwait (2014). He is a graduate of the Advanced Aerospace Operations Course, the Joint Command and Staff Program, and the United States Air Force Air War College. He holds a Bachelor of Philosophy degree, and a Masters of Defence Studies. He was appointed to the Order of Military Merit in November, 2019.

Brigadier General O’Reilly and his wife Doris have seven children.

Colonel Gagnon grew up in Saint-Anselme, Québec, and enrolled in the Canadian Forces in 1989. He began his military career at the Collège Militaire Royal de Saint-Jean and graduated from the Royal Military College in Kingston.

After receiving his Air Navigator wings, Colonel Gagnon began his operational career with 443 (MH) Squadron as a Tactical Coordinator on the CH-124 maritime helicopter. During his time on the Sea King he deployed to the Persian Gulf on HMCS Regina for Op PREVENTION, to East Timor on HMCS Protecteur for Op TOUCAN, and as Helicopter Detachment Commander on HMCS Regina.

After trading his Air Navigator wings for a set of Pilot wings, Colonel Gagnon began his second career with the Long Range Patrol community with a posting to 407 (LRP) Squadron where he was part of the Fincastle competition crew, Commanded a crew for Op PODIUM for the 2010 Olympics, and another crew for Op ATHENA flying over Afghanistan. He was then assigned to the Maritime Proving and Evaluation Unit where he was the Projects Flight Commander and the Deputy Commanding Officer during the Test and Evaluation of the upgrades to the CP-140 Aurora. Colonel Gagnon capped his operational contribution to the RCAF by commanding the “Demons” of 407 (LRP) Squadron.

His staff experience includes a tour at 1 Canadian Air Division Headquarters in the A3 Maritime Readiness section, in the National Defence Headquarters as the Executive Assistant to the RCAF Deputy Commander, as section head in the Directorate of Air Requirements, as Director of Air and Space Programmes, and currently as Director of Flight Safety (DFS).

Colonel Gagnon holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering and a Masters of Defence Studies from the Royal Military College of Canada, as well as a Masters of Business Administration from Royal Roads University in Victoria. He is also graduate of the Aerospace Systems Course from the School of Aerospace Studies.

LCol Renaud joined the CAF in 2000 and graduated from the Royal Military College in 2006 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. After receiving his pilot wings in 2008, he was posted to 4 Wing Cold Lake to undergo fighter pilot training. After graduating from 410 Tactical Fighter (Operational Training) Squadron in the summer of 2010, he was posted to 425 Tactical Fighter Squadron as a front line fighter pilot. In 2013, he was posted to 3 Wing Operations, still in Bagotville. In 2015, he was selected to attend the United States Naval Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, Maryland. He graduated as top graduate in December 2016 after which he was posted to the Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment at CFB Cold Lake. After attending the Joint Command and Staff Programme in 2020, he was posted in his current position as the Senior Staff Officer Operational Airworthiness at 1 Canadian Air Division. LCol Renaud deployed for combat operations in 2011 for combat operations in Libya, and twice, in 2014 and 2015, for combat operations in Iraq and Syria. LCol Renaud is married to Genevieve and is the father of three kids, Alexis, Charles and Gabriel.

Maj Carolanne Caza was born in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec on January 7 1992 and grew up in the small village of Saint-Anicet, Quebec.

After high school she entered the Royal Military College of Saint-Jean, Quebec, where in May 2011 she obtained a diploma in human sciences. Subsequently, Maj Caza went to the Royal Military College of Canada located in Kingston, Ontario where she obtained a bachelor's degree in psychology as well as a minor in French literature.

In May 2014, Maj Caza was transferred to 3 Wing Bagotville. Following her training as a logistics officer and her specialization in finance, she took the position of Accounting Officer of Public Funds within the Comptroller section and was responsible for the cashier and the claims cell of the Wing. After a little over a year in this function and at the rank of Lt, she changed position to become the Financial Management Officer and the Deputy Comptroller. Responsible for managing the entire wing’s budget, she was promoted to the rank of Capt in October 2016. She subsequently participated in EX SOUTHERN BREEZE with 439 Squadron in February 2017 and 2018 and was also part of OP CADENCE in support of the G7.

In June 2018, Maj Caza was posted to 22 Wing North Bay as the Wing Comptroller. After two year in the position, she and her spouse welcomed their first child.

In July 2021, Maj Caza was promoted to her current rank and posted to 17 Wing as the Wing Comptroller. Shortly after her arrival, she was sent to British Columbia to be part of the rear party for OP LENTUS 21-04.

Maj Caza and her husband, who is also military, are proud parents of a little girl named Sage, and they also have two micro pigs named Carley and Dexter.

Maj Dyer Joined the RCAF in 2002 as an AVS tech. After working on the Griffon, Sea King and Aurora, Maj Dyer was accepted to the YTPNCM program and graduated from RMC with a degree in Chemical Engineering. Following the creed of join the military and see the world, he was posted to greenwood for the second time now as an AERE and completed tours with 405 Sqn, 14 AMS, 14 WHQ and 404 Sqn and deployed on Roto 1 Op IMPACT as the Maint Flight Comd and Roto 32 Op FOUNDATION as the Canadian Liaison Officer. After several years in 14 Wing, Maj Dyer accepted an OT to Air Ops Officer which came with a posting to Winnipeg and RCAF Barker College where he is currently employed as the Department Chair of Air Operations. Maj Dyer is married to his wife Cheryl and they have 3 daughters.

Maj Gushaty started as an AERE officer in 2008. He’s been around a number of organizations. He’s progressed through Major Acquisitions on the Chinook, through a flying tour, a field maintenance tour, and a staff tour at the Div Headquarters to the position he currently occupies as a DCO in Comox.

He was lucky, as an AERE, to attend and graduate from test pilot school in California and complete a 4 year flying tour where he flew over 400hrs on 29 different aircraft types. His maintenance field tour had him supporting Chinook operations in Petawawa in preparation for the OP PRESNCE, though he was promoted and move to the Div HQ in Winnipeg before the deployment departed Canada. He did, however, get to depart for OP IMPACT, some 6 months later. Upon his return to the Division, he was moved to Maintenance Readiness, and with his staff, supported all RCAF aircraft with their respective Senior Staff Officers operator counterparts. Finally, he was moved to Comox where he is currently the DCO of 19 Air Maintenance Squadron.

Major Corey Taylor is currently the Career Manager for LRP and Newly-Winged Grad Air Combat Systems Officers, as well as Air Operations Officers. He completed his Flying Supervisor tour at 405 (LRP) Sqn in Greenwood, NS from 2016 to 2019, where he served as Standards and Training Flight Commander and then DCO. He was also the Detachment Commander for the final Op Impact LRP Detachment in 2017 and was Det Commander or ATF Commander for several Multi-national ASW exercises.

Captain Coxworth joined the Reserves as a student chaplain in 2012. Between 2013 and 2017 she completed her Masters, the civilian requirements for ordination and CT’d to the RegF.

Chaplain Coxworth was promoted to Captain, and posted to Winnipeg in 2017. She spent the next 4 years completing BTL requirements and serving as the Hangarline Chaplain. During this time she worked alongside the members and Chains of Command for 435, 402, Barker College, and MSS, served as the OPI for the Sentinel Program and Protestant Chapel on the Wing.

Having been posted to Petawawa in 2021 she now serves the members of the Royal Canadian Dragoons. Finding the combat arms very different in function and culture, the need for Chaplaincy is similar. Even when the details are different it is always an incredible honour when leaders ask advice and members invite you into their hardest days.

Chaplain Coxworth has recently been accepted into a Doctor of Ministry Program, and will be studying leadership and organizational culture change.