FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 18, 2025
For more information:
Alison Harrison, Marketing and Communications Director
James Parnell, Scout Executive
(from left): Scout Executive James Parnell, Vice President of Camping Wes Parker, Distinguished Eagle Scout Chuck Kubic, Council President John Scheib, and Council Commissioner Tim Briggs at Kubic’s Distinguished Eagle Scout Award presentation on January 21, 2025 in Virginia Beach, Va.
VIRGINIA BEACH'S CHUCK KUBIC SPEARHEADS 2025 FRIENDS OF SCOUTING CAMPAIGN
Virginia Beach, Va. – Charles “Chuck” Kubic, selected as the newest recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award by the National Eagle Scout Association (NESA), has been named 2025 Fundraising Chair by Scouting America Tidewater Council.
“Chuck is the consummate Scouter and professional, having achieved great heights in both areas of his life,” said James Parnell, Scout Executive of Scouting America Tidewater Council. “He is a Scouting success story. We are pleased he will lead our 2025 fundraising campaign.”
Kubic retired from the U.S. Navy as a Rear Admiral and Commander of the 1st Naval Construction (Seabee) Division after 32 years of active service. He has a strong record of combat leadership, commanding Navy Seabees at the Company, Detachment, Battalion, Regiment, Brigade, and Division level, including during Operation Iraqi Freedom, as chronicled in his book Bridges to Baghdad. He became president of an international construction company in 2005 and founded his consulting firm, Kubic Engineer Group, in Virginia Beach in 2012.
In his role as 2025 Fundraising Chair, Kubic will lead a team to raise $515,000 to support Tidewater Council’s local Scouting programs.
Tidewater Council’s annual giving campaign, called Friends of Scouting, provides 20% of the council’s annual budget. Generous gifts from Scouting families, alumni, and community supporters keep the overall cost of Scouting affordable so all families can participate.
“It has been a rare privilege,” said Kubic, “to work alongside extraordinary Scout volunteers and professional Scouters while guiding the development of our nation’s very best youth as they live the Scout Oath and follow the Scout Law each day on their way to becoming our nation’s leaders of tomorrow.”
Kubic received the NESA Distinguished Eagle Scout Award at the Scouting America Tidewater Council Pathfinder Dinner on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, at the Westin Virginia Beach Town Center. Since its inception in 1969, the prestigious award has been presented to only 0.07% of Eagle Scouts nationwide.
About the NESA Distinguished Eagle Scout Award
The Distinguished Eagle Scout Award (DESA) is the National Eagle Scout Association’s (NESA) highest honor for Eagle Scouts. NESA established this award in 1969 to recognize Eagle Scouts who achieve extraordinary national-level recognition, fame, or eminence within their profession or service to the nation and have a strong record of voluntary service to their community. Since that time nearly 2,000 have been approved out of 2.7 million Eagle Scout ranks. The award is granted to Eagle Scouts who, after 25 years, have distinguished themselves in their life work and have voluntarily shared their talents with their communities.
About the National Eagle Scout Association
The National Eagle Scout Association (NESA) is an organization of individuals who have earned the rank of Eagle Scout in the Scouting America program.
NESA’s objective is “to serve Eagle Scouts and, through them, the entire movement of Scouting.” NESA administers several scholarships for Eagle Scouts, both academic and merit-based.
About Scouting America Tidewater Council
Tidewater Council is the 5th oldest Scouting America council in the United States, established in 1911. Today, the council serves approximately 4,100 youth and 1,900 adult volunteers in the Virginia cities of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach, and the North Carolina counties of Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Pasquotank, and Perquimans.
More information about Tidewater Council is available by visiting TidewaterBSA.com, emailing james.parnell@scouting.org, or calling 757-497-2688.
About Scouting America
Scouting America provides the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training, which helps young people be “Prepared. For Life.®”
Scouting America welcomes all of America’s youth into its programs. Scouting aims to give them fantastic experiences in the outdoors, and elsewhere, where they can grow in a safe environment. More than 130 million Americans have participated in Scouting’s programs since its founding. Today, more than one million youth are served by 477,000 dedicated adult volunteers in local councils nationwide.
To learn more about Scouting America’s mission, visit Scouting.org.
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