National Chair
Brad Tilden, the 39th national chair of Scouting America, is one of the organization’s top two volunteers (along with the national commissioner). The national board is responsible for providing oversight of Scouting America’s strategic direction.
A Distinguished Eagle Scout, Tilden has been involved with Scouting America for more than 50 years.
As a youth, he earned his Eagle from Troop 392 in the Chief Seattle Council in 1976 and worked on summer camp staff for four years. As an adult, he served on the board — and later as chair — of the Chief Seattle Council before joining Scouting America National Board as chair of the Finance Committee in 2014.
As chair of the Chief Seattle Council, he oversaw the operations of one of the largest councils in the country, serving more than 17,000 young people across the Pacific Northwest. During his tenure, Tilden expanded the reach of the organization, particularly in underserved communities, and strengthened partnerships with local businesses and community organizations.
As a member of Scouting America’s National Board, he helped shape the strategic direction of the organization and promoted its mission of building character and leadership skills in young people. In this role, he worked closely with other board members and leaders to address the evolving needs of the organization and to ensure that it remained relevant and impactful in the lives of young people.
Tilden retired as Chair of Alaska Air Group in May 2022 and as CEO of Alaska Air Group in March 2021 after spending 31 years with the company. In these roles, he drove Alaska Air Group to focus on safety, low fares, profitable network growth, industry-leading operations, and outstanding customer service. The company earned 12-consecutive J.D. Power awards for highest customer satisfaction while Tilden was President and then CEO.
Tilden follows recent Scouting America national chairs Dan Ownby, President, West Shore Pipe Line Company; Jim Turley, former global chairman and CEO of Ernst & Young; Randall Stephenson, former Chairman & CEO of AT&T Inc.; former U.S. Secretary of Defense Dr. Robert M. Gates; Wayne M. Perry, former CEO and vice chairman of Edge Wireless (AT&T Wireless); and former U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
Chair-Elect
Ricky Mason is a Silver Buffalo honoree and a Distinguished Eagle Scout. He has had leading roles in many of the largest and most complex bankruptcies and restructurings in the United States, including as Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee of Local Councils in Scouting America Chapter 11. He currently serves as the vice chair of the National Bankruptcy Conference, whose primary purpose is to advise the U.S. Congress on bankruptcy law. With his wife, Beth, and their two children, Mason founded the Mason Civic League, a charity dedicated to providing educational, art, and civic support in Hoboken, New Jersey.
National Commissioner
Devang Desai is a Silver Beaver, Silver Buffalo, and NESA Outstanding Eagle Scout Award honoree. He is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, a facilitator of a peer review rating process for legal ability and general ethical standards. He has also been named a Super Lawyer in Florida. Desai currently serves as a member of the University of Miami Board of Trustees and is a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha Foundation Board.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Roger A. Krone is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Scouting America.
Most recently, Krone, who is an Eagle Scout, was former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Leidos. With approximately $14.4 billion in annual revenue and 47,000 employees worldwide, Leidos is a recognized global leader in solving important problems in the defense, intelligence, homeland security, civil, and health markets. Before being named CEO of Leidos in July 2014, Krone held leadership roles at some of the most prominent organizations in aerospace for nearly 45 years.
In 2016, Krone engineered Leidos’ acquisition of Lockheed Martin’s Information Systems & Global Solutions business, creating a leader in government IT services and solutions with the potential to solve some of the greatest technology challenges. Under his strategic vision, the organization invested in critical internal research and development efforts. He was the driving force behind the company’s culture of innovation and the environment shaped to inspire employees to create innovative technology solutions that respond to customers’ challenges.
Before joining Leidos, Krone served as president of Network and Space Systems for The Boeing Company, where he provided calculated direction for approximately 15,000 employees in 35 states and 12 countries. His organization provided integrated technologies to government and commercial customers. He joined McDonnell Douglas in 1992 serving as director of financial planning, vice president and treasurer after a 14-year career at General Dynamics, where he held positions in program management, engineering, and finance.
Krone is a member of the Georgia Tech Foundation Board of Trustees, the Board of the National Air and Space Museum, Lear board, WETA Public Television and Radio in Washington board, past Executive Committee of Professional Services Council (PSC), past member of the Executive Committee of the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA), and past member of the CEO Business Roundtable.
Krone earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington, and a Master of Business Administration from the Harvard Graduate School of Business. A Six Sigma Green Belt, Krone is both a licensed commercial pilot and a certified public accountant. He is also a Member of Maryland Sport Fisheries Advisory Commission, a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a member of the National Academy of Engineering.
