The Charlotte Area Chapter Leadership
President | Chris Nickels – Class of ’91
Graduated from USNA in 1991 with a Mechanical Engineering degree and selected Naval Aviation. Chris flew the P-3 Orion with VP-9 in Barbers Point, HI and instructed at VP-30 in Jacksonville, FL He transitioned to civilian flying with FedEx in 2001 where he flew the Boeing 727 and 777 and is now an Airbus 300 Captain. He moved from St Augustine, FL in 2014 to Charlotte with his family. Chris has 3 children that keep him running around. Luckily one just turned 16 so there’s another driver!
Vice President | Chris Castleman ‘98
Chris is a 1996 graduate of the Naval Academy. He served as a Naval Aviator flying the SH-60B Seahawk for nine years, deploying to the Persian Gulf in 2000 (USS Kinkaid), 2001 (USS Hewitt) and 2005 (USS Bonhomme Richard). Chris also served as a NATO Aide de Camp stationed in Lisbon Portugal from 2002 – 2003. Chris left active duty in 2005 but reaffiliated with the Navy Reserve in 2023…. making him the oldest Lieutenant in the Class of 96!
Chris is a Financial Planner for WestPac Wealth Partners, working with clients to develop customized financial strategies to achieve their goals and enjoy the life they desire. Chris also serves as a Blue and Gold Officer for Naval Academy Admissions in South Charlotte.
Prior to WestPac Wealth Partners, Chris worked for Booz Allen Hamilton, GE, and Honeywell, and earned his MBA from the University of Virginia. Chris spends most of his time in the company of his wife Erin, and two daughters Millie and Margot, probably talking about something funny.
Treasurer | Miguel Cintron – ‘86
Miguel is a USNA graduate(with Merit) class of 1986. One of three foreign nationals in this class, he did not have the privilege of serving as a US Navy officer but as a proud Annapolis graduate, has been active in every Alumni chapter where he has lived and has been a Board member in Ft. Lauderdale, FL (2000) and Miami FL where he was Treasurer in 2015.
After earning an MBA from UMASS-Amherst he has spent his career in the Financial Services industry, having worked at companies such as Visa, Bank of America, Mastercard and Samsung Pay. He is currently an SVP at TIAA Bank, managing a multibillion-dollar deposit portfolio and its Payments products (Debit and Credit cards, Zelle, Bill Pay). Miguel is also a Board member of PayCLT, a local non-profit engaged in furthering the knowledge of the Payments industry, and a mentor in the Queens University McColl School of Business.
Miguel has lived in five countries and five US States and returned to Charlotte (after a stint in 2002-2006) in 2020 due to a work relocation. He has been married 30 years to Janet McDaniel from Holly, MI who is an Adjunct Professor at UNCC. They have two adult children.
When not busy working or volunteering, Miguel likes to travel (40+ countries and counting), staying in shape and socializing with friends and neighbors.
Secretary | Adam Kimball – Class of ’08
Adam is barely a 2008 graduate of the Naval Academy as a result of more than one Academic Review Board, the changing of his major, and multiple summer school classes. Before joining the Navy, Adam was on the fast track to success in a remarkably rewarding three year career working for a major corporation. It was while working in this fast paced and very dynamic corporate environment where he further learned and experienced the value of teamwork, sales, and supporting major operations. However, Adam always knew he wanted more. He wanted to be a part of something bigger than himself, and as a result, he decided it was time hang up the rollerblades for the last time– knowing he was putting his very illustrious and lucrative Sonic Fast food career on hold– to serve his country after high school by enlisting in the Navy. Adam started his Navy career in 2001 by attending Navy boot camp in Great Lakes, IL. After a tour as a Fire-Controlman (FC3) on board the USS Iwo Jima, LHD-7, Adam was accepted and sent to NAPs in 2003. After successfully completing NAPS and then USNA, Adam started flight school in Pensacola, FL in 2009 and received his Naval Flight Officer wings where he flew the mighty P-3C Orion as an instructor and Mission Commander in VP40 out of Whidbey Island, WA from 2013-2016. His last tour of duty in the Navy was on the CNO’s staff as part of a multi-service office in the Pentagon that wrote operational concepts for the future battlespace and how to operate within it. After his tour at the Pentagon, Adam transitioned out of the Navy in 2016 and went right back to where it all started, right back to Corporate America. This time however, it wasn’t with Sonic Fast Food. Adam is currently part of a leadership development program and currently works in Global Information Security (GIS) at Bank of America. At Bank of America, Adam also serves on the senior leadership team as Co-Chair of External Partnerships for the Charlotte Chapter of the bank’s Military Support and Assistance Group (MSAG) Employee Network. Through this, Adam is active in local Veterans Organizations, serves as a Steering Committee member of the Charlotte Chapter for Veterans on Wall Street (VOWS), and is actively involved in the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance Young Professionals Group. Adam and his two dogs- Chopper and Champ, moved to Charlotte, NC in 2017 to start work at Bank of America’s Global HQs. Adam also has two nieces, Hannah and Sophia, and one nephew- Austin, who all live in Dallas, Tx. Adam loves living life, meeting new people, making new memories, and playing golf terribly.
Other Chapter Leaders
Board Members
Michael Kubiniec – Class of ‘83
Captain Michael T. Kubiniec, a native of Buffalo, New York, graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. Following nuclear propulsion and basic submarine training, he reported to USS Haddo (SSN 604) where he completed submarine warfare and nuclear engineer qualifications
In his civilian professional career, Captain Kubiniec worked for two high technology companies: Applied Materials, Inc, Santa Clara, CA, semiconductor manufacturing capital equipment, in product management and global manufacturing operations; and Corning, Inc., Hickory, NC, fiber optic telecommunications, in product engineering management and brand experience program management.
Captain Kubiniec is married to the former Michele Rakus of Salamanca, New York. They reside in Mooresville, NC. He is now officially “retired” but maintains an active schedule of home projects, cooking, savoring single-malt scotch, physical fitness and other hobbies while pursuing the Certification in Financial Planning from Duke University.
Sylvester Steele – Class of ‘95
Brian Finegold – Class of ‘71
Arriving at USNA from Dayton, OH, I received my Engineering Degree with a major in Systems Analysis. My spare time at the Academy was spent as a 4-yr Varsity Gymnast. After choosing Naval Air, I was assigned to the USS Butte (AE-27) in Norfolk while I awaited my flight class (NAVY spells ocean!). I chose helicopters and had tours in HC-2 Fleet Angels and HS-15 Red Lions, with a stint in between back at USNA as the 16th Company Officer. I then went to the Naval War College, where I received Masters Degrees in Military Science and International Relations (Salve Regina Univ.).
I was assigned to the Navy Operational Intelligence Center as the Asst. Operations Officer, a watch team chief, and head of the Soviet Naval Air Division. That was followed by 3 years in Rota, Spain as Executive Assistant to Commander Naval Activities Spain and flying the C-12 all over Europe. My last tour was in the J-2 (Int.) in the Pentagon as a team chief in the National Military Intelligence Center during Operations Just Cause and Desert Shield/Desert Storm, and as the first Project Manager of the Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System (JWICS). I designed the system, developed the Military Standard for video teleconferencing, and oversaw procurement and installation of secure video conferencing at the key intelligence nodes around the world. JWICS today is the de facto intelligence sharing system for military and civilian intelligence agencies, with many foreign customers as well.
My next career was as a contractor for the FBI for 25 years, helping to develop the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System and its major upgrade, Next Generation Identification, which incorporated facial and Iris recognition. My major contributions were the creation of the standards for data transmission of biometric data and the Electronic Fingerprint Transmission Specification. I was able to achieve certifications of Project Management Professional from PMI and Certified Biometric Professional from IEEE.
I have been married to Diane Shorkey Myers for 25 years, and we have two sons, three granddaughters and two grandsons. My pastimes include tennis, golf, fishing, hiking and cooking.
