Jerry Guess

Experience

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  Retired

  Jan 1969 - Jan 2013

  Air Force Public Affairs & Health Care
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  U.S. Air Force, 4609th Air Base Group, Air Defense Command

  Jan 1969 - Jan 1971

  Chief of Information

  Managed the base information program disseminating internal and public information, and a community relations program. Supervised the base newspaper, and Commander's Call Program. Created the base "Rap Line" where a grievance can be telephoned, recorded and an agency reply published in the base newspaper. Charter member of the base Toastmaster's Club; Project Officer to establish a local chapter of the Air Force Association. Hosted a local weekly radio program with base news, features and interviews at a local radio station. Show less

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  U.S. Air Force, 432nd Tactical Fighter/Reconnaissance Wing

  Jan 1971 - Jan 1972

  Deputy Chief of Information

  Assisted the Director of Information in organizing and operating the wing information program and community relations program. Served as the base newspaper editor. The paper (Easy Flyer) was selected as the most outstanding newspaper in the Air Force in its category for 1971. Wrote numerous aerial combat and rescue news articles published in newspapers throughout the United States that were instrumental in increasing public knowledge and understanding of the Air Force combat role in Southeast Asia. Guess also served as an advance team member to reopen a Thai Air Base for the 49th Tactical Fighter Wing. Show less

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  U.S. Air Force Orientation Group (AFOG)

  Jan 1972 - Jan 1976

  Chief of the Information Branch

  Developed and conducted a wide-ranging public affairs program supporting Air Force Recruiting Service goals. Conducted public affairs training for all unit personnel. Dealt on a regular basis with national news media representatives and high ranking members of the civilian and military communities. Planned and directed a training program for the multiservice personnel who operated the Department of Defense Armed Forces Bicentennial Exhibit Vans Caravans throughout the United States. Personnel were trained in public affairs, DOD policy, service history, exhibit operations, and news media interview techniques. The Air Force Orientation Group (AFOG) was the official exhibit unit of the U.S. Air Force. Show less

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  U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT)

  Jan 1976 - Jan 1978

  Director of Information

  Managed the Air Force Institute of Technology's (AFIT) internal and public information programs, and served as AFIT's Historian. Prepared correspondence, briefings and speeches for the Commandant, and arranged press conferences for visiting dignitaries, and improved AFIT's Contact Magazine content and distribution. Reviewed all School of Engineering and School of Systems Logistics graduate student thesis for public release. Also served a dual role as the first public affairs officer for the Department of Defense, Defense Institute of Security Assistance Management (DISAM). Show less

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  U.S Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT)

  Jan 1978 - Jan 1979

  Graduate Student at the Univeristy of Denver

  Under the Air Force Institute of Technology's Civilian Institutions Program, I was selected to attend the University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, where I earned a Master of Arts Degree in Mass Communications, and was honored as a "Distinguished Graduate."

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  Department of Defense Information School

  Jan 1979 - Jan 1981

  Assistant Professor of Applied Journalism

  Served as an Assistant Professor of Applied Journalism at the Department of Defense Information School (DINFOS), teaching undergraduate and graduate level journalism courses to multi-service enlisted personnel and officers. Prepared lessons plans, implemented a modular team teaching format, revised the officer and enlisted course curriculum, and had the additional duty as the U.S. Air Force Liaison Officer.

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  NATO Airborne Early Warining Force Command, E-3A Component

  Jan 1981 - Jan 1985

  Director of Public Affairs

  Selected to be the first Director of Public Affairs for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Airborne Early Warning Force Command's (NAEWF) E-3A Component (AWACS) at NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen, Germany. This is the first multinational operational flying unit in history, with 14 of NATO's 16 nations providing military forces to the Component with forward operating bases in Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Norway. Working for a German Air Force Major General, I created NATO's first military newspaper, planed and executed an international public affairs program, and gave public affairs counsel to five wing/center commanders and Forward Operating Base Commanders.Briefed VIPs and international groups as the official spokesman on the Component's mission, operations, and resources. Directed several film projects about NATO AWACS with the BBC, CBS and ABC. Hosted more than 12,738 visitors including 118 news media visits, 158 VIPs, 132 military visits, and 270 public visits to NATO Air Base Gilenkirchen. Show less

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  U.S, Air Force, Air Force Flight Test Center

  Jan 1985 - Jan 1989

  Director of Public Affairs

  Managed the U.S. Air Force Flight Test Center's media relations, internal information, security & policy review, and community relations program at the Air Force's second largest military installation with more than 16,000 military personnel, civilian contractors, and military dependents. The base newspaper was selected as the best in its category for two consecutive years. With a 19-member staff, the team provided news media support for 10 NASA Space Shuttle landings; a March 1989 Vice Presidential visit to the base; news media support for the Project Voyager flight, the first, non-stop, unrefueled flight around the world (Dec. 1986); created an advertising/publicity campaign that resulted in more than 500,000 spectators attending a one-day base open house for two consecutive years. In July 1986 I was the only on-scene Air Force Public Affairs Officer at an F-117 stealth aircraft (Nighthawk) accident location in Bakersfield, Calif. - two-years before public disclosure that the F-117 aircraft existed. In 1988 I supported an Air Force Public Affairs Team at the B-2 stealth bomber public rollout ceremony in Palmdale, Calif. In 1989 I was selected as the Palmdale City Citizen of the Month by the Palmdale Chamber of Commerce; was recognized by the Air Force Association Antelope Valley Chapter for four-years of community service; and received an Honorary Degree from the Antelope Valley College. I also served as the Publicity Chairman for the Flight Test Historical Foundation created to benefit development of the Flight Test Center Museum at Edwards AFB. At the Foundation's annual fund raiser dinners, I arranged press conferences for the Foundation's annual honorees, which included, General Chuck Yeager, General Jimmy Doolittle, the Apollo 11 crew, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, who all attended the event, which was hosted by ABC-TV's David Hartman. Show less

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  U.S. Air Force, HQ U.S. European Command

  Jan 1989 - Jan 1992

  Chief of Public Affairs Plans & Policy Division

  Selected by an Air Force Board to serve as a Joint Specialty Officer, I planned the public affairs actions associated with the deployment of U.S. units from Europe to the Gulf War, the repatriation of American hostages from Lebanon, the withdrawal of chemical weapons from Germany, humanitarian airlifts to the former Soviet Union, and non-combatant evacuations of U.S. citizens from Liberia, Africa, and the public affairs annexes to U.S. European Command war plans, contingency plans, operational plans, special operations plans, and theater exercises. My team and I were the public affairs plans and policy focal point with Army, Air Force, Marine, and Navy components assigned to the Command, U.S. Embassies & host nations. I also directed a combined information bureau established in Turkey during Operation Provide Comfort, one of the largest humanitarian assistance operations in DOD's history. I ran a media relations program to ensure journalists from around the world were able to document combined task force military operations (British, Dutch, French, Italian, Turkish and U.S. Armed Forces) in Turkey and Northern Iraq following the Gulf War; and served on the U.S. European Command's Headquarters Battle Staff. Show less

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  U.S. Air Force, HQ Air Force Material Command

  Jan 1992 - Jan 1993

  Chief Plans, Programs & Special Events

  Managed and directed plans, programs & special events for the Headquarters and 16 field public affairs offices. Reviewed, wrote, and implemented public affairs plans, regulations, guidance, awards, manpower & personnel actions, budget, equipment purchases, training programs, and served as a trusted agent for all exercises. Prepared annual Headquarters public affairs equipment & TDY budgets & monitored the funds allocated. Created a new Plans Division within Public Affairs; wrote the public affairs annex to the Command's Chemical Weapons Agreements Compliance Plan, and to the Command's Open Skies Treaty Plan, and managed the Command's Security & Policy Review process. Show less

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  S&C Advertising and Public Relations

  Jan 1993 - Jan 1999

  Senior Regional Account Executive

  Responsible for providing environmental public relations services to the U.S. Air Force Base Conversion Agency in support of base closures within a 12-state area, and to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Ohio. Created and provided continued operational guidance for Restoration Advisory Boards dealing with a variety of environmental issues and conducted public meetings and news media interviews on contested environmental issues at the Defense Electronic Supply Center, Kettering, Ohio; Moody Air Force Base, GA; K.I. Sawyer AFB, Michigan; and for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Marion, Ohio. This included working with the client, state, and Federal environmental regulators to promote public participation in the remediation decision-making process and to ensure the public was provided accurate and timely information about the planned cleanup process and its progress. Show less

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  The Ohio Masonic Home

  Jan 1999 - Jan 2009

  In December 2009 Masonic Health Care (MHC), that provided skilled-nursing to residents at the Springfield campus, and Masonic Retirement Village (MRV), that provided assisted living and independent living facilities to residents at the Springfield campus merged to become one Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) named Springfield Masonic Community (SMC). I continued to oversee and be responsible for the AL and IL segments of campus operations and to learn as much as possible about the skilled nursing services and operations. The Ohio Masonic Home CEO recommended I attend the University of North Texas Certified Aging Services Program (CASP), a certification program conducted by their Department of Gerontology. The CASP mission is to provide the core knowledge to deliver and enhance housing, supportive and community services responsive to the needs of seniors. The program included three courses: Administering the Retirement Community Housing Community; Management and the Aging Resident; and Managing the Financial and Physical Environment. I became a CASP graduate in June 2007. Show less Responsible for managing the operations of 102 Assisted Living - AL (Residential Care) units, 101 Independent Living Apartments, and 100 Independent Living Patio Homes. This included ensuring all AL operations were conducted in accordance with the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) regulations; and independent living resident obligations were being met or exceeded. Budgeting, occupancy, and staffing levels were monitored daily to ensure management was meeting its goals. In addition, quarterly Reports to the Masonic Retirement Village (MRV) Board of Trustees were mailed two-weeks prior to the Board Meetings to ensure Board members were prepared to review and discuss any issues with the management team. Senior team members were encouraged to budget for attending Ohio and national health care conferences, and participating in Ohio's Association of Ohio Philanthropic Homes, Housing and Services for the Aging (AOPHA) to keep informed of pending legislation which may affect MRV operations and to share that information with the MRV Team. Show less Created and implemented a multi-year public relations plan for The Ohio Masonic Home; provided public relations counsel to the CEO and the executive staff that included four subsidiary corporation presidents. Coordinated The Home's Annual Report, and a quarterly newsletter mailed to more than 117,000 Ohio Masons. Recommend to the CEO that the quarterly newsletter (The Beacon) become a joint publication of The Ohio Masonic Home and The Grand Lodge of Ohio and the recommendation was approved. Also established in conjunction with Time-Warner cable television a campus access television channel that presented campus news and activities to residents, and obtained a license to show movies on the campus channel. Also researched and hired a Dayton Marketing and Communications firm to create The Masonic Home's first corporate and subsidiary Web Sites. Also served as the project officer for the annual Ohio Masonic Home Day event attended by Ohio Masons and their families with special attractions, refreshments, entertainment, and an Ohio Shrine Parade. Show less

  • Vice President, Springfield Masonic Community

    Jan 2006 - Jan 2009

  • Vice President, Masonic Retirement Village

    Jan 2004 - Jan 2006

  • Corporate Director of Public Relations

    Jan 1999 - Jan 2004
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  The Ohio Masonic Home

  Dec 2009 - Aug 2013

  Coordinates Masonic activities between The Ohio Masonic Home (OMH) and its subsidiaries and the Ohio Masonic Fraternal organizations. Provides oversight and planning for Masonic related events; advises Ohio's 97,000 Masons about OMH programs and services available to them and their family members; distributes Lodge Secretary supplies to all Ohio Lodges; and coordinates OMH CEO presentations to Masonic groups. Serves as the I-CARE (Independence through Coordination Assistance Referral and Education) Director. Supervises seven social workers who cover Ohio providing assistance to aging Masons, wives, widows or Eastern Star members by helping them plan for home care options and linkage to community-based services and benefits, allowing seniors to remain independent longer in the least restrictive environment. Show less Springfield Masonic Community (SMC) is a not-for-profit Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) for adults 55-years of age plus. Then it served 480 skilled-care, memory care, assisted living (AL), and independent living residents with 360 full-time employees. When I assumed the campus leadership role, one-third of the SMC employee's left the workforce under an OMH corporate early out program. Also, the SMC team was downsizing the nursing home beds from 298 to 144 beds to reduce SMC financial losses. At the end of my term as campus president, SMC was at a breakeven point and due to a show a positive revenue return. I also increased communications with the staff, residents, and family members to understand and gain support for the dramatic culture changes. I conducted annual SMC financial briefings with residents, displaying revenue expenses, internal allocations, and the process department directors followed to control monthly expenses, and to determine annual resident rate fee increases. I attended resident counsel meetings to respond to resident questions; I held a monthly "Coffee Connection" - open forum for residents to attend and ask any questions; and created a "Kitchen Cabinet" - a small group of resident leaders who met with me monthly to candidly discuss campus issues. SMC's skilled nursing and assisted living facilities both received deficiency free annual surveys from the Ohio Department of Health for two consecutive years. SMC's department directors, their staff, resident family members, vendors, and the residents all contributed to a positive campus change which visitors noted made an open, friendly, and caring community. I also budgeted for and arranged for SMC Board members to attend the Leading Age national health care conferences and the Leading Age Ohio health care conferences to increase their knowledge of the industry and make them better Board members. Show less

  • Director of Masonic Relations & I-CARE Program

    Apr 2012 - Aug 2013

  • President of Springfield Masonic Community

    Dec 2009 - Apr 2012