MEET CAPTAIN RUSTY YEISER ’74

Meet Captain Rusty Yeiser ’74, USN (Ret.) —a native of Syracuse, NY.

Captain Yeiser graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1974. After retiring from active duty in July 1999, Captain Yeiser joined the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association & Foundation where he served as major gift officer, director of Corporate and Foundation Relations and most recently as the senior firector for Annual Programs.

Q: Introduce yourself, tell us your background and how you ended up at USNA AA&F?

Upon retirement from the Navy, I was looking for something different than working as a DOD contractor, and Dave Church told me that the Foundation was creating a fundraising division. My father had done development work at Syracuse University, so I decided to explore the opportunity and was hired in September 1999.

Q: How long have you been at USNA AA&F?

24 years and 9 months . . . but who’s counting?

Q: What is your favorite part of your job?

Three things . . . (1) The teammates I’ve had at the Alumni Association & Foundation, (2) the professionals on faculty at the Academy that I’ve worked with, and (3) the alumni that I've had the privilege of getting to know while facilitating their generous support of our alma mater.

Q: What will you miss the most when you enter retirement?

My daily interaction with faculty and midshipmen at the Academy.

Q: What is your advice to your younger self?

Take more time “in the moment” to realize how lucky you are—i.e. don’t get so wrapped up in your job that you forget to reflect on how cool it is that you’re a naval aviator, for instance, and that it won’t last forever.