On Friday, August 19, Captain Cochran, a recognized leader in the military and business sectors, was the guest speaker at the South Lake Chamber of Commerce First Responders Appreciation Breakfast.
Captain Cochran graduated from Savannah State College in June 1976, earning a degree in civil engineering technology and commission in the United States Navy. In 1986, Captain Cochran became the first African American aviator selected to the United States Flight Demonstration Squadron known as the Blue Angels. He was recognized as the 1989 Black Engineer of the Year. In 1994, Captain Cochran assumed command of the Blue Angels as the first African American Commander and Flight Leader.
After leaving the Blue Angels, Captain Cochran served as the commanding officer of the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps Unit (NROTC), at Florida A & M University with cross-town enrollment with Florida State University from August 1996 until July 1999. Captain Cochran was directly responsible for developing and grooming over 100 future naval officers for the navy and Marine Corps. During his final assignment, he served as the deputy commander of Navy Recruiting Command, second in command of over 7,000 people at over 1,500 locations around the nation and abroad.
Captain Cochran retired from the U.S. Navy with over 24 years of leadership and aviation expertise. After transitioning from the military, he spent three years at UPS as a flight training supervisor and ten years as a leader in the Business Aviation Department of The Coca-Cola Company.
(information furnished by the SLCC)
