Meet the Instructors

Chief Warrant Officer 4 (Ret.) Ron Flaherty

CWO4 Ronald Flaherty was born in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1965 and graduated from Hershey Senior High School, Hershey, Pennsylvania, in 1983. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in April 1985 and attended the Personnel Administration Course at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Upon graduation, he was assigned to Headquarters Battalion, MCB Camp Lejeune.

In October 1986, Cpl Flaherty reported to VMFA-314 at MCAS El Toro, Irvine, California. While stationed at El Toro, he deployed with Marine Aircraft Group-70 in support of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Following deployment, Sgt Flaherty was assigned to 4th Light Armored Infantry Battalion, Delta Company, MCB Quantico, Virginia.

In July 1994, Sgt Flaherty attended Drill Instructor School at Parris Island, South Carolina. After graduation, he also completed Marine Combat Instructor of Water Survival School and was assigned to M Company, 3rd Recruit Training Regiment, where he served as a Drill Instructor and Senior Drill Instructor. In December 1997, SSgt Flaherty completed his tour of duty as a Drill Instructor and transferred to MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina.

In February 1999, he was promoted to Warrant Officer and attended The Basic School, Quantico, Virginia. Upon completion, WO Flaherty was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. In May 2002, CWO2 Flaherty transferred to Marine Aircraft Group-16 at MCAS Miramar, San Diego, California. While at MCAS Miramar, CWO3 Flaherty deployed to Baghdad, Iraq, serving with Multi-Security National Transition Command Iraq from June 2006 to January 2007. He retired as a Chief Warrant Officer 4 in October 2009.

Following his military career, CWO4 Flaherty earned a graduate degree in Education from Chapman University, having already completed an undergraduate degree in Organizational Leadership. In February 2012, he joined the San Diego Police Department, serving as a Police Officer until August 2014.

In September 2014, CWO4 Flaherty became the Senior Naval Science Instructor (SNSI) at Patrick Henry High School. During his tenure, the NJROTC program achieved national recognition, qualifying for Drill Nationals in 2019 and 2020, and winning the Area-11 Superbowl in 2020. In February 2023, he was hired as the SNSI at El Camino Real Charter School.

CWO4 Flaherty has been married to his wife, Kellie, for 22 years. Together, they have four daughters: Julie, Morgan, Jordan, and Rhys.