Sandy Cuttino has been elected president of the American Legion Post 34 auxiliary, responsible for the many veteran events and activities. Cuttino formerly served as a professional civil engineer for a small civil/surveying company in Apple Valley, Calif. Cuttino is the proud daughter of a WWII and Korean War Marine veteran, Bill Messner, and his wife Joan Messner. She credits her parents for her love of God, country and family.
Cuttino joined the Air Force as a civil service employee. She learned the environmental business, working closely with the regulatory community to develop and implement new programs driven by the constant proliferation of new environmental legislation and regulations. She also supported airspace management, community relations and military design and construction – all aspects of the business required to keep planes in the air.
In 1990, Cuttino joined Earth Tech, a company focused on providing environmental services to commercial and government clients within the United States. During her tenure, she routinely supported program teams by providing vision and guidance. Positions held with the company included executive vice president of Business Practices and Enterprise Ethics, president of Earth Tech Federal Programs, president of Earth Tech USA and president of Earth Tech’s Global Water & Environmental Services divisions. In these roles, she had overall financial and leadership responsibility for more than $800 million in annual revenues, representing operations of more than 50 offices in the US and abroad and a staff of 4,800 professionals that served federal, municipal and industrial customers.
Community service roles included a six-year term on the Desert Communities United Way Board; serving as president of the Optimist Club of Apple Valley, a service organization dedicated to “Bringing Out The Best In Kids”; launching a Childhood Cancer Comfort Pack Store for Loma Linda Children’s Hospital; and raising funds for Childhood Cancer Research and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
With her love and respect of the military she walked into the Cave Creek American Legion Post and joined the auxiliary in June 2020. For her, the Post is an extension of home and family, allowing her to continue to focus on her life’s passions.
Chartered in 1947, American Legion Post 34 has been giving back to community charitable organizations for more than 75 years. The Post, whose mission is to support and advocate on behalf of veterans, active military and their families, consistently reaches out to assist veterans and others in need.
