FLORENCE – University of North Alabama geography professor Dr. Michael Pretes was recently named the 2025 recipient of the Distinguished Service Award of the Association of Pacific Coast Geographers, a professional organization that promotes geographical research and education in the Pacific Coast region of North America.
Pretes’s record “is distinguished, by any reckoning, his service to the discipline and the APCG in particular has been formidable, including serving as the APCG president, and, more recently, accepting the election as the APCG representative to the American Association of Geographers Council, the ruling body for academic geography initiatives nationally,” said Paul Starrs, professor emeritus of geography at the University of Nevada-Reno.
In addition to being named the 2025 recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from APCG, Pretes also served as the Distinguished Visiting Professor of Geosciences at the Air Force Academy, where he taught geography courses, leading cadets on educational experiences at Rocky Mountain National Park and in the Cape Town region of South Africa.
“His dedication to helping cadets learn is truly exemplary,” said retired Lt. Gen. Christopher Miller, a former Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff. “His innovative geoeconomic ‘wargame’ class session, in which he created a multi-dimensional challenge, required his cadets to think about many facets of military planning, cultural variables, and multi-actor political and economic interactions.
“I am impressed by his wide-ranging knowledge, but even more impressed by the way he focuses on sparking his cadets’ desire to continue learning about the kinds of things they will encounter as officers.”
Pretes returned to UNA as a professor of geography in the Department of Geoscience at the beginning of the fall semester. He said his time at the Air Force Academy was unforgettable.
“My year at the Air Force Academy was an amazing experience, giving me the opportunity to help train our future Air Force leadership and learn more about the country’s defense initiatives and policies,” Pretes said. “I look forward to building the relationship between the University of North Alabama and the Air Force Academy.”
Founded in 1935, the APCG also serves as the Pacific Coast Regional Division of the American Association of Geographers. Its members are geographers from the region, which includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and the Yukon Territory.
Pretes, a native of California, has been active in the organization for more than 20 years while teaching at UNA.
The Distinguished Service Award recognizes members with an outstanding and sustained contribution to the organization, the region, and the discipline of geography. Recipients are recognized for their contributions to student education, research and scholarship, and organizational leadership.
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