Meet the Adult Leadership Team

  

 

Kevin Radics, Scoutmaster - Troop 17

 

Scoutmaster Kevin Radics was in the first group of Tiger Scouts in Pack 356 in Centereach, NY in the early 1980s, and scouting is in the family. His father was a Boy Scout and Assistant Scoutmaster, his mother was a Troop Committee member, his brother received Eagle Scout, and his sister received her Gold Award, the highest honor in Girl Scouting. Kevin received his Eagle Rank in 1994 and continued earning merit badges to attain Bronze Palms and then Gold Palms. 

Scouting has brought Kevin on adventures as far north as Maine, as far west as New Mexico, as far south as Florida, and even outside the U.S. Some of his favorite scouting trips include climbing Mount Katahdin (the highest point in Maine at the end of the A.T.), backpacking the President range in New Hampshire, and summer camping at Minsi in Pennsylvania, Yawgoog in Rhode Island, and Baiting Hollow in New York. He backpacked through Philmont, spent time with the Boy Scouts in Bermuda, and camped and sailed for a week on an island in the Florida Keys at Sea Base with his cousins, fellow Eagle Scouts from Oradell, NJ. 

 

Kevin became involved with Pack 17 when each of his two sons joined as Tigers, and with the Troop when his older son crossed over as a Webelo. He and his wife and their two Scouts love having adventures together, from exploring the National Parks to making s'mores in their own backyard.

 

Kevin Radics took over as Scoutmaster of Troop 17 in January 2019.

 

 

 

Joseph Smith, Assistant Scoutmaster - Troop 17

 

 Mr. Smith Bio Picture

 

ASM Joe Smith has been in leadership roles at both Pack and Troop 17 over the past 11 years and is the proud father of one Eagle Scout (Jack) and a Life Scout (James). He is an avid outdoorsman who camps, hikes, trail runs and MTBs on a regular basis both with the Troop and in his spare time. 

 

 

A two time Philmont 12 day trek Crew Advisor, Joe is always trying to help the Scouts develop their scout skills and life skills to the best of their ability.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hemanth Mikkilineni, Head of Advancement - Troop 17

 

Mr_Mikkilineni_Photo

 

Hemanth Mikkilineni has lived in Short Hills for 10 years with his wife, Sri, and their two sons, Vihaan and Aarush. Both boys are Life Scouts and, hopefully, future Eagle Scouts. Hemanth is a technology leader at Amazon and holds a master's degree in Computer Science from Clemson University. He became involved with Troop 17 in September 2022, when Vihaan joined the troop. He has served as a committee member, and in 2025 he took over as Advancement Chair, where he helps Scouts along the path from Scout to Eagle. Coaching and mentoring have been part of Hemanth's career for many years, and his favorite part of Scouting is watching young people grow in confidence, step up as leaders, and find out what they can do. Outside the troop, he enjoys staying fit, traveling with his family, and giving back to the community.

 

 

 

 

Anitha Ramkumar, Committee Chair - Troop 17

 

Mrs. Ramkumar bio photo

 

Mrs. Ramkumar is an active adult leader, Merit Badge Counselor (MBC) and Committee Chair of Scouts BSA Troop 17 in Short Hills, NJ, and a proud mother of Life Scout Avyukt. She is passionate about youth development, leadership, and fostering a supportive scouting environment where scouts build confidence, responsibility, and lasting memories. She enjoys collaborating with leaders and families to help scouts grow and live by the Scout Oath and Law.

 

Troop Committee

 

Joseph Ackroyd

Graceann Bisig
Jyot Desai
Daniel Fialko
Sean Judge
Tony Kao
Virendra Kawadkar
David Klein
Alexander Mathew
Hemanth Mikkilineni
Brian Murphy
Laszlo Novak
Sanjay Pamnani
Christopher Perrella
Anitha Ramkumar
Thomas Stiska
Dan Strzelec
Parag Thatte

Nicolas Volpicelli

Jie Zhu

 

 

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