Air Force Col. Marc Packler, commander of the 375th Communications Group at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., has been recognized as a recipient of ADC’s 2019 Military Leadership Award. Serving as the chief of the base’s cybersecurity command, Packler has catapulted the St. Clair County, Ill., region toward becoming a cybersecurity, and STEM education leader.
Packler and other Defense Community Award honorees were recognized Monday at a lunch ceremony during the Defense Communities National Summit.
Packler’s work places a high focus on youth education. Through partnerships with 22 area schools and universities, the Midwest Cyber Center and Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois, he has brought cyber education and career opportunities to more than 14,000 area students. Through these programs, he has helped transform the St. Clair County region into a cybersecurity hub.
Another area of importance for Packler focuses on intelligent infrastructure improvement across the country. Packler has spearheaded large-scale projects to renew, harden and robust outdated software, harnessing collaboration from across the U.S. to continuously improve infrastructure.
“Col. Packler’s enthusiastic leadership has strengthened our cyber defense posture and educated the next generation of cyberspace warriors, all while developing the workforce at Scott Air Force Base through numerous community partnerships,” said Col. Joseph Meyer, Installation Commander of the 375^th Air Mobility Wing. “These efforts have had a huge positive impact both on and off the base.”