The 2024 Award Gala: Spotlight on Ethical Leadership
CISA Director Jen Easterly Honored During April 12 Festivities
On Friday, April 12, 2024, ethical leadership and generous support for the mission of the George C. Marshall International Center were once again in the spotlight.
More than 200 guests, including four VMI cadets in full dress uniform, gathered at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, VA to support the Marshall Center and honor Jen Easterly, Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), who was presented with the third annual George C. Marshall Award in Ethical Leadership.
The gathering raised $160,000 to support the Marshall Center’s mission of inspiring and developing visionary leaders worldwide. It kicked off with a lively welcome reception, during which friends and colleagues mingled over cocktails and hors d’oeuvres while bidding on silent auction treasures. Lieutenant General Eric Fick (USAF, Retired) greeted attendees with welcome remarks and a renewed call to service.
The evening’s engaging host, Board Member Robin Milton of LMI, kicked the formal program off by introducing the George C. Marshall High School clarinet ensemble, which performed a beautiful rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner. Following a delicious dinner, Marshall Center Board Chairman Tom Greenspon addressed the gathering and praised Easterly as a leader who serves as “an example of Marshall-level leadership in service to our nation today.”
“Jen exemplifies the values of duty, honor and country that are ingrained in each of us,” said Mastercard Fellow Ron Green, a West Point classmate of Easterly, who introduced the awardee. “Her continued dedication to service and her tireless efforts to safeguard our nation’s digital domain make us proud to call her our classmate and colleague.”
Addressing the gathering, Easterly thanked the Marshall Center for the honor and outlined the myriad strategic threats facing our country that demand strong, principled, visionary leadership in response.
“Today we live in times of challenges and opportunities that are as daunting as they are defining – a time when the mantle of leadership at all levels weighs heavy, calling not just for vision but an unshakeable moral compass to guide us,” Easterly said, adding that Marshall’s legacy of ethical leadership “asks all of us not to lead by the example of our power, but the power of our example.”
Her remarks were met with powerful applause. Easterly is now the third recipient of the Marshall Award, joining 2022 awardee Col. Greg Gadson (U.S. Army, Retired) and former Secretary of Defense Dr. Robert M. Gates, who received the award in 2023.
The evening concluded with a spirited live auction. Guests enthusiastically bid on prizes including a weekend getaway at the historic Greenbrier Resort, a private dining experience at Dodona Manor, a private flight with Major General Mike Fantini (aka FanMan), a golf and dinner experience at Creighton Farms, a three-month family APEX membership at XCAL in Ashburn, VA, and a weekend getaway at the Virginia Military Institute in historic Lexington, VA. The outpouring of generosity will help ensure the Marshall Center’s Ethical Leadership Program for high school students will remain free to participants, and the rest of the Marshall Center’s work will continue into the future.
We are deeply grateful to all guests and generous supporters and sponsors, including Monoc Securities, Fortinet Federal, the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Toth Financial, Cyber Defense Labs, HITT, Cyber Defense Labs, AFCEA, EIT 2.0, The Fratelli Group, LMI, Keppler Speakers, VMI Alumni Agencies, Andrew Boardman, Steve Chapin, Tom Greenspon, Shawn Hendon, Andy Hunn and Randy Minchew for making this wonderful evening possible.
Special thanks to the team at BeeTwoSweet Photography for capturing all the images pictured here.
Mark your calendars for the 2025 Award Gala on April 4, 2025!