Joe Plenzler

Chief Communications Officer

Joe is a 20-year combat veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. During his time on active duty, he spent four (4) years as an infantry officer and 16 years as a public affairs officer. He twice served for General James N. Mattis (2000-2001 and 2002-2003) and planned and executed the largest media embed program in the history of the Marine Corps during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. In 2005, he served as the senior U.S. military spokesman in Indonesia during the humanitarian assistance/disaster relief mission to the Banda Aceh region in the wake of the Boxing Day tsunami that killed 100,000 people. From 2010-2015, he served as the PAO to the 34th, 35th, and 36th Commandants of the Marine Corps. He transitioned out of the Marines in 2015 and has served in leadership positions in several defense and veteran-related non-profits. He has served on the advisory board of the Veteran Business Project since 2014.