Joe Plenzler
Marine Corps Veteran, Board Member, We the Veterans
2022
Joe Plenzler is a combat decorated Marine Corps veteran. He served 20 years on active duty as an infantry officer and as a public affairs officer. During his time in uniform, Joe planned and executed the largest media embed program in Marine Corps history during the invasion of Iraq, served as the senior U.S. military spokesperson in Indonesia during the international disaster relief mission in the wake of the Boxing Day tsunami, and served in the Pentagon as the spokesman, press secretary, and staff group director for the 34th, 35th, and 36th Commandants of the Marine Corps. Retiring in 2015, he has served as an EVP of marketing and membership, a national director of media relations, and a director of communication for large nationally recognized veteran service organizations. Today, he is a co-founder of Cassandra Helenus Partners – a leadership coaching and human communication firm.
Joe is a member of the board of the We the Veterans Society for American Democracy.
The catalytic power of this Summit in bringing together those who are devoting their lives to pushing back and working to confront, understand and work towards solutions around hate in our society is a noble and difficult task. The Summit not only energized those who attended but led to connecting the dots in a global network of those doing this work. The stories of the victims of hate were painful to witness but their courage in coming forward was inspirational. Those who attended left energized with the hope that by working together solutions can be forged.
