The Rear Admiral Grace Hopper Award
★ A Commitment to Inclusion 

The Rear Admiral Grace Hopper Award is presented annually by the Chancellor of the College of Information and Cyberspace (CIC) at National Defense University (NDU), Dr. Cassandra C. Lewis. This award recognizes distinguished individuals who are both thought leaders advancing the fields of information and cyberspace in the national security community, as well as those who have a track record of advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in support of a strong workforce.

It is named in honor of "Amazing" Grace Hopper, an early and notable pioneer in computing who also served as an instructor at the Department of Defense (DOD) Computer Institute (DODCI), which is a previous name of CIC. Watch a former DODCI employee recount his experiences with Hopper here. Read an article about the dedication of our Hopper Auditorium here, which is where the inaugural award ceremony was held.

A selection committee (led by Assistant Professor Linda Jantzen and comprised of staff, faculty, and student representation) reviews nominated candidates and makes recommendations for selection by the CIC Chancellor. There is one recipient annually and they are provided the opportunity to share their insights with the CIC community as a lecture. The recipient must be a notable senior leader in the national security, information, and/or cyberspace fields who represents the pursuit of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

This program directly supports the CIC and NDU educational mission, while also pursuing the spirit of the Military Leadership Diversity Commission Final Report (2011), DoD Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan (2012), DoD Women, Peace, and Security Strategic Framework and Implementation Plan (2020), and Executive Order 13985 “Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government” (2021).

The 2023 Recipient:

Michele G. Markoff

Michele Markoff is the former acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Cyberspace Security in the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy.  Since 1998 Michele has been the senior State Department subject matter expert overseeing the development and implementation of foreign policy initiatives on cyberspace issues. She helps to coordinate United States policy on the spectrum of cyber-related policy issues across the Department, develops diplomatic strategies to encourage states to join the United States in taking steps to protect their critical networks and to cooperate internationally to enhance and preserve global cyber stability. She implements those strategies through negotiations in a wide variety of venues. Her initiative led to the successful completion of the first ever bilateral agreement on confidence-building in cyber space between the United State and the Russian Federation, announced in June, 2013. Michele also has been the United States Government Expert on five Groups of UN Government Experts (2005, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2016) devoted to international security cyber issues. The last three GGEs led to landmark consensus reports regarding norms for state activity in cyberspace. Ms. Markoff is also the architect of two agreements on cyber confidence-building measures in the Organization of Security Cooperation in Europe, and a similar initiative in the ASEAN Regional Forum.

Ms. Markoff was trained as an expert in Russian and Chinese military affairs and decision-making and spent the first half of her career in a variety of strategic nuclear arms control-related posts, among them as State Department Advisor and then Executive Secretary to the START I Talks; later as Senior Policy Advisor and Director of the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency’s Policy Planning Group.

Ms. Markoff has a B.A. in International Relations from Reed College, an M.A. in International Relations and an M.Phil.in Political Science from Yale University, and a M.Sc. in National Security Strategy from the National War College of the United States. She also attended high school in the former Soviet Union and attended the Chinese University of Hong Kong.


 

Past Recipients

Jennifer Easterly

2022 Recipient

Jen Easterly

Jen Easterly is the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Ms.

LEARN MORE →


U.S. Marine Corps LtGen Loretta Reynolds, Deputy Commandant of Information, takes an official command portrait at the Pentagon, Washington D.C., July 9th, 2018.

2021 and Inaugural Recipient

Lieutenant General Loretta E. Reynolds, USMC (Ret.)

Lieutenant General Loretta E. Reynolds is the Deputy Commandant for Information, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps; and Commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Strategic Command. She was commissioned in May 1986 upon graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy and assigned as a Communications Officer.

LEARN MORE →