Sylvia Gethicker, M.A.
Strategic Communications Consultant
Sylvia Gethicker, M.A.
Strategic Communications Consultant
Sylvia is a strategic communications consultant in the Washington, DC area with her most recent assignments advising Assistant and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretaries of Defense for Health Affairs, Deputy Assistant SecDefs, and 18 Policy Directors.
From 2007-2015 Sylvia was the Director of Communications and Public Relations for the Forbes 6th Best Business in America and #1 Veteran hiring organization in the U.S. (government contractor VSE Corporation and its subsidiaries with 100+ locations worldwide). In this position she coordinated all communications to include projects with the offices of the Governor of Michigan, City of New Orleans, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Treasury, Social Security Administration, Department of Energy, DoD, and various government officials in Taiwan, India, Chile, Iraq and Egypt.
Other career highlights include serving as the DoD Senior Communications liaison to the White House for the WHO Global Health Security Agenda; Senior Communications Manager for Federal Opioid Task Force, DoD world-wide disaster relief/pandemic medical assistance, and NCAA/DoD Grand Alliance (concussion protocol and research); Communications Chief for the American Freedom Festival in Washington, DC; Spokesperson/Media Relations Chief at largest Marine Corps Base (Camp Lejeune, NC); Northern Bureau News Chief (Okinawa, Japan); Marketing and Advertising Manager for Marine Corps recruiting (Long Island, NY); Senior NCO of a 24/7 Media Center during Gulf War; Community Relations Chief for a U.S. Presidential Inauguration; and Senior Account Manager for a PR and Marketing firm specializing in medical, education and veteran nonprofits.
She received her journalism and public affairs supervisory education through the Department of Defense Information School; Journalism and Mass Communications Bachelor of Arts degree from Ashford University in San Diego (magna cum laude, 2013); and Master of Mass Communications in Social Media Marketing from the University of Florida (Distinguished Graduate, 2017).
Her personal awards include: American Business Awards “U.S. Communications Professional of the Year” in 2010 and 2012, runner-up 2009, bronze awardee 2013 and silver awardee 2014); three International Gold Hermes magazine editor awards by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals; VSE Corporation Employee of the Year (Alexandria, VA); Marine of the Month (DC); Marine of the Quarter (NY); Joint Service Commendation Medal (DC); New York State Conspicuous Service; Navy Commendation Medals(Japan/NC); Navy Achievement Medals (CA/DC); and DoD Thomas Jefferson Awards for journalism excellence in Editorial and Sports writing.
Sylvia has two grown children in Tampa (daughter UF Doctor of Pharmacology) and one graduate student studying Strategic Communications at George Mason University. In her free time, she enjoys volunteer work including fostering homeless pets and the Veteran-to-Veteran Hospice program in the DC metropolitan area.
Courses Taught