Mark Roddy

Hometown: Asheboro, NC

PSU Connection: Graduate, Current Student, & Employee

PSU Graduation Year: 2019 (AS), 2024 (BS)

Degree Type: Associates & Bachelors

Major of Study: Security and Risk Analysis (Cybersecurity)

Memorable moment in your Penn State career: Still working on it.

Active Duty or Veteran: Veteran

Branch: Marine Corps

Rank: Sergeant

Rate/MOS: Small Computer Systems Specialist

Where/when did you serve: Okinawa, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Camp Lejeune, NC, Chesapeake, VA; 1996 – 2000

Awards: Navy Achievement Medal, Meritorious Unit Citation

What was your favorite military assignment/duty station and why? It would be when I was at a temporary duty assignment at SPAWAR in Chesapeake, VA.  It was supposed to be for six weeks, but it kept getting extended.  We were there for over a year. I enjoyed it as there were Marine tankers, supply, maintenance, and administrative support staff to test various releases of the Asset, Tracking, Logistics & Supply System II+ (ATLASS II+) application.  There would be a new one released, and we would test it thoroughly, report back with our findings, and they would release another version shortly after that.  It was an amazing time, and I still keep in contact with some of the Marines I met while at this station.

Mark Roddy, Marine Corps, spent time in Okinawa Japan, South Korea, and Thailand. When Mark returned stateside, he was attached to the 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, NC, G6 unit. There he spent time in SPAWAR (Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command) in Chesapeake, VA where he was recruited as the FSA (Functional Systems Administrator) in charge of training other units in the workings of ATLAS II. Mark has a wonderful wife that is a faculty member at Penn State and together they have a ten-year-old son. He is listed as an American with a disability, that is not service-related, and not only is he employed at Penn State, he goes to school here as well. Mark plans to graduate with a degree in Security and Risk Analysis (Cybersecurity).