RICHMOND, Va. — Col. Teri D. Williams will succeed Col. Adam Volant as the commander of the Virginia National Guard’s Bowling Green-based 91st Cyber Brigade, according to an announcement made Nov. 5, 2019, by Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia.
Col. Williams most recently served as the commander of the Virginia Army National Guard Information Operations Support Center and deputy commander of the 91st Cyber Brigade. In her full-time job, she is the G6/J6 and chief information officer for the Ohio National Guard.
“Please join me in congratulating this outstanding officer on her new position of increased responsibility,” Maj. Gen. Williams wrote in the announcement. “She brings a wealth of experience in cyber operations, and I am confident she will provide the leadership and technical knowledge to ensure cyber capabilities in the National Guard continue to grow across the 91st’s units in more than 30 states across the country.”
This assignment follows the reassignment of Volant as the deputy chief of staff for operations for Army Cyber Command and his promotion to brigadier general.
“Adam’s exemplary performance with the 91st Cyber Brigade, coupled with his extensive subject matter expertise and leadership skills will surely equip him for continued excellence at the national level,” Williams wrote. “Please join me in wishing him the very best of luck in this new endeavor.”
The 91st Cyber Brigade was activated as the Army National Guard’s first cyber brigade Sept. 17, 2017, and it provides training and readiness oversight for cyber units across 31 states and deploys personnel to meet the demands of growing cyber mission sets throughout the U.S. Army and Department of Defense.
The fifth battalion of the 91st Cyber Brigade will be stationed in Indianapolis, Indiana, according to an announcement made Oct. 22, 2019, by Lt. Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, the director of the Army National Guard. The newly formed 127th Cyber Battalion will join the 123rd and 124th Cyber Battalions in Fairfax, Virginia, the 125th Cyber Battalion in Columbia, South Carolina, and 126th Cyber Battalion at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, Massachusetts.
Williams was commissioned in 1997 as a signal officer and was assigned to 124th Signal Battalion, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood where she served as a signal platoon leader. In 2001, she transitioned to the Corps of Engineers, attending the Engineer Advanced Course in 2001, and then served in various positions at the 112th Engineer Battalion including company commander for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 112th Engineer Battalion. She held a second command in order to stand up Charlie Company (Signal Company), 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. Williams was then mobilized to Afghanistan in 2008 and 2012 as the S6 for the 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Upon redeployment, Williams was appointed as the executive officer of the 16th Engineer Brigade and took command of the 112th Engineer Battalion in September 2014. During that time, she also served as the Cyber Lead, Defensive Cyber Operations for the Ohio National Guard and in 2016 she was assigned as the G6/J6 for Joint Forces Headquarters, Ohio National Guard. She took command of the Information Operations Support Center in the Virginia National Guard from July of 2018. Williams has also been the Officer in Charge for the Cyber Shield Exercise since 2017.
Williams is a graduate of the Naval War College with a Masters in National Security and International Studies, and also has a Masters of Science in Information Systems Security from University of Maryland University College. She holds numerous civilian Information Technology certifications including Certified Information Systems Security Professional, GIAC Certified Incident Handler and Certified Intrusion Analyst, Certified Information Security Manager, Certified Ethical Hacker and multiple COMPTIA certifications to include Sec+. She has also earned the FA30, Information Operations Functional Area.