The Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) presented The Patriot Award to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Chancellor Randy Pembrook, PhD, and Vice Chancellor for Administration Rich Walker on Monday, April 22. The award recognizes supervisors and managers nominated by a National Guardsman or Reservist employee for support provided directly to the nominator.
“We are so pleased at SIUE to be able to serve the needs of individuals who have served or are serving in the military,” Pembrook said. “In this particular instance, I hope the award indicates that we are doing a good job in meeting the educational goals of those serving in the National Guard and Reserves. It is an honor to be recognized, and we accept the award on behalf of all the SIUE faculty and staff who teach and serve these patriotic individuals every day.”
“We highly value the military service of our employees who are members of the National Guard and Reserves,” Walker said. “We are proud to provide support to our citizen warriors who protect us at home and around the globe.”
About ESGR
ESGR is a Department of Defense program established in 1972 to promote cooperation and understanding between Reserve Component Service members and their civilian employers. ESGR is supported by a network of more than 3,750 volunteers in 54 committees located across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam- Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Together with ESGR headquarters staff and a small cadre of support staff for each state committee, volunteers work to promote and enhance employer support for military service in the National Guard and Reserve in the U.S.
ESGR fosters a culture in which all employers support and value the employment and military service of members of the Guard and Reserve. ESGR has continued to adapt to meet the needs of Reserve Component members, their families, and America’s employers by joining forces with a network of other national, state, and local government and professional trade organizations.
Photo (L-R): ESGR Program Director Major Loren Easter, Gene Blade (retired Army Colonel), Army Colonel Craig Holan, Dr. Michael Ayers, SIUE Vice Chancellor for Administration Rich Walker, Alan Buckner (ESGR volunteer), SIUE Chancellor Randy Pembrook, Paul Pitts (ESGR volunteer) and Richard Wuthrich (ESGR volunteer).