Eric Toler

Retired U.S Army Colonel Eric Toler joined Augusta University in 2018 as Executive Director of the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center (aka Georgia Cyber Center). Mr. Toler previously served in the U.S. Army as a Military Intelligence Officer, retiring with over 27 years of leadership and national security experience. In addition to seven combat tours in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Balkans, Mr. Toler was a pioneer in leading and developing cyberspace operations capabilities for the Army and Department of Defense, serving in key positions within Army Cyber Command, U.S. Cyber Command, and the National Security Agency (NSA), to include serving as the Commander of NSA Georgia.

In his role as Executive Director, Mr. Toler is responsible for fulfilling the Georgia Cyber Center’s mission, which is to foster an ecosystem of collaboration among government, academia, and private industry partners that helps solve the state and nation’s most challenging cybersecurity problems through innovative education, training, research and development, and practical applications.

In addition to numerous military schools and training, Mr. Toler holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Henderson State University, a Master of Public Administration from the University of Kansas, and a Master of Science in National Security Strategy from the National Defense University. He is also enrolled in the inaugural cohort for the Intelligence, Defense, & Cybersecurity Policy PhD program at Augusta University.

Mr. Toler has several military awards and decorations, including the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and two Bronze Star Medals. He is also a member of the US Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Hall of Fame. In his current role, Mr. Toler has been three times named to Georgia Trend Magazine’s Georgia 500 most influential leaders and four times named in James Magazine as one of Georgia’s most influential men and women.