Nick Sottler is a contract employee at the National Geospatial-Intelligence College, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, DoD. For the last six years he has served in the Faculty Development Branch of the College as a Senior Education Plans and Programs Specialist where he educates and trains incoming instructors—government civil servants, military personnel, and government contractors—in learning theory and instructional methodologies.

Nick earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering (Construction Science) from Kansas State University and a Masters degree in Business Administration from Averett University.

He is a retired Major of United States Marines. His primary military occupation was as an Infantry Officer. He was educated and trained for a secondary military occupation as a Communications Officer.

As a Marine Officer, he served seven years in combat operational units, one year with an operational support unit, six years on recruiting duty, attended two formal schools, and served as a primary staff officer working force structure issues at the Marine Corps Combat Development Command and at Headquarters Marine Corps.

Nick served two tours on recruiting duty—a total of six years.  These tours allowed him to twice attend Learning International’s (Xerox) sales course and the Marine Corps’ course for systematic recruiting. During his first tour on recruiting duty he served as a Recruiting Station (RS) Operations Officer in Los Angeles, CA, where he supervised the sales activities and results of 107 Marine Recruiters. Too, he served one year as the Executive Officer at RS Sacramento, CA.  On his second tour of recruiting duty he served as the Commanding Officer of RS Omaha, NE, whose area encompassed most of the states of Nebraska and South Dakota, the western one third of Iowa, and parts of Minnesota and Missouri—an area totaling approximately 180,000 square miles.

Upon retiring from the Marine Corps, he was employed as a lead training contractor at the Marine Corps’ Combat Modeling and Simulation Branch at the Marine Corps Battle Staff Training Facility. Since 2002, Nick has been employed as a contractor at the National Geospatial-Intelligence College.  At the College he has performed duties as a Course Developer, as a Training Coordinator, as the Executive Assistant, and presently, as a member of the College’s Faculty Development team. 

Nick is a student of Leadership and American history. He is an American Classic Car enthusiast and a devotee of football and of early Rock and Roll music.

Nick and his wife Theresa reside in the Mount Vernon area of Alexandria, VA.  They have one son, Aric, who is a U.S. Diplomat.