Leadership Team

Steve Hoffman is President of Fortinet Federal, Inc. where he leads an exceptional team of engineering, business development, sales, and systems support professionals. Under his leadership, Fortinet Federal has expanded the team and enhanced its critically important public sector support of cybersecurity and network operations initiatives. With an emphasis on helping agencies identify, mitigate, and prevent malicious attacks on their data, networks, and operational environments, Steve and Fortinet Federal are dedicated to delivering proven cybersecurity and networking solutions to the U.S. Federal Government.

As a seasoned professional with a degree from the University of Maryland and over 25 years of business and technology expertise, Steve is a proven leader who has held executive leadership roles within industry-leading firms such as Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, and HP Security.

His dedication has earned him a place on the AFCEA International Executive Committee as well as being honored with the Executive Leadership for Industry Large Business Titan award from AFFIRM and becoming an Industry Advisory Council Fellow. The National Association of Corporate Directors has recognized his commitment to strong governance through NACD Directorship Certification.

Steve continues to focus on meeting the advanced mission and security requirements of Civilian, Defense, and Intelligence Community agencies as well as the Defense Industrial Base.

Felipe Fernandez is the Chief Technology Officer at Fortinet Federal, Inc., bringing over 25 years of expertise in networking and cybersecurity. He leads a team of security architects and engineers, delivering mission-critical cybersecurity solutions and advanced technical support services for Federal Civilian, Department of Defense, and the Intelligence Community as well as the Defense Industrial Base.

Beyond team leadership, Felipe drives Fortinet Federal product strategy, industry standard certification efforts, and engagement with technology partners.

Before joining Fortinet Federal, Felipe served 12 years as a Cyber Security Engineer with the U.S. Marine Corps, honing the skills that now shape his innovative approach.

As the Fortinet Federal, Inc. (FFI) Chief Security Officer, Paul Michaels is responsible for FFI corporate security and U.S. Government security compliance programs. He is a seasoned professional with more than 20 years’ security experience and a master’s degree in security management. He leads the Fortinet Federal enterprise security program and is committed to ensuring FFI provides trusted and resilient cybersecurity and networking solutions to U.S. national security customers and their defense and aerospace partners. Paul is a U.S. Army veteran, and he has held security leadership positions with Cobham, Westinghouse, ITT, and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.  He holds several recognized security certifications, including CISSP, CPP, PSP, and PCI, as well as the National Association of Corporate Directors’ Directorship Certification (NACD.DC) and he is a Digital Directors Network (DDN) Boardroom Certified Qualified Technology Expert (QTE).

Jim Harrison is the innovative leader of Fortinet Federal sales and business development team, bringing strategic vision and energy that motivates his team to excel. As leader of the Fortinet Federal’s sales team for U.S. civilian, defense, and intelligence agencies, Jim is dedicated to exceeding the expectations of Federal Government customers and their strategic partners.

Jim’s commitment is backed by over 30 years of experience in sales and management expertise in the technology sector. He has held pivotal roles at Fortinet Inc, AT&T, Lucent Technologies, and Siemens A.G. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance and a Master of Science in Technology Management from the University of Maryland and is an active participant in Federal technology organizations, including the Government Business Executive Forum (GBEF), Advanced Technology Academic Research Center (ATARC), and American Council for Technology-Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC).

Jim firmly believes that supporting the cybersecurity objectives of the Federal government begins with hiring the right people, fostering a culture of continuous learning, and empowering his team to deliver in an ever-evolving landscape.

Shelly Scarpelli is the Senior Director of Marketing and Communications for Fortinet Federal, Inc. where she has managed marketing and public relations since 2017.  She plans and executes marketing programs designed to support business development and continuing customer satisfaction. In this role, Shelly collaborates with Government-focused media, partners, and marketing service providers to create content for online communications, events, and other targeted outreach. Prior to Fortinet Federal, Shelly was the Senior Marketing Manager for more than 12 years with Juniper Networks where she managed public sector marketing programs focused on the U.S. defense, intelligence, and civilian sectors. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bowling Green State University and is an active participant and mentor in the Federal Marketing community.

Lee Moser is a seasoned sales and business development leader with a wealth of experience in driving growth, forging strategic partnerships, and leading high-performance teams. With a deep understanding of the partner ecosystem, Lee has consistently built and executed successful sales strategies that cultivate long-term relationships and unlock new revenue streams. She is committed to leading large-scale business initiatives from opportunity assessment through bid development to successful contract negotiations.

Throughout her career, Lee has demonstrated an exceptional ability to deliver complex solutions and services to both government and commercial enterprises. Before joining Fortinet, she held key business and program management roles at industry-leading firms, including 3M, NEC, and VIDAR Systems.

She also participates in the American Council for Technology-Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC) Community of Interest, where she serves as Programs Co-Chair.  Lee holds a bachelor’s degree from Auburn University and an MBA with a focus on Information Technology and Marketing from Marymount University.

With almost 30 years’ experience in the IT market, Phil Moser brings cybersecurity and telecommunications networking expertise to his role as Director of Civilian Agency Programs with Fortinet Federal. He leads the professional sales team that provides trusted cybersecurity technology and services to diverse U.S. Government civilian agencies as well as their key industry partners. 

Since joining Fortinet Federal in 2019, Phil’s strong commitment to customer support has resulted in delivering innovative solutions to major Federal agencies and developing strategic partnerships with new customers.

He has a history of building and managing high-performance sales and operations teams, including at Ciena Corporation, where he spent 20 years in sales, business development, and operations in the U.S. and international markets.  Prior to joining Fortinet, he was Director of Business Development at TurningPoint Global Solutions. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana University and a Master of Arts from the University of Florida.

David Peed leverages more than three decades of sales leadership to oversee Fortinet Federal’s field operations team for the Department of Defense, Special Programs, and System Integrators.  After beginning his career in the U.S. House of Representatives, he transitioned into the government contracting sector, where he has a proven record of delivering mission-critical digital, telecom and cyber solutions.  David has led several Government subsidiaries to growth including Ciena Government Solutions and Equinix where he led the efforts of the inception of Equinix Government solutions to include the former Terremark assets that Equinix acquired from Verizon.  

David holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Towson State University, an M.S. in Information Systems from Johns Hopkins University, and a Federal Contracting Certificate from George Washington University. An active member of the professional community, he serves on the CYBER-USA Board, advises other boards, and participates in organizations like the Advanced Technology Academic Research Center (ATARC) and the American Council for Technology-Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC).

David is deeply committed to understanding client needs and takes pride in delivering tailored solutions that foster long-term customer relationships.  As a featured guest on The Sales Game Changers Podcast, he emphasized the critical role that understanding client needs and mission objectives plays in achieving sales success.

Mark Wiggins leads business development for Fortinet Federal, Inc. supporting the U.S. Department of Defense, the Intelligence Community and Federal Systems Integrators. With more than 20 years of experience crafting and executing business development strategies, he has consistently driven growth in DoD-focused teams throughout his career.

A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Mark began his career as a Surface Warfare Officer, sharpening his strategic vision, mission focus, and ability to foster strong relationships. He went on to support maritime and secure satellite communications systems with Inmarsat Government and Segovia before spearheading DoD business development at Juniper Networks, addressing complex secure enterprise and tactical network challenges.

Mark’s work at Fortinet Federal is driven by his passion for advancing zero trust principles through cybersecurity development execution, secure network convergence, and cloud solutions in an ever-evolving digital market.

Janet Silverman serves as the Director of Human Resources and Talent Acquisition at Fortinet Federal, where she oversees strategic initiatives in staff recruitment, augmentation, and support throughout the employment life cycle. Working closely with Fortinet Federal’s executive leadership, Janet provides expert guidance on personnel-related matters, including HR policy development, compensation strategies, and benefits administration. Simultaneously, Janet’s passion for people makes her an ardent advocate for the employee.

With a career spanning a variety of technology companies – OPAQ, CA Technologies, Preferred Systems Solutions and Xceedium – Janet brings a multifaceted perspective to Human Resources.  As a Society for Human Resource Management Certified Professional (SHRM-CP), Janet is an active member in the HR Community.  She has served as Co-Vice President of Certification and was a Voting Board Member of SHRM’s Northern Virginia Chapter.

An enthusiastic supporter of professional development, she dedicates her time to mentoring colleagues pursuing HR certification.  Janet is most proud of consistently emphasizing humanity in human resources.

A 30-year veteran of the Federal technology market with broad experience in field operations and sales, Brian Fox provides management oversight across the full spectrum of Fortinet Federal operations. His responsibilities include FFI business development, implementation of sales and lead management systems, and a diverse range of transformation programs to support the establishment and growth of Fortinet Federal. His expertise includes providing solutions development, product portfolio management, and marketing strategies while successfully managing field operations teams. Brian’s work experience includes working with product and integrator companies including Micro Focus Government Solutions, HP Enterprise Security, and IBM, as well as selected smaller Federal IT  firms, Fortify and Serena Software. A U.S. Army veteran, Brian lends his customer support experience to the collective Fortinet Federal effort to ensure trusted operations for U.S. Government IT environments.

Donna Garcia is a financial management professional with substantial experience in corporate accounting, auditing, and process improvement. She currently serves as Controller for Fortinet Federal where she oversees the financial management of this independently managed, wholly owned subsidiary of Fortinet, Inc., where she previously was Accounting Manager. Prior to Fortinet Federal, Donna was Controller for CapRelo where she led corporate financial management activities, including accounting, business analytics, and operational process improvement. She has also held professional financial oversight positions with RSM US LLP, and KPMG US, where she was responsible for ensuring corporate compliance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and External Audit requirements. Ms. Garcia holds a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from De La Salle University.