Company Leadership

AARON HERBST

CEO, MANAGING PARTNER

Over the past 10 years, Aaron has excelled in a myriad of management positions in the Defense and Commercial industry including Manager of Finance, Accounting and Pricing in multiple small businesses and Fortune 100 (Disney, General Dynamics) companies. He has hands-on experience in Contracts, Business Development, Proposal Management, Capture Management and IT. He holds a B.S.B.A Finance from the University of Central Florida and an MBA IT Management from Florida Institute of Technology.

In 2017, Aaron was a finalist for the Tampa Bay Business Journal Up and Comers Award, one of 30 in his age group out of over 450 nominees.

ADAM HERBST

COO

Before joining Spathe Systems, Adam held multiple leadership positions in Fortune 500 and mid-sized companies leading Organizational Change, IT Project Management, Operations and Software Development.  While supporting these organizations Adam also moonlighted as a College Professor of Information Technology and Business at Valencia State College in Orlando, Florida.  Adam holds Masters in Computer Information Systems (MCIS), Business Administration (MBA), and a Bachelors in Finance.

RUSSELL VOCE

Vice President, C5I

In his capacity as Vice President C5I, Russ leads multiple teams of professional and technical Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) providing DoD with state of the art technology support in areas such as: DevSecOps, Cloud, Big Data, Enterprise IT, and IT Modernization. Prior to joining Spathe, Russ served as the deputy CIO/J6 for United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). Russ is a distinguished retired U.S. Air Force Colonel of twenty-seven years. He held numerous leadership position within the SOF community to include AFSOC, SOCEUR, JSOC, and HQ SOCOM. Additionally, he held multiple leadership positions within the Air Force to include Communications Squadron Command, Training Squadron Command, and Mission Support Group Command.

ROGER JONES

Vice President, Mission Support Operations

In his capacity as Vice President, Roger leads from the front orchestrating and managing the full complement of Spathe’s Mission Support personnel. Prior to joining Spathe, Roger held leadership positions in multiple DoD industry leading companies both large and small.

Roger is a distinguished, retired U.S. Army Special Forces Colonel of twenty-eight years. He held multiple leadership positions within SOF including Special Forces A-Team and Battalion Command culminating his military career at USSOCOM as a Division Chief in the J3 Operations.

DARREN WILLIAMS

Vice President, Solution Development

As Vice President of Solution Development, Darren is responsible for winning business opportunities for C5I and Missions Support areas within Spathe. He leads a of team of highly skilled defense industry professionals and oversees business development, capture, bid strategies, pricing, teaming, and proposal activities.

Prior to joining Spathe, Darren held a myriad of positions in both the private and public sector including Vice President for Information Technology (IT) APR Energy (private sector), Sr. Director of Solution Development for General Dynamics (a Fortune 100 company) and Chief Architect (SOF) for ARMA Global Corporation leading the solution development for numerous new business opportunities resulting in the company’s significant growth from $20M to $200M in six short years. Darren retired from the U.S. Army as a Chief Warrant Office 3 (CW3) after serving for 22 years of active duty. During his service, he served as Director of Integration and Engineering for US Army Special Operations Command (USASOC), Network Architect and Force Modernization Officer for the 112th Signal Battalion (Airborne) and held numerous positions supporting Special Operations Forces and Conventional C4ISR units globally. He served multiple combat and peacekeeping tours from Iraq and Afghanistan to Bosnia and South America. He holds a B.A.S in Information Technology Management from Campbell University, is a member of the Orlando, Florida Chapter of INCOSE, holds the Bronze Order of Mercury, and is currently pursuing his TOGAF 9 Certification.

ARTHUR COLEY

DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC RELATIONS

Mr. Arthur “AC” Coley responsibilities include but are not limited to: Develop and maintain strategic relationships with customer base within the Federal Sector business area- Combatant Commands, Services and Agencies (CC/S’s/A’s), assist/support operations of programs, pursue business opportunities within the Federal Sector, recruiting and maintain relationships with strategic partners.

Prior to joining Spathe Systems, AC Coley distinguished government service career spanned 42 years as an U.S. Army Senior Enlisted Leader, Department of Defense Civil Servant and Defense Industry Contractor. He was a superior leader with demonstrated performance in high pressure environments including unique global Information Technology (IT) problem solving accomplishments.

He earned the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star during combat operations, the Outstanding Civilian Career Service Medal, along with numerous Interagency and International awards and recognitions. Mr. Coley is the first recipient of the Shadow Warrior Association’s leadership Award. This 112^th Special Operations Signal Battalion Alumni Association honor now bears his name. “The A.C. Coley Lifetime Achievement Award. He was also selected by the US Army Signal Regiment to be a Distinguished Member of the Regiment, and the National Armed Services & Law Enforcement Memorial Museum (NASLEMM) of Dunedin, Florida proudly has an exhibit with his military career artifacts.

Mr. Coley has completed several Small Business Administration courses and is a graduate of the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy, Georgia Military College, Airforce Advance Communications Officers Course, Scrum Master Management certification course, attended diverse International and Interagency Department of Defense programs.

BRANDON BOWLES

DIRECTOR, SPECIAL PROGRAMS

In his capacity as a Director of Special Programs, Brandon oversees Spathe Systems portfolio of programs to include IT Networking Infrastructure, USSOCOM Cloud Initiative, SIE Ops Training and Blackberry Enterprise Mobility.  He previously managed all back-office functions, including Human Resources and Recruiting.

Brandon possess a deep commercial IT experience.  He has spent +20 years as an IT Project and Program manager at Fortune 500 companies such as Hughes Supply, the Home Depot Supply, Siemens, Wyndham Vacation Ownership, and Catalina Marketing. Brandon has led large multi-location project teams across the United States and internationally that spanned from the integration of 400+ users into a product lifecycle management (PLM) system, to providing hardware integration of 400 separate physical locations into a common Inventory Management System with a standard hardware configuration, to the conversion of a Global Payment Processing system from locally hosted to vendor hosted.

Brandon has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and a focus on process management and process improvement.

DEYMOS BORGEN

DIRECTOR, MISSION SUPPORT OPERATIONS

In his capacity as Senior Program Manager (PM), he has a combined 23 years of Special Operations experience as a combat-proven leader and a Program Manager, including over six years of managing complex CONUS and OCONUS programs supporting United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) organizations across the globe. Mr. Borgen currently oversees Spathe Systems OCONUS programs supporting USSOCOM efforts focused in IT support. He will be leading the USSOCOM SOF Core Services IDIQ, NAVWAR IDIQ, and NSWC M-SOF IDIQ efforts.

He retired from the U.S. Army after 21 years of service as a Master Sergeant where he participated in over 15 deployments supporting USSOCOM strategic and theater objectives with 7^th Special Forces Group and Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT). Mr. Borgen lead numerous combat missions as an Operational Detachment A Team Sergeant and was awarded numerous Bronze Stars and an Army Commendation Medal for VALOR. Since his retirement he has worked in the Defense industry in roles as a Program Manager at the USSOCOM, Component, and TSOC level.

Mr. Borgen earned a Bachelor of Arts in Multi-Disciplinary Studies with a minor in Business. He is certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP) PM and in Information Technologies Infrastructure Library (ITIL) v3 Foundation. He graduated from some of toughest courses the military has to offer. These include Ranger School, Special Forces Assessment and Selection, Special Forces Weapons Sergeant Course, Combat Diver Qualification Course, Combat Diving Supervisor, Jump Master, and numerous U.S. Army leadership courses.

TERRY WHITED

DIRECTOR OF CONTRACTS

In her capacity as Director of Contract, Terry oversees Spathe Systems extensive portfolio of Government and Commercial contracts, task orders, and subcontract agreements, procurement efforts and financial reporting.

Terry possesses a diverse federal and commercial contracting background providing advanced comprehension of Government and commercial contract management laws, U.S. Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR/DFAR) and related regulations in both DoD and commercial prime and subcontractor settings.  Expertise in procurement strategies, proposal development, financial analysis, pre- and post- contract management and compliance, supplier relationship management, strategic sourcing, and standardized procurement tools and leading-edge reporting.

She is an accomplished, Senior Procurement and Contracting professional with 32+ years of national and international defense and commercial contracting experience.   Demonstrated exceptional leadership and operational expertise in all aspects of Department of Defense contracting; including acquisition policy, strategic planning and procurement planning, complex negotiations, contract pricing, contract administration, and regulatory compliance for contracts supporting the U.S. federal government and select international governments in both peacetime and deployed combat environments.  Previous experience includes work on multi-site major wartime and contingency support contracts in multiple countries across the Middle East and Europe. Extensive contingency contracting experience supporting Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom combat operations, combat support, force protection, life support and humanitarian missions.

USAF Military Veteran with Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) Contracting Level III and Program Management Level I certifications, Master of Arts in Management, Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration/Contract Management, Associate of Arts and Sciences, Business Administration and Management, and Community College of the Airforce, Applied Science degree in Contract Management.

HENRI PICHAL

DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION

Henri serves as Spathe’s Director of Administration, overseeing Human Resource (HR) and Administrative functions. He has over 30 years supporting organizations in the areas of HR, Payroll, Benefits, Recruiting, Staff Development and Employee Relations.

Prior to joining Spathe Systems, Henri held various HR and Payroll Management positions for companies like Hyatt Regency Resorts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Outback Steakhouse, and Time Warner Business Systems. After 20 years of progressive experience in the commercial space, Henri worked for several years as an HR/Payroll consultant in the Dallas Fort Worth area doing merger and acquisition work. Then, in 2013, he transferred his expertise to the government contracting industry as Human Resources Manager for ARMA Global Corporation, then later General Dynamics Information Technology.

Henri earned a B.S. in Nursing from the University of Texas in Arlington and has held professional certifications in both Human Resources (SHRM-SCP), Payroll (CPP) and International Payroll Tax. He is also an active member of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM).

ERCELL SHERMAN

DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY

In his capacity as Senior Technology Director, Mr. Sherman oversees Spathe Systems extensive Information Technology portfolio for Department of Defense (DoD) efforts related to hybrid cloud computing environments, software defined data centers, application development for analytics, mobile first platforms, and workforce modernization.

Mr. Sherman has held senior-level positions in the private sector and the DoD. He has technical expertise in designing and managing specialized devices, IT systems, and strategic communication networks supporting civil, commercial, national, and international collaboration environments. He puts emphasis on developing strong customer relationships, building a culture of inclusion, teamwork, and innovation.

He served over 20 years in the U.S. Army in various operational and leadership positions within the special operations community giving him a unique understanding of mission critical IT systems supporting the DoD, United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), SOF Components, Theater Special Operations Commands (TSOCs), and deployed SOF. Prior to his retirement from the military, he served as an IT Branch Chief where he oversaw the design, development, and delivery of enterprise and technology-based offerings in support of defense and national security missions. His program included capabilities in command and control, special communications, cyber security, intelligence support systems, space based systems, and surveillance technologies.

Mr. Sherman’s education includes a master’s and bachelor’s degree from Troy University, an Associate of Science degree, graduation of the Command and General Staff College, and numerous technical and certification courses. He is a community volunteer and has dedicated countless hours to local charities and non-profit organizations supporting disabled veterans. He also holds three U.S. Patents.

DIANA ZWEIFEL

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE

In her capacity as the Director of Finance, Diana reviews financial reports, monitors accounts and expenditure, and prepares activity reports and financial forecasts for Spathe programs. She establishes targets, develops budgets, and performs financial analysis for the leadership team. She also heads the procurement efforts within the growing business by establishing supplier relations, calculated source selection, and efficient procurement processes.

Diana has experience in applying knowledge of financial management and accounting functions and maintaining financial data and forecasts in the commercial and government sectors. She gained working knowledge of CAS and FAR regulations in prior roles and has effectively gained knowledge of techniques to gather, analyze, evaluate, and present information required by leadership and customers. She has also experienced IT procurement and management in prior roles. This includes the coordination of technology procurements from the development and administration of RFPs and contracts, oversight of the company’s purchasing program, and management of relationships with IT suppliers.

Diana’s professional accolades include a tour as a Supply Chain Manager in the US Marine Corps where her exposure to supporting global efforts OCONUS such as Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom provided a basis for her vast understanding of the defense industry. This USMC veteran holds a MBA in Finance from Nova Southeastern University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Campbell University.

JOE EVICH

CONTROL ANALYST

In his capacity as Controller, Joe is the financial business partner responsible for managing and providing financial information on company-wide activities that assist’s management in making sound business decisions.  Joe is a seasoned professional who’s background provides extensive experience in managing all aspects of accounting disciplines to ensure the integrity of the data and timeliness of reporting, especially those related to the DoD industry for almost 15 years.

Mr. Evich’s experience includes serving various industries, both public and private with experience in printing, aerospace, and government contracting in small and international corporations serving in various financial capacities from internal auditor to Director of Finance.  He has worked with DCAA, external auditors and other governmental entities to ensure the organizations compliance needs were met.

Joe is a licensed C.P.A and has a B.S.B.A from Duquesne University and an MBA from Nova Southeastern University.