Leadership
Gary Fish, President and Chief Executive Officer
Gary Fish is founder and CEO of FishNet Security, Inc., headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. Mr. Fish founded FishNet Security in 1996 and, since its inception, has led the organization to be one of the fastest growing and most respected information security firms in the United States.
In 2005, Mr. Fish positioned FishNet Security to obtain $12 million in private equity investments, helping to perpetuate his vision of continued growth and stability. In 2006, Mr. Fish showed his strengths as both a leader and strategist, by leading the company through the successful acquisition of SiegeWorks LLC and True North Solutions Commercial Operations, officially making FishNet Security the largest private Information Security Solutions Provider in the country. In 2007, with revenues of over $200 million, 26 offices and nearly 300 employees, Mr. Fish led the company to another successful private equity investment of $100 million.
Mr. Fish has a degree in electronics from DeVry University, served in the Army National Guard and is certified in many areas of technological and business expertise. With nearly 20 years experience in the information technology field, Mr. Fish is regarded as a pioneer in the information security industry. He actively serves on the advisory boards for numerous national and global technology companies. In 1999, Fish was named as one of the Top 25 Executives for the new millennium, in computer related fields. In 2001, Ernst & Young honored Mr. Fish as the Technology Entrepreneur of the Year for the state of Kansas and Western Missouri. Mr. Fish is a serial entrepreneur, involved in many business endeavors; including a successful information security application development company, Secure Passage. As well as being active in the business community, Mr. Fish leads a strong social responsibility by keeping himself and the organization involved with many charitable and non-profit organizations.
Tim Dolan, Chief Financial Officer
Tim Dolan joined FishNet Security in 2005. Mr. Dolan is a certified public accountant with over 23 years of professional experience.
Prior to joining FishNet Security, Mr. Dolan was CFO for US Salt Holdings, LLC. where he was one of the original founders. Between 1993 and 1997, Mr. Dolan held various corporate finance positions with Harris Chemical Group, Inc. and GS Technologies., and prior to that, Mr. Dolan served ten years in the audit department of Ernst & Young, LLP.
Mr. Dolan is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Mike Volk, Chief Operating Officer
Michael Volk joined FishNet Security when they acquired True North Solutions in July of 2006. Currently, Mr. Volk serves as FishNet Security’s COO and is responsible for day-to-day operations of all FishNet Security sales, consulting and marketing teams. He is also responsible for all operations inputs into the company’s strategic plans, visions, budgets and financial forecasts as well as being heavily involved in evaluating any potential acquisitions the company may be contemplating.
Mr. Volk has worked in the information security industry for over 10 years and has been involved in the information technology field for over 12 years. Prior to his current role at FishNet Security, Mr. Volk was the president and COO of True North Solutions. There he supervised all operational aspects of the company, including both sales and delivery teams as well as all back office functions. During his tenure, Mr. Volk managed the revenue growth from $0 to over $63 million.
Mr. Volk holds both a bachelor’s degree in finance and a MBA in management from Virginia Tech University.
He also currently sits on several partner advisory boards including RSA, Juniper Networks and Blue Coat Systems.
Brandy Peterson, Chief Technology Officer
Brandy Peterson joined FishNet Security in June of 1998 and has 12 years of experience in the industry. Currently, Mr. Peterson is the CTO of FishNet Security and is responsible for 24x7 customer support, internal IT and security technology leadership of FishNet Security.
Mr. Peterson’s previous roles included director of technology and systems engineer, both positions within FishNet Security.
Mr. Peterson earned his Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Kansas State University and holds a CISSP technical certification.
Gordon Shevlin, Executive Vice President
Gordon Shevlin brings more than 25 years of technical, sales, marketing and management experience to FishNet Security and to his current role as executive vice president.
Previously, Mr. Shevlin was part owner of SiegeWorks LLC in addition to EVP of sales. During his tenure at Siegeworks, he helped significantly grow the company and employee count and led its successful acquisition by FishNet Security.
Mr. Shevlin has also performed multiple roles within the ISSA, including president and vice president of the Silicon Valley Chapter as well as CFO of ISSA International. Additionally, he has held board positions for three consecutive terms. Due to his knowledge of the security industry, Mr. Shevlin has been invited to serve on advisory boards of 12 of the leading information security companies.
Jeff Bennett, Executive Vice President of Training
Jeff Bennett joined FishNet Security through the acquisition of SiegeWorks, LLC in March 2006. Mr. Bennett brings 14 years of industry experience to FishNet Security where he currently serves as the executive vice president of training. This role includes overseeing FishNet Security’s entire training department.
Prior to FishNet Security, Mr. Bennett co-founded SiegeWorks and served as CEO of the company. Before his time at SiegeWorks, Mr. Bennett held the executive vice president position at SiegeSecure, Inc.
Mr. Bennett holds a B.S. in business administration from California State University at Hayward.
Mike Bossert, Executive Vice President of Sales - Central Region
Mike Bossert joined FishNet Security in 1999 and is currently responsible for commercial sales, revenue growth and sales direction of FishNet Security’s Central region.
Mr. Bossert has applied his customer centric attitude and nine years of experience in the information security industry to develop new sales and marketing programs, manage strategic vendor partnerships and consistently exceed annual revenue targets.
Mr. Bossert graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in financial management. He has a diverse background in global transportation and information security and has been a leader in corporate sales, marketing and business development for 15 years.
He currently participates in partner advisory and panel discussions involving industry trends and customer demands in the information security sector.
Holly Thillet, Executive Vice President of Sales - Eastern Region
Holly Thillet joined FishNet Security through the acquisition of True North Solutions where she served as executive vice president of commercial operations. Currently, Ms. Thillet is responsible for commercial sales, revenue growth and sales direction of FishNet Security’s Eastern region.
Ms. Thillet has 20 years of high-tech industry experience, with eight of those in information security. Prior to joining FishNet Security, Ms. Thillet was hired to open the commercial business unit at True North Solutions and grew her team to approximately $40 million in revenue within 5 years. Ms. Thillet has also served as vice president of channel and business development for Vigilinx, a strategic consulting and managed services provider. She also held a number of senior executive positions with Internet Security Systems (ISS) and as vice president of the Southern region, maintained full operational responsibility for the pre-sales, sales, consulting, education as well as profit and loss accountability for a 12 state area. In addition to expanding the ISS portfolio into new markets, she developed a solution-based methodology and customer-focused services to increase customer utilization and satisfaction. Under Ms. Thillet’s direction, her region grew to $25 million in revenue.
Ms. Thillet earned a double degree in marketing and finance from Georgia State University.
Mike Stager, Executive Vice President of Sales - Western Region
Mike Stager brings an array of experience to FishNet Security, with over 16 years in the high tech industry. Currently, Mr. Stager is responsible for commercial sales, revenue growth and sales direction of FishNet Security’s Western region.
Mr. Stager has been vital to numerous high tech companies and held positions such as purchasing manager and operations manager. Most recently, Mr. Stager was one of the co-founders of SiegeWorks LLC, an internet security focused company. As COO, Mr. Stager was vital to the launching and success of the company.
Mr. Stager attended both Sierra College and Delta College where he studied business and industrial technology.
He is also an active member of the security community and belongs to several security awareness groups including ISSA and OWASP.
Neil Van Duinen, Director of Federal Operations
Neil Van Duinen joined FishNet Security in January 2008. He has 13 years in the industry and is currently FishNet Security’s director of federal operations.
Prior to Mr. Van Duinen’s position at FishNet Security, he held the senior account manager position for Verizon Business Federal.
Mr. Van Duinen earned his Bachelor of Science degree from LaSalle University in Philadelphia and his MBA from George Washington University in Washington DC.
Aaron Shilts, Vice President of Professional Services Operations
Aaron Shilts joined FishNet Security in August of 2002 and has over eleven years of experience in the information security industry. As vice president of professional services operations, Mr. Shilts is responsible for the leadership of FishNet Security consultants and works closely with customers to ensure exceptional project management and service delivery.
Prior to FishNet Security, Mr. Shilts served as a senior consultant for VeriSign Consulting Services where he delivered security solutions for customers throughout the United States. As the president and CEO of eSecurity Consulting, Inc., Mr. Shilts held direct responsibility for sales, delivery and general management of this security consulting firm. Prior to that, he served as a senior security engineer for a large telecommunications firm and led teams of technical engineers performing network and systems administration functions.
Mr. Shilts holds a bachelor of science in business computer information systems, served in the Army National Guard and holds a variety of technical certifications.
Jeff LoSapio, Vice President of Professional Services
Jeff LoSapio brings 11 years of experience in the information technology industry and seven years in the information security industry to FishNet Security. As vice president of professional services, Mr. LoSapio is responsible for consulting resource management, offering development and management as well as sales and marketing coordination.
Previously, Mr. LoSapio worked for True North Solutions before the acquisition by FishNet Security. Prior to that, Mr. LoSapio came from American Management Systems, Inc. where he was part of the team that created an information security practice for the company.
Mr. LoSapio earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Virginia Tech and his MBA at the University of Maryland.
Tom Schmatz, Vice President of Support and Managed Services
Tom Schmatz joined FishNet Security in early 2003 and brings over 25 years of experience working in information security environments. As vice president of support and managed services, Mr. Schmatz is responsible for providing leadership to a team of security professionals delivering world class 24x7 support, along with the development and management of the FishNet Security suite of managed services products.
Prior to FishNet Security, Mr. Schmatz managed technology teams for two prominent law firms and led the development of customer service models for a real-time financial information provider. He is also experienced in developing proactive service organizations for leading edge technology vendors, managing large infrastructure teams and delivering customer focused offerings.
Mr. Schmatz is a graduate of DeVry University and holds both ISC2-CISSP and ISACA-CISM industry certifications. He also sits on several security advisory boards working with FishNet Security partners to improve security models and create deeper technical connectivity with product manufacturers.
Mark Carney, Managing Director of Strategic Services
As the Managing Director of Strategic Services at Fishnet Security, Mark Carney leads a group of seasoned security consultants that are strategic advisors to CSOs, CROs, and CIOs at FORTUNE 500 and global institutions surrounding the topics of developing formal security risk management programs, compliance, application security, identity and access management, incident management and security assessment programs. For the past six years at FishNet Security, Mr. Carney has been supporting CSOs short and long-term security initiatives to successfully map corporate security goals to overall business objectives.
Prior to his current role at FishNet Security, Mr. Carney managed the Information Assurance division and spent several years as a senior security consultant at FishNet Security.
Mr. Carney also spent two years in the Technology Risk consulting division at Andersen performing information security, enterprise resource planning (ERP) application integrity, data mining analysis and quality assurance (QA) testing related projects.
He also holds a master’s degree in business administration, emphasizing in management information systems and a bachelor’s of business administration from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Mr. Carney holds several certifications including Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), PCI Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) and NSA INFOSEC Assessment Methodology (IAM). He has also sat on the board of directors for the local Kansas City-ISSA chapter as the VP on Programs.
Dan Thormodsgaard, Director of Solutions Architecture
As the director of solutions architecture for FishNet Security, Dan Thormodsgaard is a strategic advisor of Fortune 50, enterprise accounts and government institutions. He listens, discusses and supports organization’s long-term security infrastructure initiatives as well as evaluating security tools and providing technology recommendations for customers and FishNet Security’s partner program.
Prior to his current role at FishNet Security, Mr. Thormodsgaard was the regional manager for the Minnesota region at FishNet Security and spent several years as a sales engineer.
Mr. Thormodsgaard holds an engineering degree from the University of Minnesota as well as several technical specialized certifications including CCSE, CCNP, CCSA, CCNA, MCSE and other security and infrastructure tool certifications.
With 21 years in the industry and representing six years at FishNet Security, Mr. Thormodsgaard has presented as a keynote speaker for wireless security events at ISWT and has spoken on other security topics at various national ISSA and ISACA chapter events. He was also published in an article on network access control in September of 2006 and has been referenced in several security trade articles.
Barry Cooper, Director of Security Education Services
Joining FishNet Security in March of 2000, Barry Cooper is the director of security education services. He is responsible for operations, management and leadership of the SecureSkills training organization. In addition, Mr. Cooper manages vendor, security and distance learning product development.
Mr. Cooper studied organization and leadership at Calvary Bible College and is pursuing a master’s degree in education.
With over 20 years of experience in information security, IS operations, management and training systems design, Mr. Cooper is able to hold multiple high-level security and technical certifications and belongs to several security organizations such as the HTCIA and ISSA. In addition, Mr. Cooper is a member of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) as well as the United States Distance Learning Association.