Our Mission

After graduating from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Dan began his career as a Federal Law Enforcement Officer leading at-sea boardings around the world in pursuit of suspected drug-runners and pirates, and then Commanding an 87’ Cutter in San Francisco, CA. He later earned a Top-Secret clearance and served as a Program Manager for the Pacific Area Fleet before transitioning to civilian life and beginning his career in information technology and security.
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After five years at a Fortune 500 company where he ultimately served as Chief of Staff for the SVP responsible for over $2B in annual revenue, Dan founded Arete Solutions. Arete {ah-reh-tay} is an ancient Greek concept for "the pursuit of excellence," and Arete Solutions is a cybersecurity consultancy and disabled veteran owned small business that advises and supports US government and corporate clients on IT and cybersecurity risk, strategy, and execution. Dan and his expert associates surpassed $3M in revenue in the first 18 months performing assessments, documenting and delivering plans, policy, and research, managing and staffing technical projects, and reselling hardware and software tools. Their mission is to help clients make excellent decisions.
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Dan's volunteer time is spent facilitating practical cybersecurity experiences and mentorship for K12 educators and students across Florida.  He serves on the Board of the 1K+ member Central Florida AFCEA Chapter as the Cybersecurity Outreach Chair, where he is responsible for coordinating mentorships, field trips, competitions, and teacher professional development with partners across industry, government, and academia. He also serves on the West Florida Area Maritime Security Advisory Committee, helping improve critical infrastructure cybersecurity practices.