Technical Officer for the Americas and Vice President of Consulting Systems Engineering at Fortinet. In this capacity, he helps drive the company’s strategic initiatives across the Americas, drawing on over 30 years of industry experience, including more than 20 years with Fortinet. Rick’s extensive expertise in cybersecurity, networking, and telecommunications spans the Commercial, Enterprise, Service Provider, Federal, and Financial Services sectors.

Rick began his career with two enlistments in the United States Air Force, specializing as a security and computer switching systems specialist. This experience laid a strong foundation for his later career in cybersecurity. After leaving active duty in 1997, Rick further developed his expertise in networking and security integration, working with leading organizations such as AT&T (formerly SBC Data Communications) and later with a vendor specializing in virtualized security services for service providers.

Since joining Fortinet in 2003, Rick has held several key leadership positions, including spearheading the Financial Services vertical and overseeing senior engineering responsibilities for pre-sales field resources across North America, South America, and Australia. His leadership has been instrumental in enhancing Fortinet’s cybersecurity capabilities and supporting its growth across diverse markets.