Dan Holland

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 Program Manager for the Pacific Area Fleet before transitioning to civilian life and beginning his career in IT and cyber risk management and security.

After five years at a Fortune 500 company where he ultimately served as Chief of Staff to 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 disabled veteran owned small business (SDVOSB) that advises and supports healthcare, government, and other critical infrastructure leaders on information security governance, risk management, and compliance (GRC). Dan and his team of consultants and technical analysts surpassed $3M in revenue in their first 18 months by performing assessments; documenting plans, policies, standards, guidelines, and procedures; managing and staffing cybersecurity programs; and reselling enterprise hardware and software tools. Their mission is to help clients make excellent decisions regarding their cybersecurity risks.

Dan also serves on several nonprofit Boards and Advisory Councils, including the 1K+ member Central Florida AFCEA Chapter; West Florida Area Maritime Security Advisory Committee; Hillsborough Academy of Information Technology Advisory Board; Pinellas County Technical College Advisory Board; Tampa Bay Cybersecurity Ecosystem K12 Advisory Board; and the Countryside High School Advisory Board. He is passionate about K12 education, and enjoys facilitating practical STEM and cybersecurity workforce experiences for educators and students across Florida.